Cheaper boat alternatives for Lake Powell?

[mcc]

Does anyone know of cheaper alternatives to get around Lake Powell other than the typical $400/day boat rental (and other than knowing someone personally who owns a boat there, for which I do not :( .) Perhaps something like a taxi/shuttle service that can drop a small group off and then pick them up a couple days later? Or any ways to hire private boat owners rather than go through the rental companies?

Thanks for any input.

[Scott Card]

The smartest thing I did related to Lake Powell canyoneering was to move into a neighborhood where there are a lot of boaters. So far, I have not needed to rent or own one. I take neighbors or neighbor's kids canyoneering and they are happy to provide the boat! :haha:

[rockgremlin]

-- Inflatable raft
-- A trolling motor (or two)
-- Oars to assist in thrust and steering

All of this will run you about $300 - $400 bucks. But that's a one time cost, and should be able to provide navigation around the lake for several years. Trolling motors run on a 12V battery that is rechargeable.

The biggest downside to this is that it would be slow - especially with only one motor. But it would work. Just take a pole along with ya and you can fish to and from the canyon destination. :mrgreen:

[Iceaxe]

Perhaps something like a taxi/shuttle service that can drop a small group off and then pick them up a couple days later?

Aramark is the official concessionaire on lake Powell and they do not offer this service. Their are a couple outlaw outfits that will do it for you under the radar but I prefer not to deal with those breaking the law. I mean really, if they fail to come pick you up who are you going to complain to?

[rockgremlin]

Their are a couple outlaw outfits that will do it for you under the radar but I prefer not to deal with those breaking the law.


Why is this against the law? What's the big deal? :ne_nau:

[hank moon]

Does anyone know of cheaper alternatives to get around Lake Powell other than the typical $400/day boat rental (and other than knowing someone personally who owns a boat there, for which I do not :( .) Perhaps something like a taxi/shuttle service that can drop a small group off and then pick them up a couple days later? Or any ways to hire private boat owners rather than go through the rental companies?

Thanks for any input.

Generally, you need at least one boat* to actually do any canyons, unless you know of fun, short slots within swimming distance of your base camp (i.e. a taxi plan won't get you much canyon time).

* or sometimes two boats (e.g. one power boat, one kayak), unless you have a dedicated captain who isn't canyoneering with the rest of the gang.

[Iceaxe]

Why is this against the law? What's the big deal? :ne_nau:

The big deal is the feds don't want every Joe Sixpack with a boat operating a business on the lake.

Lake Powell is a National Recreation area, which is similar to a National Park, with similar federal rules and laws. The concessionaire rights are put out for public bid every 20 years or so.


Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[oldno7]

Does anyone know of cheaper alternatives to get around Lake Powell other than the typical $400/day boat rental (and other than knowing someone personally who owns a boat there, for which I do not :( .) Perhaps something like a taxi/shuttle service that can drop a small group off and then pick them up a couple days later? Or any ways to hire private boat owners rather than go through the rental companies?

Thanks for any input.

I wish you the best of luck, I've heard rumors there are some fine canyons there.....

[ratagonia]

Does anyone know of cheaper alternatives to get around Lake Powell other than the typical $400/day boat rental (and other than knowing someone personally who owns a boat there, for which I do not :( .) Perhaps something like a taxi/shuttle service that can drop a small group off and then pick them up a couple days later? Or any ways to hire private boat owners rather than go through the rental companies?

Thanks for any input.

I've heard of people getting taxi service via Aramark, and for their trip it worked fine. But there are not all that many adventures where that would work.

Tom

[Scott P]

Does anyone know of cheaper alternatives to get around Lake Powell other than the typical $400/day boat rental (and other than knowing someone personally who owns a boat there, for which I do not :( .)

Most (not all) Lake Powell slots are actually accessible by land. It it more strenuous (and may be more complicated, especially the exit routes) than coming in by boat, but most areas surrounding the lake really aren't that far when using overland routes. Of course there are exceptions to this.

[Iceaxe]

Seriously your best bet is to make friends with someone that has a boat. A couple of methods I have used in the past is find a noob to canyons and offer to introduce them to the sport in exchange for bringing the boat. Or find a boat owner and offer to pay for ALL the gas. I have owned several boats in my life and if you pay the total gas bill you are still getting a bargain. Boats are a black hole in the water you toss money into.


FWIW: I used this same tactic when I wanted to do some canyons that took a serious hardcore 4x4 to reach. It was my first trip with the feller, we had a great time, and since that day we have become good friends and done numerous other routes together.

Or you can worry about doing Lake Powell canyons after you have done all the other great canyons on the Colorado Plateau that don't require a boat. Because bringing a boat on your canyoneering trip is just a whole new layer of headaches and hassles you also have to deal with that can start to suck the fun out of a sport like canyoneering, which is supposed to be fun, relaxing and stress free.