Floating Hite to Lake Powell

[Nick]

The recent Glen Canyon Dam thread got me thinking about how I'd like to float the Colorado from Highway 95/Hite down into Lake Powell while the water is low. I am not expecting it to be a pristine, beautiful stretch of river. I mostly want to see what the silt situation is and see how the canyon is coming back where the water hasn't been for years now. I also want to check out the side canyons that appear to be forming their own lakes blocked in by silt in the main channel. It's only 8-9 miles of river, but I think I'll make a full day out of it. Maybe even an overnight and then get picked up by my wife at the top of the lake from our boat.

Anyway, the point of this thread... Has anyone heard anything about what to expect in that reborn stretch of the river as far as technical difficulties and rapids? I'm guessing it would mostly be flat water with some minor riffles, but it doesn't hurt to ask around. I want to to do it in in inflatable kayak that is probably not good for anything more than class 2. I read somewhere that commercial Cataract trips sometimes keep going into Lake Powell and motor all the way to Bullfrog, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Has anyone heard anything about that or know anything about that stretch of river?

 

[Ben]

awesome. my day dreaming about similar things is what made me ask where Powell started now.

 

[Nick]

You could do a pretty cool packraft point-to-point with those upper canyons like Trachyte, Swett, Fourmile, etc. Not much motorboat traffic up that way either. I really want to check out Fourmile this year.