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LAKE POWELL BY HOUSEBOAT
By Patricia Lamb
As we curved along the winding desert road, we passed a sign proclaiming "Where the West Stays Wild." Surrounded by sheer red rock cliffs, surrealistic stone outcroppings and towering spires, a falcon circling lazily overhead, we had to concur.
Sixty million years ago, powerful geologic forces began sculpting Arizona's Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, creating over one million acres of dramatic desert landscape adjacent to the nation's largest Indian reservation, home to the Navajo Nation.
Much of Glen Canyon's grandeur remained unseen by the human eye until 1969. That year, the Glen Canyon Dam was completed, capturing the awesome flow of the Colorado River. Now Glen Canyon is home to the massive Lake Powell, the Southwest's version of an ocean. The lake's shoreline stretches for 1,960 miles, longer than that of the entire United States Pacific coast.
It's possible to rent a houseboat, motorboat and other water toys from either Bullfrog or Wahweap Marinas. From your floating base camp, you can view spectacular scenery and visit some of the lake's 96 canyons. You can motor past hanging gardens and water-ski and swim in the warm crystal blue waters. At night, bats buzz about your boat and fly in and out of any windows you leave open. The star-studded night skies are alive with shooting stars and meteor showers.
Lake Powell came into existence amidst controversy and compromise. Although the Glen Canyon Dam created water storage, power generation and recreational opportunities, it also flooded historic sites and modified the species of plants and animals that live in the canyon. Following years of drought, the lake's water level is now at record lows. Some environmentalists would like to eliminate the dam, drain the lake and restore the canyon to its natural state, arguing that current water levels make this the ideal time for such an action.
The don't-miss Rainbow Bridge National Monument is sometimes called "one of the seven natural wonders of the world." With a span of 275 feet and a height of 290 feet, it's the largest natural bridge in the world. It was created when water flowing off nearby Navajo Mountain on its way to the Colorado River cut into the soft Navajo Sandstone. The Navajo feel strong cultural ties to the bridge, which borders their reservation.
If you don't feel comfortable renting a houseboat, consider taking a day cruise from Wahweap Marina. Among your options are a tour of Rainbow Bridge National Monument or a bay cruise via paddle wheeler. You'll be likely to see formations of salmon pink sandstone, striped with dark desert varnish caused by iron oxide as well as some canyons so narrow you can almost touch both sides simultaneously.
The area's first inhabitants were ancient Pueblo people, probable ancestors of today's Hopi. Some of their dwelling sites, shallow caves in cliffs, are still visible from the lake. Before the courageous one-armed explorer John Wesley Powell arrived here, early Spanish explorers seeking an overland route to California passed through. The Canyon has also been home to miners, ranchers, and rustlers; it is said that Butch Cassidy occasionally hid out in Robbers' Roost.
If certain canyon vistas look familiar, it may be because they've appeared in your living room or on your neighborhood big screen. The Glen Canyon Recreation Area has served Hollywood as the Wild West, the Holy Lands, and even the Planet of the Apes.
The Lake Powell area offers a wonderful blend of desert beauty and relics of a rich historic past. Grand Canyon, Zion, Monument Valley and Grand Staircase-Escalante are all within an easy drive. Whether Glen Canyon and Lake Powell are your final destination or part of a longer trip through the West, you'll find here a winning combination of interesting activities, natural beauty and striking manmade attractions.
For information on Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas, Aramark, call 1-800-525-6154 or check
http://www.visitlakepowell.com
For information on Glen Canyon Recreation Area, check www.nps.gov./glca
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