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Main Wahweap Boat Launch At Lake Powell Expected To Close Soon

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By NPT Staff - July 30th, 2021
The main Wahweap boat ramp at Lake Powell could close to motorized watercraft in 10-14 days/NPS photo taken July 30, 2021

The main Wahweap boat ramp (above) at Lake Powell could close to motorized watercraft in 10-14 days/NPS photo taken July 30, 2021

It's expected that within two weeks the main Wahweap boat ramp at Lake Powell in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area will close due to falling lake levels, an event that could make it hard or impossible to pull boats out of the lake. 

While park staff are working to make the Wahweap Auxiliary Ramp, a previously submerged launch ramp adjacent to the main ramp, usable, it's only expected to be able to provide temporary and limited boater access to South Lake Powell while rehabilitation of the Stateline Auxiliary Ramp is underway. The Wahweap Auxiliary Ramp will also allow for critical emergency retrievals of damaged or stranded vessels, the National Park Service said Friday.

The main launch ramp will become unusable for all motorized watercraft once lake water levels reach an elevation of 3,551 feet. Calculations based on current rates of water loss estimate that the lake may reach this elevation within 10 to 14 days, a park release said.

Once lake elevations reach that level, the Wahweap Main Launch Ramp will be closed to the launch and retrieval of all motorized watercraft, it added.

The Wahweap Auxiliary Ramp was designed and constructed in the 1960s as a temporary ramp for small vessels and has been fully or partially submerged since that time. Due to the friable state of the remaining asphalt ramp materials, saturated soils below the asphalt ramp, limited room to turn vessels around at the top of the ramp, and utilities along the roadway that will provide access to the ramp, the Wahweap Auxiliary Ramp will not accommodate all classes of vessels, the park said.  

Launching at the temporary Wahweap Auxiliary Ramp will be limited to motorized vessels that are less than 36 feet in length and do not require Arizona Department of Transportation Oversize Permitting for highway travel (up to 8 feet 6 inches vessel beam [width]).

Boaters are advised that this ramp will only be available to boaters during predetermined operating hours that will be posted for the public. Temporary closures and/or limited launching may occur to install additional ramp materials and assess ramp conditions. These restrictions are necessary to preserve the integrity of the ramp structure and to ensure the ramp remains available for boaters, administrative use, and emergencies while the restoration of the Stateline Auxiliary Ramp is underway. 

Construction timeline projections indicate the Stateline Auxiliary Ramp may be open for partial launching as early as Labor Day weekend.   

Lake Powell water level fluctuations are determined by a wide range of factors and it is not possible to predict daily elevations with absolute certainty, the park staff said. It is imperative that visitors check the park’s website often about the status of preferred launch destinations before heading to the lake. 

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