Lake Powell / Page, AZ

Lake Powell Interesting Facts

• Lake Powell is the second largest man-made reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States behind Lake Mead.
• Lake Powell has a maximum capacity of 30 cubic kilometers (7.2 cubic miles) or 30 trillion liters (7.9 trillion gallons).
• Lake Powell's main body stretches up Glen Canyon, but has also filled many (over 90) side canyons.
• Hundreds of colorful sandstone side canyons, coves, and natural wonders make Lake Powell a paradise for house boating, fishing, photography and of course paddleboarding!
• Glen Canyon Dam is a major source of hydroelectricity, averaging over 4 billion kilowatt hours per year.
• Lake Powell is a water storage facility for the Upper Basin states of the Colorado River Compact (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico).
• Lake Powell is visited by over two million people every year.
• Lake Powell requires entrance and boating fees that are collected by the National Park Service (NPS). If you have an NPS Senior Pass or a "America the Beautiful" pass then entry will be free (boating fees are separate). The NPS Senior Pass information can be found here and America the Beautiful pass information can be found here.

Lake Powell Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Lake Powell named after: Lake Powell is named for explorer John Wesley Powell, a one-armed American Civil War veteran who explored the river via three wooden boats in 1869.
• How big is Lake Powell: Lake Powell is roughly 300 kilometers (186 miles) long and 40 kilometers (25 miles) across at its widest point. It has a surface area of 252 square miles.
• How Many miles of Shoreline does Lake Powell have: Over 2,000 miles of shore line.
• How long did it take for Lake Powell to fill: 17 years - Lake Powell started filling in 1963 and reached full pool for the first time in 1980.
• How deep is Lake Powell: Lake Powell's average depth is 40 meters (132 feet), while the maximum depth is 178 meters (583 feet).
• What is the current Lake Powell water level: The 22 year long mega-drought has left Lake Powell just 26% of capacity. . However, Lake Powell has risen about 43.85 feet from one year ago. The rise in the water levels at Lake Powell can be attributed to the historic 2022/23 winter season snowpack.
• What Amenities and facilities are at Lake Powell: six marinas, two visitor centers, permanent mooring for more than two thousand private vessels, restaurants, lodging, RV facilities, and campgrounds. There are convenient services, and that includes the availability of boat rentals and houseboat rentals at the dockside and dry boat storage, water sports gear, fishing, general merchandise, groceries and guided tours.

After 157 miles of desert driving, the first thing we saw as we descended route 89 (into Page) is Lake Powell off to our left and then you come up to the Glen Canyon Dam. The story about the Dam, it's construction and what issues the continued drought is causing, can be read in more detail here. The bottom line is that the Glen Canyon Dam may have to be removed (or bypassed) in order to save Lake Mead (close to Las Vegas).

The dam is a 710 feet high arch-gravity construction positioned such that bridge traffic into Page, AZ receives a full view of the dam as they cross the bridge. The steel arch Glen Canyon Bridge is 1,271 feet in length and is 700 feet above the river. It is the sixth tallest bridge in the United States (the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado is the tallest at 955 feet).

Lake Powell has over 2,000 miles of shoreline which is more than the combined states on the Pacific Coast. It is 400 feet deep, 186 miles long and has a water storage capacity of 27,000,000 acre feet of water.

Due to the continued drought, there are a number of launch ramps that are currently closed, you should check the National Park Service alerts list to see what is closed. There are also various webcams available online for sites around Lake Powell, click here to view that page.