Lake Powell

The Dominquez-Escalante party traveled through the Glen Canyon Area, where Lake Powell is today, on their way to California in 1776. These two Spanish priests were responsible for naming many of the 
features in the Four Corners area, such as the Colorado River. Many years passed before, Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives entered the area in 1858. Lieutenant Ives led his party along the Colorado River. 

Then in 1869, Major John Wesley Powell became one of the most famous explorers of the area. He took a party from Green River City in Wyoming down to the mouth of the Virgin River in Arizona . His 
exploration marked the first scientific and geological survey of the canyon. Major Powell made two journeys down the rivers in this area and he gave Glen Canyon its name. Eventually, Lake Powell was 
named in his honor.

Right after Major Powell’s adventures along the Colorado River, John D. Lee established a ferryboat service across the Colorado River. Lee used one of Major Powell’s abandoned boats as his first ferry. Today, there isn’t much left at Lees Ferry, except a fort, post office, ranch buildings and a cemetery. It wasn’t until many years later, when the area underwent a great change. In 1966, Glen Canyon Dam was 
completed to meet the demands of water and electricity. Lake Powell was the result of the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. Glen Canyon Dam holds back the second largest manmade lake in North America. 
The sheer size of the dam can be realized with a water depth of 500 feet, which took 17 years to reach full pool. The dam forms one of the most beautiful lakes in Arizona .

Lake Powell is a part of the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. The Green River from Wyoming, the Colorado River from Colorado, the San Juan River from New Mexico, the Escalante River from Utah 
and the Dirty Devil River from Utah all feed into the lake. These five rivers provide Lake Powell with over 250 square miles of blue water edged by sandstone rock. Lake Powell also has 1,960 miles of shoreline, which is more than the entire West Coast from Mexico to Canada. There are 96 canyons that create a maze of water paths with walls of rock soaring as high as 400 feet. Visitors will discover swimming holes, sandy beaches and rock islands to explore. 

Lake Powell is home to a variety of wildlife. There are more than 170 species of birds, 800 different mammals and more than a dozen reptile species. Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Walleye Pike, Northern 
Pike, Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and Carp are just some of the fish that can be hooked in Lake Powell. Along with the wildlife, there are 730 species of plants growing in the area.
There are four marinas operating at Lake Powell. These marinas are on the perimeter of the lake and are accessible by land. All of the marinas offer rental, accommodations, fuel, food, fishing gear and dockside 
storage. A fifth marina called Dangling Rope is accessible only by boat. It is seven miles southwest of the entrance to Rainbow Bridge and 40 miles from Wahweap Marina. The name Dangling Rope came from a 
dangling rope found in a nearby canyon left behind by prospectors. 

Wahweap Marina is on the south shore of Lake Powell. Wahweap means, “bitter water” in the Ute Indian language. The marina is six miles north of Page and five miles from Glen Canyon Dam. Wahweap is the largest marina on the lake and many lake tours leave from here. Bullfrog Marina is in Utah near the middle of Lake Powell. It is named after the Bullfrog Rapids that used to flow before Lake Powell was created. Halls Marina is across from Bullfrog Marina. In 1881, Charles Hall used this site as a ferry crossing location. Hite Marina is the northernmost marina and is the smallest of the four. It is 140 miles from Glen Canyon Dam. Cass Hite found gold here in 1883 and eventually a small town sprang up. Hite Marina is one of the quieter marinas and is well liked by many fishermen.

The beauty of Lake Powell is intact, due in most part to Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. The National Recreational area encompasses the lake and prevents the shores from being filled up with businesses and homes. The landscape and stillness of Lake Powell can found today, even though thousands of visitors come to see the lake. Every visitor is able to find a spot all to themselves to soak in the lake’s natural wonders.

One of the most fantastic sights to see at Lake Powell is Rainbow Bridge. It is the largest natural rock bridge in the world. It is well worth the boat trip out to see it. You can get to Lake Powell from Tucson or Phoenix by taking Interstate 17 north out of town to Flagstaff. 
Once you are in Flagstaff take U.S. Highway 89 north to the town of Page, which lies just south of Lake Powell. Page is approximately 395 miles from Tucson, about 277 miles from Phoenix and 136 miles from 
Flagstaff.