Thinking about a Sept/Oct or April/May trip (to avoid super hot and crowded season) at the north end of Lake Powell (to avoid what I assume is the more crowded and open water southern end -- to me big open is less interesting than smaller canyon).
I am thinking about going from Hite (where Cataract Raft trips pull out) down to Bullfrog (maybe get a car shuttle).
I'm wondering if finding campsites will be pretty easy (i.e. not endless steep shoreline or knee deep mud to get to dry land. This way we won't have to have campsites all thought out in advance.
I guess I do need to think a bit about that -- for example thinking we should go up "Forgotten Canyon" late in the day but finding out there are no accessible places to camp! A good scale topo should help with knowing the cliffed shoreline.
I did send an email to Glen Canyon Rec Area Office asking similar questions.
Any thoughts on this plan are appreciated (maybe the south end is "not to be missed" and not crowded in the off-season?).
Thanks!
Hite etc.
Make sure water levels are high enough you aren't paddling in algae mats. We saw Hite from a distance on our first visit and it looked like a solid sheet of bright glowing green. We decided to start our southward trip from near Bullfrog that time. That was a drought year, in October. Check to find out what you're likely to encounter.
Moki Canyon is a beautful day trip. I say day trip because it IS sheer, high, vertical rock walls, very narrow for much of it. Jet skis and powerboats can make for some wild rocking and rolling in there, but it's worth paddling anyway, as long as you don't freak out over those kinds of things.
Get the Fish-N-Map pair of maps for Lake Powell. While they are quirky for sure (don't trust the compass rose on them!) and have limited info about land features, they do note floating toilets, mile marker buoy locations, water depths, and some topographic features. Supplement with a good hiking-oriented map for more complete information.
Bone up on the invasive water species boat inspection requirements, too.
Thanks
http://www.kayakpowell.com/lake-powell-map
These maps (photos) are amazing – it’s almost cheating!
You can get a pretty good idea of where there will be camping above Bullfrog – usually at the head of some of the side canyons.
Thanks for the info. I expect Moki gets a lot of motor traffic because it is right across from Bullfrog Marina (and looks beautiful). My inclination is to spend time above there, but it may just be my imagination that motor traffic will be less a bit higher up.