North Lake Powell paddle Hite to Bullfrog Questions

[DNODeick]

I'm curious to talk with anyone who has paddled a canoe from the North Wash put-in on the Colorado River near Hite, UT to the Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell. I understand the water levels are very low. Not a concern for me in a canoe. I can portage my gear a long way. I understand the put-in can be a muddy mess. Not a concern for me as mud washes off. What I am concerned with is the miles of what looks like continuous wave train from the North Wash put-in to about White Canyon just before the river dumps into the actual lake. When I zoom in on the satellite view of the river on this section, it looks like one long wave train. Could just be a windy a deceptive image based on time of year (aka water flow) or wind, I'm not sure.

My plan was a 3-4 day paddle trip camping on beaches along the way.

Experience level - I am 61 and have been canoeing since I was ten years old. I've experience paddling rivers and lakes in Western Alaska. I've over 30 trips into the BWCA. In 2024, I spent 21 days crossing the length of BWCA in my canoe solo. I am currently a part-time canoeing guiding on rivers in Western Colorado where we are paddling mostly flat water with a couple short class 2 rapids.

Canoe - I have a 16ft Red Feather Ursa Minor (same as Northstar Polaris) tandem canoe customized with a center seat for solo paddling. Canoe also has a splash cover.

Wondering if anyone has paddled this section into Lake Powell and has info they would like to share?

 

[Halpc]

I haven't paddled that specific area, but have taken my sea k*y*k out on Powell a couple of times. My biggest concern was the clapotis caused by wakes from large motor boats and/or houseboats crashing into the rock cliffs and bounding back. The pyramid shape "waves" can be very difficult to deal with. The river in the vicinity of your proposed put-in appears to be relatively small and rocky. My son said that due to low water levels, few if any large boats go up that far, as other parts of Powell are better suited for them and are more scenic. I would guess that the ripples which show up on Google Earth are mostly wind waves, rather than current generated standing waves. I have often seen strong upriver wind cause waves to move upstream against the current on the Colorado near Moab. The wind routinely totally offsets the current in flatwater sections. Have you read the articles about the North Wash take-out which are on-line? It was very interesting to see what has been going on with the river/reservoir in recent years. Have you considered Meander Canyon on the Colorado? It is the 51 mile flatwater section from near Moab to the confluence with the Green. Tex's Riverways does a shuttle- but it is not cheap. $245/person now. I used them when I did the Mineral Bottom to Confluence trip on the Green 6 years ago and was happy with them. I haven't done Meander but would like to.

 

[dogbrain]

I have paddled north from Bullfrog, but never paddled the flowing water section from Hite to White Canyon. I would guess that you won't find many people who have. I have looked at the river from a couple viewpoints near Hite on a number of occasions and it doesn't seem like much of a worry to me. Those standing waves do exist to some extent. It could be the result of upstream wind, which would make it much worse, but more likely dune waves from the sand bed. Wind and dune waves together would be bad. Sand dunes form on the bed quickly and dissipate quickly during high flows. By quickly, I mean the waves form in front of you in less than 30 seconds and after a minute or two disapear. The lower San Juan River upstream from Lake Powell has these, and I have negotiated them at high flow. The waves can be up to 4 or 5 feet high. With no wind, probably not enough to swamp a boat since the wavelength is pretty long, but it can be scary, especially with a bunch of woody debris around.

Another thing to think about is that you'll have to travel long stretches with vertical sandstone walls and nowhere to land. Bring extra food in case you get windbound. Also, bring a noaa weather radio. There's a transmitter on Navajo Mountain that can be seen from many places in the region and on the lake. You may have to climb up to a high point to get reception. Lake Powell has a lot of tributary arms, which is where you'll find the decent campsites.

Mark