About this city
Also known as: The Desert Water Wonderland
Sprawling across a monumental geological canyons basin along the southern border of Utah within Kane County, the Powell area centers around the expansive, deep blue waters of Lake Powell, the second-largest man-made freshwater reservoir in the United States. Formed geologically in the mid-20th century following the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's engineering marvel construction of the colossal Glen Canyon Dam, which flooded a network of sandstone chasms along the Colorado River, the region was named in honor of legendary one-armed Civil War hero and explorer John Wesley Powell. Operating under strict federal environmental conservation mandates within a National Recreation Area, the region coordinates world-class eco-tourism with advanced maritime recreation. The dramatic desert landscape features dizzying crimson cliffs, deep river gorges, and ancient flooded sandstone canyons.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 2–4 days
Rent a multi-story luxury houseboat to navigate and camp deep inside the narrow flooded canyons of Lake Powell. Marvel at the mind-boggling architectural scale of the world's largest natural stone arch at nearby Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Go high-speed jet-skiing or trophy bass fishing from the docks of Wahweap or Bullfrog Marinas.
