Lake Powell Messabout
by Kellan Hatch

This September I’ll be attending the first Lake Powell Messabout. It’s the brainchild of another friend and Duckworks contributor, David Hahn. Chuck Leinweber is driving all the way from Texas to attend. Glen Maxwell is towing his Paradox up from Florida. I’m pretty stoked. If you’re not familiar with it, Lake Powell is an amazing place. The second largest man-made lake in the US, it has more coastline than the west coast of the United States (at least when it’s full - we’re currently experiencing a multi-year drought). Lots of breathtaking, meandering red rock canyons, crevices, buttes, spires and other natural wonders.

Check out the Lake Powell Messabout group on Yahoo if you think there’s any chance you might be able to make it to the Utah/Arizona border the weekend of September 10-12, 2004. Or drop me a line and I’ll add you to the LPM email list.


Local map (click to enlarge)

Area Map

Note: The reason we are meeting underwater is that the water has receded quite a bit from the high-water mark shown on the map

Arriving by Land:

If you’re driving directly to the beach site, you’ll be coming in on State Road 276, most likely from either Hanksville or Blanding. This is a really beautiful drive, so hopefully you’ll be doing it by daylight.

As you get near the lake you’ll start seeing gas stations and other facilities. There’s a park entrance gate where you’ll have to stop and pay the entrance fee. If you’re planning to launch from the ramp, just head straight ahead on the paved road. The ramp is that big, wide, really long concrete thing that turns to dirt right at the bottom.

If you’re heading straight for the gathering spot, you’ll want to take the Stanton Creek Campground road, which is the first left, just beyond the entrance gate. Look for a dirt parking area directly off the left side of the road which will probably have a few boat trailers parked in it. That’s where the road starts. You’ll come to a self-pay box where you pay your camping fee on the honor system. Just past the pay box a road heads off to the right. That’s the road you want to take. There’s a sign that says “four-wheel drive recommended.” Don’t panic, this is a good road that just about any vehicle can handle. The only real obstacle is a sandy patch a couple of car-lengths long.

The road branches a couple of times, but stay to the main road (I think it’s always on the right) and follow it to the end. You’ll end up on a little peninsula where the road splits. Our little cove is on the left. The mouth of the cove looks like this:

Bullfrog Bay is on the right.

The GPS coordinates for this point are:
N37°29.305' - W110°42.388' - 3573 ft

We’ll plan to take the large beach area on the left (hmm, sounds like D-Day. If it’s already occupied (it’s big, so there shouldn’t be a problem), we’ll take the right fork. Both are good. Look for a skull-and-crossbones flag unless you get there before I do (Thursday night).

Arriving by Water:

If you’re arriving by boat, you’ll be coming in from either Bullfrog Marina or Hall’s Crossing. Check the “Getting There” map for relative positions and distances. Here’s the view you’ll see if you’re coming across from Hall’s Crossing:

The entrance to the cove is just to the right of this photo. The small rock knob at the extreme right of the photo is about halfway back into the cove (you’ll drive right past it if you’re driving in by land). My boy says it looks like a double-scoop ice-cream cone.

If you’re coming around from Bullfrog Marina, you’ll pass 2 “haystacks” like the one in the middle-left of the photo. The best feature to look for as you get close to the gathering place is a jagged rocky spit that sticks out into the lake. This is the threshold to our cove. Safety note: go AROUND it.

The GPS coordinates for the cove entrance are: N37°29.194' - W110°42.297' - 3566 ft.

Other stuff you should see:

If you’re coming from far away and haven’t seen the sights in this part of the country, I hope you’re leaving some time to check out some other amazing places you can visit. Highest on my list are:

Mesa Verde (near Cortez, CO):

Goblin Valley (between Hanksville and Green River, UT):

Arches National Park (near Moab, UT):

Capitol Reef (Near Hanksville, UT):

Bryce Canyon (Near Panguitch, UT):

See you there!