Hell Houseboat: A Lake Powell Houseboat Adventure With Bobcats & Bats

Yesterday going through my archive files I came upon five webpages I made of a Lake Powell Houseboat Roadtrip, which took place over 20 years ago.

The five webpages tell the tale of a four day sail on the waters of Utah's Lake Powell, in October of 1994.

The Hell Houseboat web tale was made back when the concept of broadband internet had not yet been invented, and so images were kept small. On the Hell Houseboat webpages the small images are thumbnails, which when clicked on, open up larger versions of the images.

Hell Houseboat, a Lake Powell Houseboat Adventure, begins with the Bullfrog Basin Launch, heading to Bobcat Cove, visiting Rainbow Bridge the next day, followed by scary Skull Cove with treacherous cliffs, ending at Bloody Bat Cove where we were swarmed by bats when the sun went down for the night.

The houseboats of the type our group floated on have long since been retired, replaced by upgraded houseboats, most of which come equipped with TVs. I do not like the idea that the peaceful solitude of a Lake Powell Houseboat Float could now be intruded upon by a blaring TV.

I recollect being appalled on my second Lake Powell Houseboat Adventure, which took place in October of 1998, that TVs had been added to the pre-boarding lodging at Bullfrog Basin.

The addition of TVs must be the reason I have not been on a Lake Powell Houseboat at any time this century....

I Am In A Moab Utah Redrock State Of Mind

It's been a while since I Roadtripped through Utah. I think the last time may have been the Roadtrip that was also my move to Texas.

Moab was on the route I chose to get from Washington to Texas. Keys were accidentally locked in the moving truck while in Moab. This made for a longer than planned stop in Moab. That was a good thing.

Utah has some of my favorite places I've been to on the planet.

There's Mountain Biking in the Moab area, Houseboating on Lake Powell, the Fiery Furnace hike in Arches National Park, the amazing hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park, boating into Rainbow Bridge on Lake Powell, staying overnight at the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, hiking in Zion National Park, the view from Islands in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park, driving down the Moki Dugway and a lot of other good stuff I'm not remembering right now.

I saw a State of Utah Tourism ad last night. That ad put Utah on my mind. The video below also put Utah on my mind. I think I need to move to Moab....

Houseboating On Utah's Lake Powell

UPDATE: Winter Lake Powell fishing info below.

I did not think I would like Houseboating. Being stuck in what I thought would amount to being in a travel trailer on water seemed like it would be claustrophobic to me. I was wrong. I have gone Houseboating twice on Lake Powell.

Lake Powell was formed when Glen Canyon Dam backed up the Colorado River by the town of Page, Arizona. Flooding Glen Canyon was and continues to be controversial. Lake Powell forever altered some extremely beautiful scenery. But, the lake made what remained of that scenery way more accessible to way more people.

Prior to Lake Powell, not all that many people saw Rainbow Bridge, it being the world's biggest natural arch. Now you can take a boat up a side canyon and dock your boat a short distance from Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge side canyon is rather narrow. This makes for some big wakes and some rock and roll boating. We're heading towards Rainbow Bridge in the picture directly above.

The National Park Service authorizes Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas as the concessioner in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah and Arizona. There are 5 marinas on Lake Powell. Wahweap Marina, Bullfrog Marina, Halls Crossing Marina, Hite Marina and Dangling Rope Marina.

My two times Houseboating we sailed out of Bullfrog Marina. You can stay in a motel at Bullfrog or rent a house-keeping unit. We opted for the housekeeping unit, which is basically a large mobile home type place with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and, on the last Houseboating trip, TV had come to Bullfrog. I didn't like that. Now the TV option has even been added to some of the houseboats.

If Houseboating does not sound fun, you can opt to stay at a Marina's lodging and rent a power boat to zip around the lake. I think if I go to Lake Powell again that is what I would do.

This fishing is good on Lake Powell, if that's your thing. The water was crystal clear the first time I was on Lake Powell, as in you could see deep into the water. The second time the lake was almost overflowing and a bit murky due to all the runoff. It was spectacular, though, that time, to see a big rainstorm, with little waterfalls running down the canyon walls.

Depending on which marina you launch from you are close to other Utah and Arizona attractions. From Bullfrog Basin you can take a ferry to the south side of Lake Powell and continue on to the Moki Dugway, the scariest road I have ever driven, it twists and turns down an escarpment. Monument Valley is visible to your south, the Valley of the Gods is below you. Once you've made it down the Moki Dugway you are a short distance from Mexican Hat and the San Juan Inn. The San Juan Inn may be my favorite place I have ever stayed. (I've now blogged more details about the San Juan Inn)

Go here to see more Lake Powell pictures, including Rainbow Bridge. And a Moki Dugway picture.

Go here to read Big Ed's tale of catching a fish in Moki Canyon on Lake Powell.

Lake Powell's fishing season is drawing to a close. It has been a banner year for all species. Habitat, food/forage and fish numbers have peaked to near perfect conditions. Great fishing will continue into the winter months. Currently shad are still in the shallows, with bass and stripers in close proximity. But a winter storm will drop water temperature into the 50s. Soon winter fishing patterns will be in place. That means top water fishing is almost over for the year. It is wise to have a surface lure hooked up during November, just in case, but the real catching will be done deep.

Utah's Moki Dugway

I've driven down the Moki Dugway twice. Both times at the end of a Lake Powell Houseboating Roadtrip with Mexican Hat's San Juan Inn as that day's pitstop.

The Moki Dugway is, by far, the scariest piece of road I've ever driven. Glacier National Park's Going to the Sun Road is easy to drive, compared to the Moki Dugway. So is Colorado's Million Dollar Highway.

You start getting Moki Dugway warning signs as soon as you turn off UT-95 on to UT-261. The first warning sign says "10% Grades, Switchbacks, Narrow Gravel Road, 23 miles ahead."

A little further down the road is another warning sign. That one says "NOT Recommended for Trucks over 10,000 lbs., RVs, Buses, Vehicles Towing."

When you are almost to the Moki Dugway there is a sign letting you know that the pavement ends in 800 ft.

My first time down the Moki Dugway we were in two vans. The driver in the 2nd van was very scared of mountain type roads. He had a total panic attack when we stopped at the Muley Point Lookout at the top of Cedar Mesa and he could see the narrow switchbacks leading to the valley floor.

The person having the panic attack wanted to backtrack and take a long detour to get to Mexican Hat. Eventually it was agreed that a driver from my vehicle would drive the other van down the Moki Dugway. The person having the panic attack then quickly drank a lot of liquid courage and put a pillow case over his head so he couldn't see the road.

I found it all very amusing.


On the way down the Moki Dugway you do see a car or two that have gone off the cliff. That is a bit unsettling. Meeting a vehicle heading up the Dugway is a bit dicey.

As you head down the escarpment you can see Monument Valley to the south, with Valley of the Gods slightly to the north. The Goosenecks of the San Juan River is between the Moki Dugway and Mexican Hat.

Indians had long had trails up to the top of Cedar Mesa. Then in 1958, Texas Zinc, a mining company, built the Moki Dugway, in its current form, so they could carry uranium ore from the Happy Jack Mine in Fry Canyon, Utah to a processing mill in Mexican Hat.

The Moki Dugway descends 1,100 feet in 3 miles. It is the slowest 3 miles you will ever drive.

As you can see on the sign at the top, there are various spellings of Moki, actually there are 3 variations, Moki, Mokee and Moqui.

Below is a good YouTube video of a truck driving down the Moki Dugway....

Moab Utah: Mountain Biking Capital Of The World

I don't know how many times I have been to and through the Mountain Biking Capital of the World, Moab, Utah.

I do remember when the last time was. I was on a Roadtrip from Washington to Texas. The route went through Moab. The intention had been to make a short stop for lunch and then continue on to Gallup, New Mexico.

But, one of the vehicle's keys had been locked inside. This was discovered after the lunch at Eddie McStiff's. Eddie McStiff's is a restaurant and microbrewery. On nighttime visits, of the past, the microbrewery has been visited. Eddie McStiff's makes real good pizza, among many other good things. We had the Sante Fe Pizza, green chile sauce, grilled chicken, olives, jalapenos, tomatoes and cheese.

Four hours after the Santa Fe Pizza a locksmith finally freed the trapped keys so the Roadtrip could continue, making it to Gallup as planned, but much later.

Due to being the Mountain Biking Capital of the World, Moab has a lot of lodging options. I've opted for the Super 8 more often than not, actually staying there every time but the first overnight stay in Moab, which was a New Year's Eve in the Moab Ramada Inn.

In addition to being the World's Biking Capital, Moab may also be the Jeeping Capital of the World. The last time I was in Moab mountain biking, an event called Jeep Safari was taking place. I have never seen so many jeeps. The jeepers jeep all over. You share parts of the Slickrock Trail with jeeps. What those jeepers do with their jeeps is surprising. I had no idea such an activity existed.

The nightlife in Moab is fun, due to all the mountain bikers, it's a healthy mix of humanity. The shops and restaurants stay open late. I've never been in a tourist town with so many souvenir stores stocked with so much good stuff. Eddie McStiff's is a microbrewery, but another one opened in the south end of Moab calling itself Moab's only microbrewery. Why? I do not know. I preferred Eddie McStiff's. Like I already said, really good pizza.

There are a lot of good eating opportunities in Moab. My favorite is a place called The Rio Sports Bar & Grill. It's a block west off the main drag. Real good Mexican food. The place can get real busy, but in a fun way. The Jailhouse Cafe only does breakfast. They do it real well. Plus they have an outdoor patio, which I always like.

If you've never been to Moab and the surrounding attractions before, you should stop in the Moab Visitors Center. It's right in the heart of downtown, you can't miss it. There are good exhibits in there and a huge variety of information brochures, that will help you find things like the Slickrock Trail or Landscape Arch. That is the Moab Visitors Center in the picture at the top.

Most visitors to this part of Utah use Moab as their homebase for biking the area mountain bike trails, for visiting Canyonland and Arches National Parks and Deadhorse Point State Park and all there is to see that isn't in the big parks, like Gemini Bridges. It's a good thing to have a nice motel room waiting for you when you get done with something like the Fiery Furnace Hike.

I'll tell the tale of biking the Gemini Bridges Trail tomorrow, if I get around to it. I'll also be telling the tale of biking the Slickrock Trail and biking what's considered to be the most difficult trail in the area, Porcupine Rim Trail. I thought it was going to kill me.

Arches National Park

Yesterday I blogged that I was surprised that the Travel Channel had Arches National Park as the #8 Top Wonder of the West. I opined that all of Utah's National Parks were Top Ten Wonders, in my opinion.

Arches became a National Monument soon after Herbert Hoover became president in 1929. Arches and Capitol Reef National Parks are by far the newest in Utah, coming into National Park status in 1971.

The entry to Arches NP is just a couple miles north of Moab. Moab is a great place to stay while you explore the surrounding area, including Canyonlands National Park and Deadhorse Point State Park and ride the area's world famous mountain bike trails, like the Slick Rock Trail, Gemini Bridges Trail and Porcupine Rim Trail.

When you enter Arches NP you climb a steep road up to the plateau on which the Arches put on their show. As you drive through the park you come to parking lots that are at the trailheads for groups of Arches.

Of the trails, the one to Delicate Arch is my favorite. It's also the busiest. And, when you finally get to the Arch you will not have an easy time of getting a picture with no people in it. Lots of Europeans visit Arches and the other southwest scenic areas. Some of the Europeans, particularly Germans, in my experience, can be a bit rude and obnoxious. And they call us Ugly Americans?

The Fiery Furnace Hike is an excellent adventure. It helps to be in good shape for that one. This is a ranger guided hike. You sign up to reserve a spot and pay a small fee at the ranger station at the entry to the park. It is forbidden to go into the Fiery Furnace without a guide. I saw a pair of Germans try. It got ugly.

(I've blogged details about the Fiery Furnace Hike, with more pictures)

Some parts of the Fiery Furnace hike are a bit tricky. It's not for the weak or faint of heart. Having said that, I have done the Fiery Furnace hike with an overweight person and a person fighting cancer. And they both did fine. Although the overweight person skipped the part where you had the option to crawl through a small tunnel-like opening. I skipped that too. I get claustrophobic.

Landscape Arch is accessed from the last parking lot in the park. Landscape Arch lost a chunk since my last visit. You no longer can walk under the Arch. That is okay with me. It was a bit unsettling to walk under it. It's huge and very thin, over 300 feet long.

Double Arch is on the same trail as Landscape Arch, quite a distance further down the trail. It's worth the hike though. None of the hikes are very strenuous, except for the Fiery Furnace and the hike up to Delicate Arch gains some elevation, but it's so beautiful you don't notice.

You can go to Arches National Park year round. I've been there on New Year's Day with the ground covered with snow. I've been there in October, twice, with perfect temperatures. I've been there in May, with it being a bit hotter. Always bring plenty of water with you, unless there is snow on the ground, then it's not such a problem to keep hydrated.