“A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

October 7, 2022

Lake Powell is an artificial reservoir on the Colorado River. It is a major vacation destination visited by approximately two million people every year. It is the second largest artificial reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States behind Lake Mead, storing 25,166,000 acre-feet of water when full. However, Lake Mead has fallen below Lake Powell in size several times during the 21st century in terms of volume of water, depth, and surface area.

Lake Powell was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon. The reservoir is named for John Wesley Powell, a Civil War veteran who explored the river via three wooden boats in 1869. For the past two days we have explored some of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, created by the power of water, today we took an incredible three-hour cruise to see a different creation by water.

“Water is the driving force of all nature.”~ Leonardo da Vinci

There were surprisingly many boats on Lake Powell. This enormous reservoir is often described as one of the best places in the world for water sports. Skiing, wakeboarding, and cliff diving are extremely popular. Many people tow their own boats to the lake. Many who houseboat on the lake also rent, or bring a ski boat. Anchor the houseboat somewhere and use it as base camp, then use the ski boat to explore and play.

Lake Powell is hemmed by the Glen Canyon Dam, which generates hydroelectric power via the dam’s water flowing through the dam back into the Colorado River. If the water levels drop to levels below the intake pipes, the water flow will cease to turn the hydroelectric turbines, and the dam won’t generate any power.