Boater's Guide to Lake Powell : Featuring HIKING, Camping, Geology, History & Archaeology

by Michael R. Kelsey

This book is a guide to Lake Powell, which has formed behind the Glen Canyon Dam in the middle part of the Colorado River. The dam is located in extreme northern Arizona, near the town of Page, but 99.9% of Lake Powell is in Utah. It has a shoreline of 2900 kms or 1800 miles. The emphasis of this book is on hiking with boater access. Also covered are potential campsites, geology, history of the early pioneers and cattlemen; the ones who came to build trails, look for minerals, and explore. Excerpts from the John W. Powell and the Dominquez & Escalante expedition diaries have been added in the appropriate locations, plus archeological sites and their history are documented using studies from the Universities of Utah and Northern Arizona from the 1950's, before the lake covered many of the sites. There are 43 mapped areas, which show inlets and the canyons above, and hiking and camping information. Shown on these maps are Anasazi ruins, petroglyphs, and other information for mostly day-hiking. All sections of the lake are included, from Cataract Canyon in the upper end, to the San Juan Arm; plus the Escalante River drainage and its many great hiking canyons, and Rainbow Bridge, the one of the largest in the world. There are also lots of great slot canyons with boater access only; these include West Canyon, maybe the best all-around canyon hike on the Colorado Plateau. This 2nd Updated (3rd) Edition has 251 fotographs, including 10 color fotos on the front & back covers.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1989

Reviews

[elsalmon L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boating, hiking, camping, geology, history and archaeology in Glenn Canyon National Park.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a boater or hiker and plan to go to Lake Powell this is a must read. It goes thru each finger canyon and where to park your boat and where to go on day hikes. Very complete. Maps looked almost hand drawn, but accurate. Pictures were not impressive.

This is a serious book for serious boater/hikers.