5 Things to See by Boat in Lake Powell

I recently spent a few days on Lake Powell and what I found was this: It’s big.

I mean it’s really big. Like 2,000 miles of coastline big, which is more coastline than the entire west coast of the U.S. With that much coastline, as you would expect, many of the best parts of the lake are best viewed by boat.

Here are 5 things you can’t miss while on a house boat on Lake Powell:

Glen Canyon Dam. Sure, you can drive over the dam, but that only gets you a minuscule view of the lake. For an up-close view of its stature, you’ll want to have a boat that can take you relatively close to the famous dam. The dam isn’t only impressive in height, standing at over 700-feet tall, but also in its historical significance, since it stands on the Colorado River, one of the longest rivers in the U.S., and creates Lake Powell, the second largest man-made reservoir.

Antelope Canyon. It’s one thing to see Antelope Canyon by land, but it’s a whole other thing to see the Lake Powell side of it by boat. While parts of Antelope Canyon are accessible by car and foot, the water side of the canyon is only accessible by small boat. There’s something calming, yet grandiose about navigating the small waterways of the canyon where smooth, ominous walls tower above you on all sides. While most navigate it by motorboat, some may choose to navigate by kayak.

Rainbow Bridge. RainbowBridge is perhaps the most photographed attraction on Lake Powell. Often noted as the world’s highest natural bridge, it stands at nearly 300 feet tall. It’s one of a handful of natural bridges in Southern Utah. However, it can take some time to access by boat from Lake Powell’s marinas, typically around two hours if you’re coming from one of the two marinas near Page.

Wahweap Bay. Wahweap Bay is where all the action happens on Lake Powell. It’s one of the large, most open spaces on the lake and where you can really accelerate in a motorboat or on a jet ski. It offers a broad, scenic view of the lake and is convenient to a couple of the nearby marinas and Glen Canyon Dam. You’ll also find several notch canyons, including Wiregrass Canyon, Lone Rock Canyon, and Ice Cream canyons.  

Sunset. With such broad landscapes and a vast sky, Lake Powell makes for a beautiful backdrop for the sunset. Many of the lake’s most picturesque sunset scenes can only be found via boat as the sun is setting behind a canyon or over the horizon. For a sunset with dinner aboard a boat involved, there’s the Canyon Princess Dinner Cruise, which is a two-hour dinner cruise that often culminates with the sun setting over the canyons as you’re finishing your meal.