09/24 - Lake Powell 2011

I've been looking at Flagstaff as a retirement possibility and I just found this railroading event coming up in the days leading up to our gathering at Oak Canyon.

http://www.psrconvention.org/flagstaff11/index.html

It's a model railroad event mostly, but they plan tours of some local railroading facilities and some train rides, too.

Perhaps some of you with extra time would like to check this out on the way to the gathering. I might go there to meet some locals and learn stuff about the area. If I lived there I'd only be 135 miles from Lake Powell and it's an overnight Amtrak trip each way to/from Los Angeles to visit friends there and see the ocean once in a while.

I also notice the water level right now is 9 ft lower than the same date a year earlier, and about equal to the level two years back. That's probably a good indicator for our use at Oak Canyon and other places I'd guess. A bit more beach area than last year would be good in a couple of the places we stayed.

-Jeff
 
They have been dumping water like crazy. Castle rock cut is closed. Hopefully we will get a 40 to 50 foot rise. If we get a 30 foot rise it will just be a break even year again. The cut did stay open last year.
 
The water managers have been dumping water since the first of the year. The watershed looks very good this year and they are in "make room" mode now so that they are able to hold the flows later. They are filling Lake Mead now...which is expected to come up about 20 feet this year. If everything goes as planned Powell will end up about the same level as last year. We should see about the same beach conditions this year as we had last year.
Another great cruise coming up in September!
 
Getting organized for Lake Powell, what do a lot of you guys do when bow on the beach? Small grapnel anchors off the stern cleats or amidships or use those dog tie down things for in lawns or just drop a sern anchor offshore and motor in?
George
 
ghone":2rzwpi5m said:
Getting organized for Lake Powell, what do a lot of you guys do when bow on the beach? Small grapnel anchors off the stern cleats or amidships or use those dog tie down things for in lawns or just drop a sern anchor offshore and motor in?
George
Click to expand...

George, when bow on, just drop the anchor out on the beach. The dog tie downs work nicely to keep you from blowing around, or you can always tie to a salt cedar (tamarisk). Get a couple of Frisbees to put over the lines running to shore. That helps keep some of the critters at bay. A couple of years ago, one boat had a ringtail get into the cabin.

A number of folks drop the anchor offshore, then back in and place a line to the beach.

You will need to have an easy way to get on and off the boat. I've seen everything from ramps to ladders, step stools and you name it.

Steve
 
I might go a little east after Lake Powell in September to do the Durango and Chama train tides. There are some reservoirs in the area where I might take the boat for a little camping/fishing.

Does anyone know of these places or others? McPhee, Vallecito, Navajo, Heron, and El Vado all look interesting on the internet and water levels seem to be up. I guess I'm more of a Bass or Crappie fisherman than Trout, but I'm not sure.

I'm coming from San Diego, so I don't want to go further east than necessary.

-Jeff
 
Well we're getting closer to our Lake Powell cruise. The water level is up this year...about 24 feet more than this time last year. The level started to drop a little this last week so I'm hoping it will be lower by the time we have our rendezvous in Oak Canyon on Sept 24. If the water level is too high beaches will be scarce in Oak Canyon.
I will be leaving the store dock at Wahweap around noon on Sept 23 and cruising up lake...overnighting somewhere along the way towards Oak Canyon. Anyone wanting to cruise along is welcome.
 
At the moment it's about 50/50 whether I'll be there Friday to leave with you or Saturday noon instead. I was wondering about the lake level also. I can think of at least one beach we've been staying at that will be gone for sure - up the Escalante arm. I think it was Explorer Canyon with a narrow beach backed up to a steep rock wall. That's an island I think. I seem to remember kayaking all the way around it.

Oh well, shorter walk to Rainbow Bridge and Defiance House.

I see gas is $4.81 at Dangling Rope. That beats $6.48 we paid at the Isthmus on Catalina Island last month.

-Jeff
 
Jeff,

I live about 6 miles west of Durango, CO and most of my boating takes place at McPhee Reservoir and Navajo Lake they are both about an hour drive from where I live. If you look in my album I have pictures of both lakes.

Navajo is the biggest of the lakes you mention about 20 miles long from the marina in Colorado to the two marinas in New Mexico. Colorado State Park has a $7.00 a day charge while you are on the lake. Not sure what new Mexico charges. Most of the lake is in New Mexico. Navajo did not totally fill this year but there is plenty of water.

McPhee my favorite, is in the San Juan National Forest. There are two boat ramps and no charge to use them. There is a fee if you stay in the camp ground. I always anchor over night on both lakes. I think McPhee is prettier than Navajo with lots of fir trees, pine trees, cottonwood and oak brush. There are some nice looking sandstone formations also. Mcphee filled all the way up this year and it is on the way back down.

I am not much of a fisherman but there are plenty of bass boats on both of these lakes. You can google fishing information on all the lakes you mention.

I have not been on Vallecito with by C-Dory. I was there a few times with the 17' Boston Whaler I had before the C-Dory. It is only about 4 miles long. It is up around 8,000 feet, no bass, mostly trout and pike. There is a fee to use this lake.

I have never been to Heron or El Vado in New Mexico. I think they are no wake lakes.

I have been on McPhee about 6 weekends and Navajo about 4 weekends so far this summer. Sue fell and fractured her fibula and twisted her knee pretty bad so I we have missed being out on the lake for the last four weekends. I cann't give you up to date information on water levels. We still hope to make the Lake Powell gathering, and I can tell you more if I see you there or pm me with any questions you have.

Bill
 
Diana and I have taken our names off the list due to some parental care issues, and in order to visit some elderly relatives in Decorah, Iowa, but we still want to do Lake Powell. It now looks like we could do both, but we would be late in getting to the pond, probably close to 9/10 or 10/1.

Is anyone planning on staying on the lake into October? It would be fun to have someone to explore the country with.
 
George (and others...),

I have found that arriving at Powell (Wahweap), preparing the boat for launching, launching, parking the tow rig, etc can make for an uncomfortably hectic day. Sure, we're all anxious to get out on the lake, but this is supposed to be relaxing, not hectic!

I've found that my preference is to prepare and launch the boat and go directly over to the Wahweap marina for the night (with or without electricity). You can then have a more relaxed afternoon/evening, a bombproof place for the night, and an opportunity to settle things in the boat (and if necessary an opportunity to return to Walmart for that last item you forgot in your dither to get launched). And the next morning, you get a cup of coffee from the marina store and head up lake at your own pace!

Think about it ....

Casey
 
Good advice Casey, I really like to have a day between the prep launch, park stuff before heading out.
Hopefully me getting into the marina on Thursday will keep it relaxing.
My prep takes maybe 30 minutes so pretty good. Parking is an unknown, can take awhile. Then geting the canuck all squared away with state park passes etc.
I like to get in the water and tied up then go out that first night for a nice pale ale (or two) and burger and look at the surroundings.
George
 
We would like to highlight the article posted by Jeff from the LA Times. The water levels in Powell are the highest in ten years. None of the previous Brat Gatherings on the lake have seen such high levels. It will be a different experience this year than in previous years.

New places will be accessible and old landing spots gone. Hite marina at the top of the lake, not usable for years, is being excavated from mud and sand. If reopened, it allows fuel (for exploration) of the upper reaches of Powell - even access into the deep limestone-walled canyon of the lower portion of Catatact Canyon above Hite and north of Powell.

This year the lake will have a different 'face' - a better environment for boating? No - not necessarily, in our opinion, but different and an exciting 'new' lake to explore.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greensp ... owell.html
 
El and Bill":3jq1t29t said:
We would like to highlight the article posted by Jeff from the LA Times. The water levels in Powell are the highest in ten years. None of the previous Brat Gatherings on the lake have seen such high levels. It will be a different experience this year than in previous years.

New places will be accessible and old landing spots gone. Hite marina at the top of the lake, not usable for years, is being excavated from mud and sand. If reopened, it allows fuel (for exploration) of the upper reaches of Powell - even access into the deep limestone-walled canyon of the lower portion of Catatact Canyon above Hite and north of Powell.

This year the lake will have a different 'face' - a better environment for boating? No - not necessarily, in our opinion, but different and an exciting 'new' lake to explore.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greensp ... owell.html
Click to expand...

For those of us used to running on the salt chuck, and having to watch for floating "stuff" does this mean there is likely to be more of the floating debree on the lake to be wary of? Seems to me that after being down so low for so long there may be all kinds of driftwood etc out there now.

Just asking :?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
While trees are scarce around Lake Powell proper...many of the canyons are heavily wooded. Also... many of the rivers originate in heavy timber. There are some areas that have huge amounts of driftwood...and in some canyons the driftwood will stop your progress. Under certain conditions debris is very much a concern. I expect that this year...with the water level up so much...and so much flooding occurring... we could very well see more debris than we have seen in the recent past.
 
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