By Elizabeth R. Rose Lake Powell, and the town of Page located in northern Arizona, is a fantastic jumping-off point for visiting the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and some of the most historic and photographed areas of the American southwest. Page is about a four-hour drive from Gallup via AZ-98 W, ideal for a short getaway or vacation where you can take in vivid sunsets, tour stunning natural formations, and enjoy a full range of exciting recreational opportunities.
Explore Lake Powell by Houseboat
Over the years, renting a houseboat on Lake Powell has been a favorite family vacation activity. As the years have passed, also, houseboats have become more amenityrich and exciting to spend time on. Once you start plying the waters of this enormous lake, you can explore the canyons and formations of Lake Powell and see the famous Rainbow Bridge National Monument, with one of the world’s largest natural bridges. Lake Powell is one of the best places in the world for water sports. Most bring along a smaller boat with their houseboat so they can go water skiing, wakeboarding, and travel into the small canyons to hike. The two main places to rent houseboats are: Lake Powell Resort and Marinas and Antelope Point Marina.
Fly Over the Sights
Taking a one-hour flightseeing trip from the airport in Page is an ideal way to begin or end your stay at Lake Powell. It wasn’t until I took a sightseeing trip with American Aviation (www.americanaviationwest.com) that I was able to put together the pieces of what we had seen in this beautiful area and understand how rivers created canyons, how the various layers of the Colorado Plateau—exposed in many places—was once a seascape, and how the Glen Canyon Dam created the multi-fingered huge body of water that is Lake Powell.
Raft the Colorado
Lake Powell is the reservoir created by the damming of the Colorado River. And just past the massive Glen Canyon Dam, the river flows on. While I’ve never had the nerve to raft through the Grand Canyon, there are raft trips for people like me who want to see awesome canyon vistas, look into the deep waters of a beautiful river, and do it all without a hint of fear. What I found out was that Wilderness River Adventures (www.riveradventures.com) offers one of the most spectacular Colorado River rafting tours available 18
July 2019
