Lake Powell lies on the central Arizona/Utah border, with most of the lake stretching northeast into Utah for 185 miles. Several small arms flow into Lake Powell, AZ on its southern section. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA) entirely flanks Lake Powell with over 1.2 million acres. Glen Canyon, including Lake Powell, is almost unpopulated.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) built the Glen Canyon Dam to create Lake Powell from 1956 to 1966 on the Colorado River. The National Park Service (NPS) manages the Glen Canyon NRA, which includes Lake Powell. As most people along the 1,450-mile Colorado River corridor know, the Colorado River is witnessing the worst drought in 1,200 years.
Why Is Lake Powell Disappearing?
Hundreds of inside policy makers concerning the Colorado River drought crisis have been and are trying to mitigate the effects of this drought, which affects seven U.S states and Mexico. This crisis negatively alters the livelihoods of 40 million people in seven western states.
Lake Powell is disappearing because of a drought that began before 2,000. Sources disagree on exactly when the Colorado River drought began. What happens at Lake Powell is a direct result of what happens at Lake Mead, which is also experiencing drought crisis conditions.
The Colorado River’s Upper Basin includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Its Lower Basin includes Arizona, California, Nevada, and Mexico. The river shrank in Mexico, where concrete canals bring water to farmers. In 2022, a treaty between the U.S., Mexico, and NGOs allocated water to the Mexicali Valley’s ecosystem.
Is Lake Powell Filling Up in 2023?
A water level of 3,700-feet above sea level is Lake Powell’s reservoir at full capacity. As of Thursday, December 21, 2023, at 12:00:00 AM, the Lake Powell water level was below its full pool at 3,700-feet above sea level (a maximum depth of 558-feet). The lowest was in April 2022, when the lake level was down 3,515-feet from its full pool, or only 185 feet deep at the dam.
When Was the Last Time Lake Powell Was Full?
Lake Powell’s highest water level was recorded in July 1983 at 3708.4 feet and only 6.6 feet below the top of the dam in mid-July that year.
How Full Will Lake Powell Get this Year (2024)?
Water volume is measured in many ways for scientific data collection. For the following USBR report, published December 14, 2023, maf = million acre-feet and kaf = thousand acre-feet.
From the USBR:
“Under the current most probable forecast, the total water year 2023 unregulated inflow to Lake Powell is projected to be 7.62 maf (79 percent of average). At the beginning of water year 2024, total system storage in the Colorado River Basin was 25.27 maf (43% of 58.48 maf total system capacity).”
Is Lake Powell Starting to Rise?
The Lake Powell Region experienced a wet winter, which produced nearly double the snowmelt from the winter of 2022/2023. Since March 2023, melting snow filled Lake Powell with 4.3 maf of water. Rainfall in the region also increased in 2023.
Lake Powell’s water content rose by about 50% in 2023 compared to 2022.
How Many Feet Has Lake Powell Risen?
The Lake Powell Water Database reports,
”[Lake] Powell was last within 3″ of this elevation on Dec 20, 2023 There are currently 2,769,479,398,020 gallons of water in Lake Powell! Lake Powell is up 43.92 feet from one year ago.”
How Deep Is the Deepest Part of Lake Powell?
At full pool, Lake Powell Lake Powell’s maximum depth is 558-feet deep (3,700-feet above sea level). Its average depth is 132-feet.
Is it Okay to Swim in Lake Powell?
Eight months of the year, Lake Powell proves a chilly dip. Cliff jumping/cliff diving is illegal from a cliff, ledge, or man-made structure. You can swim, kayak, and paddleboard anywhere on Lake Powell except for marinas and close to the dam.
Yes, you can swim at Lake Powell year-round. The NPS does not employ life guards or designate swim beaches at Lake Powell or on the Colorado River. Swimming is prohibited at all marinas and launch areas. June through September are the best months for a comfortable splash in Lake Powell.
Lake Powell Average Monthly Water Temperatures (Fahrenheit):
- January 47°
- February 46°
- March 52°
- April 54°
- May 64°
- June 70°
- July 76°
- August 80°
- September 76°
- October 69°
- November 62°
- December 53°
The Glen Canyon Dam
The Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell. It rises 710 feet above bedrock within the walls of Glen Canyon. It is the second highest concrete-arch dam in the United States, second only to Hoover Dam, which stands at 726 feet.
The Glen Canyon dam produces electricity distributed by the Western Area Power Administration for residents of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska. Eight generators have a total capacity of producing 1,320 megawatts. Currently, the power plant produces around five billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power annually.
Revenue from Glen Canyon Dam’s power plant helps to fund important environmental programs to preserve Glen and Grand Canyons. The Lake Powell dam provides the primary water storage unit of the Colorado River Storage Project. It is one of the most technologically advanced and extensive river resource developments in the world.
What Is So Special About Lake Powell?
The obvious answer is, “Everything is so special about Lake Powell.” People refer to the Lake Powell region as the “Grand Canyon of Colorado” because it features the same unparalleled magnificence as the Grand Canyon.
Lake Powell’s towering red rock cliffs striped with yellows, oranges, and rusts, desert flora and fauna, and pristine, warm water make visiting Lake Powell a vacation of a lifetime. Over 196 genially named canyons branch off from the main channel of Lake Powell along with uncounted side canyons.
Boaters and paddlers can find 94 major canyon sections to visit on the water. Among the most popular slot-canyons are Lowest Antelope Canyon (on Lake Powell), Lower Antelope Canyon, and Upper Antelope Canyon. Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons are accessible only by an authorized Navajo guided tour.
Add Horseshoe Bend and Rainbow Bridge to the most visited areas. Other spell-binding canyons are Labyrinth Canyon, Last Chance Bay, Forbidding Canyon, and Cross Canyon. Some canyons provide a habitat for rare plants and animals.
Lake Powell earns the title of the world’s longest stretch of non-stop boating, kayaking, and paddleboarding. Depending on your mode and speed of travel, it takes an average of four days to make an entire round trip from the lake’s main channel to the farthest end of its tributary canyons.
Lake Powell is one of the world’s top houseboat and stand up paddleboard destinations. Among the hundreds of side canyons, coves and natural, scenic wonders, the colors embedded in the sandstone cliffs delight anglers, boaters, hikers, photographers, and wildlife lovers.
If you are in the Arizona section of Lake Powell, Arizona does not switch to Daylight Savings Time in summer, and the Navajo Reservation switches to Daylight Savings Time in the state of Arizona, nor does the Hopi Reservation within the Navajo reservation. Utah employs the time switch twice a year.
Lake Powell’s almost 2,000 miles of shoreline can give explorers an almost never-ending experience if they have the time. A variety of landscapes and views of the surrounding canyons and cliffs offer visitors out-of-the-way spots to explore and out-of-this-world sunrises, sunsets, and starry night skies.
Lake Powell Wildlife
Lake Powell is a small part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which spans 1.2 million acres of the Colorado Plateau. The region is home to a complex ecosystem that plays host to a wide array of plants and wildlife. Bighorn sheep graze and bald eagles nest and soar throughout the canyons.
Common small animals include beavers, cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, packrats, and deer mice. Some of these little creatures can board your boat by running on the ropes tying up your boat. It is advised to wrap your ropes with aluminum foil.
Frogs and toads usually stay close to the water and are more common in May through October. They are more active in the early morning or evening cooler temperatures. You’ll hear their calls in the evening. Small lizards are prominent in the desert.
Watch out for these Glen Canyon snakes: king snake, western rattlesnake, gopher snake, striped whipsnake, night snake, and black-necked garter snake. The rattler is the only poisonous snake there, but snakes are snakes and kind of scary. Over 315 species of resident and migratory birds are present at Glen Canyon NRA.
Besides spotting waterfowl, bald eagles, herons, owls, birdwatchers might see these species: belted kingfishers, California condors, Canadian geese, double-crested cormorants, horned larks, mallards, red-tailed hawks, and ring-necked ducks, and many more depending on the season.
Lake Powell Lodging
If you love nature, but you also love luxury after a long day of exploring, Lake Powell is not short on accommodations, some luxury and some middle of the road. Camping is not the only way to experience Lake Powell and Glen Canyon.
- Antelope Canyon Inn
- Bullfrog Marina
- Lake Powell Canyon Inn
- Lake Powell Resort
- The Lake Powell Motel & Apartments
Private Vacation Homes near Lake Powell
- The Vermillion Cliffs House
- Penthouse at Lake Powell
Lake Powell Camping and Boat Rentals
Lake Powell is great for boating and camping year-round. However, Lake Powell is an amazing winter destination for boating and camping, as long as you do not want to swim. It never freezes. The average high temperature in January is 45° F. The entire lake is almost deserted in the winter months.
An all-time favorite way of vacationers to see Glen Canyon is to rent an all-inclusive houseboat and explore Lake Powell’s endless coves and bays. From sunbathing on the deck to fishing off the deck, to freshly cooked meals and comfy lounging and sleeping quarters, people love to houseboat on Lake Powell.
Plenty of houseboats rental services operate throughout the lake. Sailing is wildly popular too. While the Lake Powell region has campgrounds and RV parks, you can camp anywhere on the shores of Lake Powell except in developed marinas.
Lake Powell teems with largemouth, smallmouth, and striped bass, bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, and walleye. Countless canyons and shores provide thoroughly private spots to relish anchoring, camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, and water sports.
