How To Plan A Lake Powell Houseboat Trip (Part 1)

Lake Powell Houseboat Trips are hands down our favorite vacation! We don’t usually go on the same trip twice, but some places, like Lake Powell, are so spectacular that we can make an exception.

Boating is by far the best way to explore this enormous and unique lake. However, organizing a multi-day Lake Powell Houseboating trip requires lots of preparation.

So that’s why I’ve put together this guide to teach you how to plan your own Lake Powell Houseboat Trip.

Planning this trip from start to finish does require lots of time and effort, but I promise it’s worth it. And the best part is that it’s relatively affordable, especially if you bring a large group.

After planning and executing this trip many times, we have come up with a pretty good formula for success. We can help you plan, avoid mistakes, and customize the trip to your interests.

I have broken down this guide into three parts.

• Part 1: Planning, Assembling A Crew, Booking A Reservation
• Part 2: What To Bring, Preparing For Departure
• Part 3: Trip Itineraries, Best Places On Lake Powell

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What Makes Lake Powell So Special?

Lake Powell is an enormous man-made reservoir located in southern Utah and northern Arizona. It is surrounded by some of the most beautiful red rock scenery anywhere in the world.

Even just drawing a straight line from end to end is about 88 miles! And that doesn’t account for all the twists, turns, and side canyons. When accounting for all the side canyons, lake has 1,960 miles of shoreline, which is more than all of Lake Michigan.

Aside from a handful of marinas, there is basically no houses, services, or civilization on the lake. This makes preparation crucially important, but also makes it the best place to disconnect from the ‘real world’.

Lake Powell houseboat trips combine everything we love into one jam-packed adventure. In just a few amazing days there’s boating, water sports, fishing, grilling, hiking, cliff jumping, swimming, kayaking, stargazing, games, and more sunshine and freedom than you ever thought was possible.

Houseboats offer such a unique nautical experience. Besides RVing, where else can you drive your vacation house wherever you want?

And to expand the possibilities, you’re going to want to add a powerboat too (or some jet skis). Lake Powell is so large that it would take a lifetime to explore it all, from expansive wide open bays, to some of the tightest and most interesting slot canyons in the world.

The houseboats are really slow and big so they are not great for exploring. You definitely want to add a smaller, more nimble boat for exploring the side canyons.

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What To Expect From A Lake Powell Houseboat Trip

If you are thinking, “Neither myself nor anyone of my family/friends has ever driven a houseboat, I’m not so sure we can pull this off.” Well, that’s a pretty rational concern.

And before our first time, I had my doubts too. I definitely recommend doing this trip with people who have at least some familiarity with boats. But even if you haven’t driven a houseboat before, it’s not impossible to learn.

Honestly getting in and out of the marina is probably the most technical driving you have to do. And the marina staff is willing to do that for you if you are not comfortable. Once you are out on the lake, it’s pretty easy to drive. But, I will cover what it takes to pull off this trip safely, while still being able to relax and have fun.

Just to set your expectations properly, Lake Powell Houseboating is much closer to RVing than it is to a luxury vacation. Even the nicer houseboats won’t provide the same level of comfort as a luxury hotel.

People who are comfortable with camping and RVing will probably have the easiest time adjusting to houseboat life.

There’s no room service you can call, so plan to be on your own and handle any issues that arise. The marina instructs you to radio them if there are any issues. But we have found that once you are a couple of hours from the marina you can’t reliably reach them on the radio.

And there will be issues that arise. Every year we go, there is always something that isn’t quite perfect.  Whether it’s something breaking, malfunctioning, or completely missing, every trip seems to have a few mishaps. They are never enough to ruin the trip, but just don’t expect everything to be perfect.

We have managed to get refunded some money in instances where the marina is at fault. So even though there are always a few issues, they get completely overshadowed by the incredible memories from each trip.

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Part 1: Develop Plan, Assemble A Crew, Make A Reservation

[6-12 Months Before Trip]

Before you assemble a crew you want to get an idea of rental options and pricing. There are a couple companies to rent from, but I will only be discussing the company we use every time (in our experience, they offer the cheapest rates).

It’s called Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas managed by Aramark Leisure.

This blog post is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas. However, this guide is based entirely on our numerous experiences renting from this company.

They have two marinas that you can depart from, Wahweap Marina in Arizona and Bullfrog Marina in Utah.

Pick some potential dates and check the pricing on a few houseboat models just to give yourself an idea.

‘Peak Season’ pricing runs from early June to late August. Anything outside that is considered ‘Off Season’ and comes with much cheaper rates.

‘Off-Season’ pricing is typically about 40% cheaper than ‘Peak Season’ rates!

I recommend booking just outside of ‘Peak Season’ in spring or fall because the pricing is cheaper and the weather is not as abusively hot. Personally, I think between 75 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect weather for Lake Powell trips.

Only one year did we encounter colder-than-ideal weather in late May. But in other years it’s even gotten up to 100 degrees in late May. So just pick favorable dates and hope for the best from Mother Nature!

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Assemble Your Crew

At this point in the planning process, you should talk to family and friends to give them approximate dates/prices and gauge their interest.

Our Lake Powell Houseboat Trips are typically an all-or-nothing invite. As in, once we depart from the marina, we do not return until the end.

So I emphasize to invitees that there is no option for partial attendance. If you cannot be there for the entire duration of the trip, then you cannot attend. There are legitimate logistical reasons for this requirement.

I would recommend aiming for a group size between 6-14 people.

The absolute minimum number of people I would take is 4. Because driving and parking houseboats requires a team effort (more on this later).

Starting the planning early is crucial because you want to give people time to think it over, and also “save the date” before they make other commitments. And if you are searching far in advance you will find more options available.

Having a large group of people to split the cost is what unlocks the incredible affordability of this trip.  And also having a big group will ensure there’s never a dull moment! This guide is mostly written from the perspective of bringing a large group, since that’s what we always do.

So to begin with, compile an invite list of roughly 8-16 people that would be a good fit for the trip. You can usually count on a few people not accepting the invite.

You ideally want several people who have some experience with boats. And at the very least, you should have one competent boat driver for each boat you rent. Because there are times (like leaving the marina) when you need to drive all the boats simultaneously.  

The trip also has some physically demanding tasks. The houseboat needs to be anchored at shore every night. The anchors ensure that your boat won’t move in the event of wind, waves, or boat wakes.

You need at least a few people who are able to carry the 50lb anchors onto the beach, and dig 2-3 foot deep holes for the anchors. Simply dropping them on the beach doesn’t cut it.

Additionally, it does require some decent physical coordination to hop between boats, and climb up the boats’ ladders, etc. And the retractable gang-plank (the ramp from the beach onto the houseboat) will be difficult for people with limited mobility. 

As long as you have at least 4-6 able-bodied people, you could have some young children, older folks, or people with limited mobility on the trip. There are some handicap-accessible houseboats available for rent, however, you would still need able-bodied people to assist them and carry out the aforementioned tasks.

Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas’ offers a variety of different houseboat sizes. And their fleet of houseboats features some older budget-friendly boats, and newer boats with nicer amenities.

Each houseboat model has a maximum occupancy ranging from 8-16 people. This is the most important number for ensuring that your boat is big enough for your group.

But there is a trade-off between comfort and price depending on how many people you bring.

The max capacity of each houseboat is calculated by having 2 people sharing each ‘bed’, and most of them are either queen or full depending on the houseboat model. This is fine for couples and kids, but not so great for people who don’t know each other.

However, not all of them are traditional beds, they include convertible dinette beds and pull-out couch-type beds.

Having the max capacity on a houseboat is quite crowded, so if you are hoping for a little more personal space, I would recommend doing less than the maximum.

However, you can bring sleeping pads and/or air mattresses and sleep on the roof of the houseboat, or set up tents on the beach. Amongst, my friends there are always plenty of people happy to camp on the beach or roof of the boat.

Sleeping outside can actually be quite enjoyable for the cool air and amazing stargazing. On hot summer nights, the air inside the houseboat can be quite hot and stuffy without running AC.

Note: The website asks you to enter the number of adults and children in your party. But this is only to help their website match you with the right size houseboat. The numbers you enter don’t affect the price. And even when you do book it, you won’t have to commit any information about the size of your group, but just be aware of the total capacity listed for each model.

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Develop The Exact Details Of Your Plan

Once you are confident that you have a group of people who are interested, it’s time to hone in on the exact details of your Lake Powell Houseboat Trip.

The key decisions to make are:

• Which marina you want to depart from
• Date and length of your trip
• How many people/what size boat
• Any additional toys (powerboats or jet skis)

Choosing A Marina To Depart From

Deciding which marina to leave from may depend on what is easiest and cheapest for your crew. Or what side of the lake you want to explore.

To reiterate, the two marinas that are part of the Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas are Bullfrog Marina in southeastern Utah and Wahweap Marina in northern Arizona.

If a majority of your crew is flying and renting a car, then it’s most likely cheaper and easier to depart from Wahweap Marina in Page, Arizona. This is because of its closer proximity to more substantial airports.

Driving Distance To Wahweap Marina From Major Airports

• Flagstaff, AZ – 2 hrs 30 min
• Las Vegas, NV – 4 hrs 22 min
• Phoenix, AZ – 4 hrs 28 min
• Salt Lake City, UT – 5 hrs 45 min
• Los Angeles, CA – 8 hrs
• Denver, CO – 10 hrs 30 min
• Page, AZ – 20 min (tiny airport)

Driving Distance To Bullfrog Marina From Major Airports

• Salt Lake City, UT – 5 hrs
• Grand Junction, CO – 3 hrs 30 min
• Las Vegas, NV – 7 hrs 15 min
• Denver, CO – 7 hrs 45 min

For both marinas, there are plenty of travel options, so you will have to weigh the cost and convenience for the dates you want.

I tend to think that the Las Vegas airport has the best deals because the city is always desperate for tourism. But, depending on where you’re coming from you may find better deals/convenience elsewhere.

Flying directly the Page Municipal Airport is another option that be worth it for some people.

Wahweap Marina is easier to depart from because of nearby Page, Arizona. Which is an actual town where you can buy nearly everything you need for your trip (there’s a Wal-Mart, Safeway, liquor stores, etc).

Conversely, Bullfrog Marina is very isolated from civilization. And while they do have some last-minute supplies, the prices are seriously marked up and they won’t have everything you need.

Even within 100 miles of Bullfrog Marina, there aren’t many places to stock up. This can make buying supplies for the trip significantly more difficult, especially if everyone is flying in and renting cars.

Additionally, the remoteness of Bullfrog Marina seems to cause more staffing and equipment issues. Which creates a cascade of negative effects on the overall customer experience.

Honestly, both Marinas seem to struggle to keep their fleet in good working order. But we’ve been lucky that no catastrophic mishaps have ruined a trip.

Another consideration might be deciding which side of the lake you want to explore, North or South. Maybe you have your heart set on seeing certain famous landmarks like Reflection Canyon, Rainbow Bridge, or others.

Lake Powell is so big that you likely will only experience part of it during your trip.

Even on a powerboat it takes hours 4-5 hours to go from Wahweap to Bullfrog. It would take more than 2-3 times longer with a houseboat. And most people don’t want to spend all that time and money on gas.

So realistically, most people just stick to one end of the lake.

In Part 3, I share much more information about different landmarks, geography, and attractions from each part of the lake.

Trip Date and Duration

Next, you need to decide how many days you want to go for. I would recommend between 5 and 7 days.

Our first year we went for 4 days, and everyone was begging for one more day. So our second year we upped it to 5 days, which was perfect.

If you have more time, 6 or 7 days could be great. However, if you are very active on your trip, by day 6 and 7 you will probably be really exhausted. And you may start to run out of supplies (gas, food, water, ice, beer…). {Much more on managing supplies in Chapter 2}

But personally, I think 5-day or 6-day trips are perfectly in the sweet spot.

Boat / Toy Add-ons

While houseboats are versatile in many ways, they are the opposite of fast and nimble. So adding on some powerboats or jet-skis will really open up your ability to explore and enjoy the lake.

You can add-on water toys anytime after you make your houseboat reservation, but I would do it when you book or ASAP because of availability.

They are practically essential for scouting landing spots for the houseboat, exploring side canyons, and adding some adrenaline to your vacation! When you make a houseboat reservation, you will get hugely discounted prices for adding on powerboats and jet skis.

We have always opted for powerboats for several reasons.

The benefits of powerboats are that more people can enjoy them at once, you can waterski/wakeboard, and it’s easier to carry gear on day trips around the lake. Whether it’s for hiking, water sports, or simply an afternoon of sightseeing.

And while it’s hard to argue with the adrenaline that jet-skis provide, they are barely cheaper than a powerboat rental. So choosing powerboats has always been an obvious value choice from my perspective.

But you can rent any combination of powerboats and jet skis that your heart desires.

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Make Your Reservation

Once you have outlined the basic details of your trip, and secured commitment from attendees, it’s time to book your houseboat reservation. Once it’s made, send out ‘save the dates’ and collect money from your crew mates.

Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas has a staggered payment structure. That is, the cost of the entire trip is spread out into multiple payments with set deadlines.

• Date of Reservation: Houseboat Itself (w/ taxes and fees) + Damage Deposits for add-ons
• 45 Days Before: Houseboat Damage Deposit
• Day of Departure: Powerboats/Jet-Skis, waterskis/wakeboards, optional insurance for boats

Booking the houseboat requires a large down payment of usually several thousand dollars. This initial payment is for the houseboat itself and damage deposits for any add-ons (powerboats or jet skis).

But personally, I like to collect money from everyone for the entire trip when I book. It just makes it simpler and easier to have people pay once.

And by collecting money this early you make people literally invested in the trip, and they can’t just back out without talking to you for their money back.

The first payment is due when you make your reservation. It covers the cost of the houseboat itself (plus taxes and fees), and any damage deposits for the add-ons (powerboats, etc).

The second payment is due 45 days before your trip, and it’s for the houseboat damage deposit (varies based on houseboat model, but ours is usually $600).

The third and final payment will be on the day of your departure. It includes the price of your add-ons (powerboats and/or jet skis) any rental equipment (waterskis/tow-rope) and insurance for the boats.  The insurance is optional, but the price is always pretty minimal considering the peace of mind you get. (Houseboat insurance was about $20 per day, and $16 per day for a powerboat).

Cancellation Policy and Vacation Insurance

There is a structured cancellation policy that grows increasingly punitive the closer you get to the dates of your trip. This is why it’s so important to make sure that people are 100% committed to the trip.

The policy is as follows:

• 90 (or more) days out: forfeit 10% of deposit
• 89-60 days out: forfeit 20% of deposit
• 59-45 days out: forfeit 50% of deposit
• 44 (or less) days out: forfeit 100% of deposit.

However, there is an option to purchase vacation insurance through Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas or through a third party if you choose.

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Where To Stay The Night Before

Once you have booked your Lake Powell Houseboat reservation, you may want to book accommodation for the night before. I recommend showing up a day early and getting a hotel, Airbnb, or camping nearby. That way you can get an early start on the first day of your houseboat trip.

Both Wahweap and Bullfrog Marina have on-site lodging and campgrounds. Or you can opt for something nearby.

If people are already bringing some camping gear, then camping the night before is the best affordable option. We really like Lone Rock Beach Campground near Page, AZ.

Or you may conclude that hotels or Airbnbs are a better option for your group. But Page has far more options than anywhere around Bullfrog Marina.

We’ve done both, and I will say that an advantage of an Airbnb is that you can prep food for the trip the night before.

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Continue To Part 2: What To Bring, Preparing For Departure

To avoid writing the longest blog post ever, I have broken this Lake Powell Houseboat Trip Guide into three parts.

I have a lot to say on the topic.

In Part 2, we cover what to bring on your trip, and important steps to prepare for departure.

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