What do you get when you put a dam at the end of a large, beautiful canyon? One of the most magnificent lakes you can imagine. The Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River create Lake Powell, a huge and dramatic lake with over 1,900 miles of shoreline and depths of over 500 feet. It makes our little Lake Conroe seem like a puddle.
Lake Powell was named after explorer John Wesley Powell, who in 1869 explored the Green and Colorado Rivers for three months, including the first passage through the entire Grand Canyon.
Lake Powell was named after explorer John Wesley Powell, who in 1869 explored the Green and Colorado Rivers for three months, including the first passage through the entire Grand Canyon.
When it was built in the late 50s and early 60s, it was in one of the most remote places in the U.S. The roads and a town for the workers (Page, AZ, now approx. 10,000) had to be built before construction on the dam could even begin. The dam was finished in 1963, but it took until 1980 (17 years) for it to fill to capacity! It was worth the wait.
The colors of the rock in the canyon sides were breathtaking as was the color of the clear, blue water. We took two different boat tours while we were there and were totally fascinated the entire time.
Mail Exchange
Here’s a picture of a mail exchange. Dangling Rope Marina cannot be reached by land, so everything is done by boat, and our tour boat was carrying the weekly mail. Our crewman and the young lady exchanged locked metal toolboxes. Linda could not believe there was no flotation on the boxes. This marina is only a fuel and food stop and is open just six months a year.
Here’s a picture of a mail exchange. Dangling Rope Marina cannot be reached by land, so everything is done by boat, and our tour boat was carrying the weekly mail. Our crewman and the young lady exchanged locked metal toolboxes. Linda could not believe there was no flotation on the boxes. This marina is only a fuel and food stop and is open just six months a year.
Rainbow Bridge
This is the largest natural bridge in the world. It was carved over the eons and can only be reached by boat. To give you some idea of its size, the Statue of Liberty will fit under the arch. It really is quite impressive. Depending on the height of the lake, the bridge can be anywhere from a short walk to 1-1/2 miles from the boat. We walked about a 1/3 to 1/2 mile. Though it was a 50 mile one way boat trip to the bridge, our crewman told me that we had only seen about 10-15% of the lake.
This is the largest natural bridge in the world. It was carved over the eons and can only be reached by boat. To give you some idea of its size, the Statue of Liberty will fit under the arch. It really is quite impressive. Depending on the height of the lake, the bridge can be anywhere from a short walk to 1-1/2 miles from the boat. We walked about a 1/3 to 1/2 mile. Though it was a 50 mile one way boat trip to the bridge, our crewman told me that we had only seen about 10-15% of the lake.
Slide Show
We took a bunch of photos, and I tried to pick out some representative pictures to give an idea of this lakes beauty. I managed to pare it down to about 40. Enjoy!
We took a bunch of photos, and I tried to pick out some representative pictures to give an idea of this lakes beauty. I managed to pare it down to about 40. Enjoy!