Quote Originally Posted by sandm View Post
this is slowly becoming a reality.. it's ugly out here..... zog certainly follows the snowpack and understands its impact on powell/mead but the news here is painting a doom and gloom year again. we have had almost zero rain here and already over 90 for several days. granted our rain doesn't provide future snowpack but every little bit helps soak the ground/add a little to the lake pool and keeps evaporation lower.

pool companies having record years last year here, phx and cali don't help the cause AT ALL.
Definitely not a pretty picture for Lake Powell, but rumors of its demise are overstated. IF you can get on the lake, the water is deep and large, but many of the facilities are high and dry. Our houseboat is at Halls Crossing which hasn't had an operable ramp since mid-July. Across the lake (2-3 miles) at Bullfrog, the last concrete ramp went dry around the same time and we had to launch off an improvised launch using an old submerged road until that went dry in December. They are currently extending a ramp to the low water mark, and we will have to wait until the water comes up to use it (probably mid-May). That may last until October, but could be dry again in June, depending on how the water level rises. The predicted rise is 40 feet, but last year they predicted 20 feet and we received 2 feet.

If the water level were to drop to dead pool in Glen Canyon dam, the water would still be about 175 feet deep at the dam, with the lake extending nearly 100 miles up the river from there, so the lake won't go away without a massive investment in creating bypass tunnels. The NPS is currently planning for facilities all the way to the bottom. They insist that Wahweap launches will be available all the way to dead pool, so there should be a way of launching somewhere, just not where I have my boat. They don't know what they will do up north.

Everyone should visit Powell at some point. The big difference between the lake now and the lake when the water level is up can be seen in the side canyons. They are much longer and more awe-inspiring when the water is higher. It's still worth a visit during these low water times though.

Back to your houseboat adventure; I don't know if you have driven a houseboat before, but if you haven't, just note that the engines are the big key for everything you do. Differential throttling will help you make that boat turn on a dime. Take a little time to figure it out before you need it.

Towing the boat is a good idea to get everyone and have a good bit of conversation along the way, but remember that houseboats generally have poor visibility and a lot of boats tend to ignore the problems they can cause for the houseboat as they move down lake. I have seen a lot of jet skis try to jump off the houseboat wake and come around right at the front of the houseboat for another try, so be very aware of what is going on around you since you can't stop quickly. Make sure you understand how the water systems work, since some boats have lake water and fresh water plumbed into the bathrooms/kitchen and we have had guests on previous boats not realize the difference when brushing teeth and drinking.

Have a great time! I am super jealous of all you southerners and your full lakes. It looks like the only boating I will be doing this summer may be at Lake Powell.