Lake Powell & Horseshoe Bend — ADVENTURE TRAVEL REVIEW

Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona, United States. Most of Lake Powell, along with Rainbow Bridge National Monument, is located in Utah. It is a major vacation spot that around two million people visit every year. It is the second largest man-made reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States behind Lake Mead, storing 24,322,000 acre feet (3.0001×1010 m3) of water when full.

We flew into Vegas in the morning and drove approximately 5 hours through the mountains to get to Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas. The drive is beautiful with many areas where you can stop and take in the landscapes. Lake Powell Resorts is a 3 star hotel. It is very clean and well managed. We had a walk-out level room with a spectacular view of the lake. They have a few dining areas. The most notable was the rainbow room. Wow, good food, good service and a panoramic window view of the lake from your table.

View from the Rainbow Room

Beautiful Views, Good Food, Good Service.

We arrived right before sunset. Once we got checked into the resort we headed out to Horseshoe bend which is a short 15 minute drive from the resort. The sunset is gorgeous so bring your camera. Once you get to Horseshoe Bend there is a parking lot and a short 1.5 mile hike to get to the edge of this beautiful canyon. There are tours that take you into the canyon kayaking. I understand there are camping options as well. The sunset at Horseshoe Bend is breathtaking.

Recommendation: If you are exploring this area definitely stay at Lake Powell. It is central to so many sites.

Horseshoe Bend is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona, in the United States.Horseshoe Bend is located 5 miles (8.0 km) downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, about 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Page.It is accessible via hiking a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) round trip from U.S. Route 89. Horseshoe Bend can be viewed from the steep cliff aboveThe overlook is 4,200 feet (1,300 m) above sea level, and the Colorado River is at 3,200 feet (980 m) above sea level, making it a 1,000-foot (300 m) drop. The rock walls of Horseshoe Bend contain hematite, platinum, garnet, and other minerals

If you Visit Lake Powell rent a boat. There are many options. Ski-boats, runabouts, pontoons , jet skis even houseboats. We rented an awesome pontoon boat. We boated 8 hours. It was incredible. We boated to Rainbow Bridge. Make sure you get the location of the marina 1/2 way to this site incase you need gas to get back. You will find yourself taking your boat to all areas of this lake admiring the enchanting views. There is so much to see. We found a nice cove and went water skiing and wakeboarding on the way to Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument is administered by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, southern Utah, United States. Rainbow Bridge is often described as the world's highest natural bridge. The span of Rainbow Bridge was reported in 1974 by the Bureau of Reclamation to be 275 feet (84 m), but a measurement of span according to definition by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society in 2007 resulted in a value of 234 feet (71 m). At the top it is 42 feet (13 m) thick and 33 feet (10 m) wide. The bridge, which is of cultural importance to a number of area Native American tribes, has been designated a Traditional Cultural Property by the National Park Service.