Boater's guide to Lake Powell: Featuring hiking, camping, geology, history & archaeology [Paperback]

Michael R Kelsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1989

This book is a guide to Lake Powell, which has formed behind the Glen Canyon Dam in the middle part of the Colorado River. The dam is located in extreme northern Arizona, near the town of Page, but 99.9% of Lake Powell is in Utah. It has a shoreline of 2900 kms or 1800 miles.

The emphasis of this book is on hiking with boater access. Also covered are potential campsites, geology, history of the early pioneers and cattlemen; the ones who came to build trails, look for minerals, and explore. Excerpts from the John W. Powell and the Dominquez & Escalante expedition diaries have been added in the appropriate locations, plus archeological sites and their history are documented using studies from the Universities of Utah and Northern Arizona from the 1950's, before the lake covered many of the sites. There are 43 mapped areas, which show inlets and the canyons above, and hiking and camping information. Shown on these maps are Anasazi ruins, petroglyphs, and other information for mostly day-hiking. All sections of the lake are included, from Cataract Canyon in the upper end, to the San Juan Arm; plus the Escalante River drainage and its many great hiking canyons, and Rainbow Bridge, the one of the largest in the world. There are also lots of great slot canyons with boater access only; these include West Canyon, maybe the best all-around canyon hike on the Colorado Plateau. This 2nd Updated (3rd) Edition has 251 fotographs, including 10 color fotos on the front & back covers.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The author was born in 1943, and experienced his earliest years of life in eastern Utah's Uinta Basin; first near the town of Myton, then Roosevelt. In 1954, the family moved to Provo, where he attended Provo High School, and later Brigham Young University, where he earned a B.S. degree in Sociology. Shortly thereafter he discovered that was the wrong subject, so he attended the University of Utah, where he received his Master of Science degree in Geography, finishing that in June, 1970.

It was then real life began, for on June 9, 1970, he put a pack on his back and started traveling for the first time. Since then he has seen 223 countries, republics, islands, or island groups. All this wandering has resulted in a number of books written and published by himself. Here are his books, listed in the order they were first published: Climber's and Hiker's Guide to the World's Mountains and Volcanos (4th Edition), Utah Mountaineering Guide (3rd Edition); China on Your Own and the Hiking Guide to China's Nine Sacred Mountains (3rd Edition-Out of Print); Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau (4th Edition); Hiking and Exploring Utah's San Rafael Swell (3rd Edition); Hiking and Exploring Utah's Henry Mountains and Robbers Roost (Revised Edition); Hiking and Exploring the Paria River (3rd Edition); Hiking and Climbing in the Great Basin National Park (Wheeler Peak, Nevada); Boater's Guide to Lake Powell--Featuring Hiking, Camping, Geology, History and Archaeology (2nd Updated Edition); Climbing and Exploring Utah's Mt. Timpanogos; River Guide to Canyonlands National Park & Vicinity; Hiking, Biking and Exploring Canyonlands National Park & Vicinity; The Story of Black Rock, Utah; and Hiking, Climbing and Exploring Western Utah's Jack Watson's Ibex Country.

He also helped his mother Venetta B. Kelsey, write & publish a book about the town she was born and raised in, Life on the Black Rock Desert--A History of Clear Lake, Utah. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kelsey Pub; 1st edition (1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0960582495
• ISBN-13: 978-0960582495
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,810,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent boating & hiking guide!, December 16, 1999

By 

Harry Ladd (Orange, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boater's Guide to Lake Powell : Featuring HIKING, Camping, Geology, History & Archaeology (Paperback)

We've used all 3 editions on 4 houseboat trips. From the descriptions of what to see, we decide on which canyons to visit. We use the detailed maps to navigate to the beach campsites. We use the trail descriptions to reach arches, waterfalls, petroglyphs, pictographs, ruins and narrow slot canyons. Things we used from the latest edition: new cost and time info on famous Antelope Canyon, more detailed directions on locating the petroglyphs in Llewellyn Gulch, and new info on upper West (slot) Canyon. I recommend this Guide to anyone boating on Lake Powell. Not recommended for extremists who want to drain the lake!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference Book, October 17, 2003

By 

Jennifer B. Barton "Beth Barton" (McKinney, Tx) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boater's Guide to Lake Powell: Featuring Hiking, Camping, Geology, History and Archaeology (4th Edition) (Paperback)

From what I can tell, Kelsey appears to be the foremost authority on Lake Powell and the surrounding area. I can't see how you could get more information out of another book. That being said, it isn't the kind of book you read cover to cover for sheer enjoyment of reading and learning. Think of it as a user manual for the lake and you will be on the right track. There are a lot of pictures (in black and white) and a lot of very detailed maps and informative graphs. To use this book, I would suggest that you plan your trip and then consult the book to see what it says about that area. If there is ANYTHING of interest to be seen there, it will tell you where and what it is.

It is divided into the following parts:
I - Condensed history of the lake area (19 pages) - very fact filled (survey like).
II - The marinas on Lake Powell and other possible launch sites along with weather and climate for each season, a word about hiking season and equipment, photography and film type, insects and pest, drinking water, and places to camp and their fees.
III - Geology, the types of stone seen in the colorful strata and suggested maps for the area.

Then it launches into sites of interest in the area and gives good maps (quite technical) of each. There are 34 of these and may well cover all of the canyons and hikes on the lake. If you want to get the most out of your trip, I would highly recommend this book. If you were wanting to just read about the history of the area, it will be about as much fun as reading the dictionary.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book on total reach of Lake Powell, much research., March 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Boater's Guide to Lake Powell : Featuring HIKING, Camping, Geology, History & Archaeology (Paperback)

Of the books I have read it is the most helpful. It gives descriptions on boating, hiking, fishing, camping, artifacts and geology. I wish the photograph had been in color and not black and white, but it keeps the cost down. Includes cross-sections of the canyons and tributaries. It helped us plan our trip on what to see.