Floating Nirvana

By Ron Stern | SDUN Travel Writer

Although my wife and I had never been on a houseboat, it was one of those adventures that I’d always wanted to try. But, like many, I had some concerns about this sort of a vacation. Would a novice like me be able to drive a large vessel? Would it be comfortable? Did we need to bring all our own food? Fortunately, all of these were easily answered and made our trip all the more enjoyable.

The Antelope Point Marina is located on the southeast shore of Lake Powell, part of the larger Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and known for its excellent houseboating facilities.

When guests arrive at the facility, they are greeted by the concierge, who transports you and your party by golf cart to your appointed houseboat. In our case, this was the 75’ Silver Extreme owned and operated by Forever Resorts. If you choose to drive your own vehicle, whatever supplies you bring will be taken to your vessel. However, if you are coming by plane, there is an online grocery shopping service that will have everything stocked and waiting for you upon your arrival.

Even though we were taking out one of the larger houseboats, Forever Resorts has rentals starting from just 50’ with many of the same amenities as their larger counterparts. Prices vary but packages start as low as $69 per person (food and fuel extra) for the 50-foot model that sleeps 8-10 people.

The marina, completed in 2004, is somewhat of an engineering marvel. The 27,000 square foot space rests atop the world’s largest floating platform and houses restaurants offering casual or fine dining, a retail store, a coffee shop, and an ice cream bar.

My concerns about comfort disappeared upon walking aboard. This was more like a floating condo with 6 staterooms, 2 and a half baths, 2 full-size refrigerators, a state-of-the-art kitchen, a barbeque, a flat screen TV in the main living area as well as Direct TV satellite service in each room, and a 6-person hot tub on the upper deck. They also had every sort of appliance, dishes and amenities that we would need for our trip.

Optional services include having a captain stay with you the entire time as well as a chef who will cook all the on-board meals. You can also choose, as we did, to hire a charter boat that allows you to keep your houseboat in one location and take an excursion anywhere you wish to go on the lake.

My last real apprehension about maneuvering the houseboat in and out of a dock was also not of concern. A service, becoming standard in 2012, provides one-on-one instruction for each renter that includes the staff personally piloting the boat out of the marina to a nearby beach and showing you how to completely dock and set up your floating hotel. For non-boat people like me, this is about as turnkey as you can get! Most choose to stay at one location the entire time but there are 186 miles of waterway to explore.

Lake Powell is the second largest man-made lake in the U.S. and was created in 1963 with the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam that formed what some have compared to Monument Valley with water. The spectacular scenery, abundant sunshine and sheer size have made it one of the premier locations for houseboating. This is also the reason why so many films have been made here, including McKenna’s Gold, Superman III and Maverick.

The lake itself spans 2,000 miles of gorgeous shoreline, more than 90 side canyons and 80 natural arches, including the famous Rainbow Bridge that is approximately the same height as the Statue of Liberty. This one natural feature alone attracts 300,000 visitors each year.

This is the sort of vacation where families can re-connect with both nature and each other while enjoying a world of outdoor possibilities. There are so many things to do and see, in fact, that doing it all in one visit would be virtually impossible. The list includes fishing, hiking, tubing, wakeboarding, birding (more than 300 species), and zipping around on a PWC (personal water craft). I spent one enjoyable afternoon on one of these, running full throttle in and out of Antelope Canyon. The late afternoon sun provided a mirror image reflection of the sandstone canyons off the smooth- as- glass water— truly an amazing sight.

There are other optional activities that are located in nearby Page and one of these must do excursions is the Antelope Canyon Tour. Also known as a slot canyon, this marvel is the perfect addendum to any trip here and one where you will want to bring your camera. Navajo guides take you into a sculpted petrified sand dune that has been chiseled over time. Light streams in from above and changes throughout the day, creating an ethereal variety of shapes, textures and colors.

As the sun slowly starts to rise above the horizon, the colors of the sandstone cliffs and canyon walls reveal their natural, red-hued, striated beauty sandwiched between the vivid azure sky and deep blue waters of Lake Powell. This was but one of the extraordinary sights we woke up to— a convergence of serenity and nature into one harmonious experience.

Recursos
Lake Powell Houseboating
www.lakepowellhouseboating.com
Forever Resorts
www.foreverresorts.com
Antelope Canyon Tours, Inc.
www.antelopecanyon.com
Great Lakes Airlines
www.flygreatlakes.com

Getting There

There are several options for visiting Lake Powell from the San Diego area. Many prefer to drive to the destination (about 10 hours) towing their own boat (if they have one) and carrying their own food.
For those who don’t wish to drive all the way to Arizona, Forever Resorts has closer marinas located at Lake Mohave and Lake Mead in Nevada.

For commercial flights, the best option would be to fly Southwest Airlines to either Las Vegas or Phoenix and then take Great Lake Airlines with direct service to Page, AZ. From the airport, it is about a 15 minute right to Antelope Point Marina.