Colorado River Boating
Lakes Water Levels Information

Lake Powell - Most of the main boat ramps are open. The Primitive Launches are not unusable, check with park for more information. Reservoirs above Lake Powell are currently at 78% of capacity. The water level is still going down slowly. Public Health, Environmental and Wildlife agencies from Utah and Arizona are jointly issuing a mercury fish advisory for striped bass in the southern portion of Lake Powell from Dangling Rope marina to the dam. More...

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and its concessioners are expanding operational hours and opening facilities parkwide for the spring season.

With the closure of Hwy 89, Colorado River Discovery has adapted the types and number of tours available on the Colorado River below the dam. Half-day and full-day tours will begin at the base of the dam. An additional tour will begin at Lees Ferry for a half-day run to the petroglyph panel and return to the Lees Ferry launch ramp.

Glen Canyon asks visitors to play it safe while in the park. Bring water, snacks, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen - and use them. Visitors on the water should wear life jackets. Cliff jumping is not recommended and illegal at 15' or greater. Boating after dark is discouraged due to sub-surface water hazards.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 20, an apparent landslide ripped through a section of US 89 along a mountain slope about 25 miles south of Page, buckling more than 150 feet of the roadway and tearing the pavement up in six-foot-high sections. The significant roadway damage forced the Arizona Department of Transportation to immediately close a 23-mile-long stretch of the highway (at mileposts 523-546) between the US 89A junction near Bitter Springs to the State Route 98 junction near Page. More...

Carl Hayden Visitor Center January through February, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rest of year, daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Call 928-608-6404 for more information.

Bullfrog Visitor Center, Bullfrog, UT, Thurs-Sunday from 9-1. Call 435-684-7423 for more information.

For all the information 2013 Park Newspaper (PDF 2.61Mb) PDF file

Wahweap Main and Bullfrog launch ramps and screening for the invasive mussels by trained personnel will be mandatory for all vessels. Currently, Lake Powell is believed to be free of quagga and zebra mussels. However, zebra and quagga mussels pose a major threat to Lake Powell if they were to become established. Experts fear that zebra mussels could spread quickly through the Colorado River watershed and potentially establish themselves in other river systems.

Note: Regarding the 2-stroke, 4-stroke engine issue: According to the Code of Federal Regulations Title 36, 7.70(e)(3): No one may operate a PWC that does not meet the 2006 emission standards set by EPA for the manufacturing of two-stroke engines. This also true for Lake Mead NRA.

Lake Mead

After two years of renovations, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Alan Bible Visitor Center is now open

Located near the Boulder Entrance station off of U.S. Highway 93, the park’s main visitor center has been closed since September 2010 while it underwent a $2.9 million renovation. It will now be open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Lake Mead Newspaper Spring 2013 (PDF 2.3mb)

Lake Mojave - The launch ramps on Lake Mohave have reopened to trailers boats. They were temporarily closed Oct.. 29 when water levels were drawn down for a Bureau of Reclamation endangered species conservation project. Water levels have returned to 638 feet and they are at the target depth now of 640 feet.

The National Park Service is holding three public meetings April 9, 10 and 11 to present preliminary alternatives to the Cottonwood Cove and Katherine Landing Development Concept Plans/Environmental Impact Statement at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. More...

Lake Mead Newspaper Spring 2013 with a map This a PDF file

Laughlin and the Colorado river

No one may operate a personal watercraft (PWC) that does not meet the 2006 emission standards set by EPA for the manufacturing of two-stroke engines. A person operating a personal watercraft that meets the EPA 2006 emission standards through the use of direct-injection two-stroke or four-stroke engines, or the equivalent thereof, is not subject to this prohibition and will be allowed to operate as described in this section.

The NPS and Forever Resorts, LLC dedicated the first floating building project in the world to be registered for LEED® certification at Lake Mead National Recreation Area's Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina on Lake Mohave.

The bridge over the Hoover Dam is open for traffic.

DesertUSA has videos on Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, Lees Ferry, Rainbow Bridge, and Lake Mojave's Davis Dam and Laughlin, NV.

Click on the links below for more information on each lake.

DesertUSA has videos on Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, Lees Ferry, Rainbow Bridge, and Lake Mojave's Davis Dam and Laughlin, NV

Take a virtual trip on Lake Mohave and the Colorado river in this DesertUSA video. If you have never been to Laughlin you need to see this video before you pick a place to stay. Click Here