Boating the actual “river”

[hallett21]

So a few years ago for my bachelor party we did a house boat on lake Mead. After a little liquid courage we took the boat and jet ski to the river entrance. Anchored the boat and took turns taking the jet ski as far as we could up the river in mud colored water.

From what I remember we made it 2-3 miles before touching. Could have gone further but didn’t want to smoke an impeller.

Has anyone really went for it from Mead to Powell?

Or even Powell to....?


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[4Waters]

This could be interesting

 

[hallett21]

This could be interesting

Im sitting here looking at google earth. And I bet during spring time you could make a real run at it in a sea doo. Fuel being your biggest issue.

Good news is the ride back down is free lol


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[hallett21]

Prop boats get extra points [emoji41]


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[attitude]

Just take one of these

 

[hallett21]

In our defense everyone was tuned up. I bet with some “clarity” we could have gone a lot further in the middle of summer.

Figure a jet ski needs 8-12” of water running 40mph? You could cover some ground.

Would be pretty badass to carry a fly rod and say you caught trout on the Colorado [emoji1598]


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[hallett21]

Just take one of these[emoji41] View attachment 981705

Now we’re talking lol




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[AZBrummett21]

Back in the late 80’s early 90’s we made it many
miles past the bat guano caves. We would load up with four 5 gallon Jaz jugs of gas and be gone all day. I think the furthest we made was into the rated rapids but I couldn’t tell you how far up that was.

All in our 21 Brummett I/O.

The only pic I have on my phone.

All the paint is gone from years and years running the Colorado.

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[hallett21]

Back in the late 80’s early 90’s we made it many
miles past the bat guano caves. We would load up with four 5 gallon Jaz jugs of gas and be gone all day. I think the furthest we made was into the rated rapids but I couldn’t tell you how far up that was.

All in our 21 Brummett I/O.

The only pic I have on my phone.

View attachment 981706
All the paint is gone from years and years running the Colorado.
View attachment 981709


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So badass!

Edit: any chance you could mark that spot on a map?


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[rivermobster]

In our defense everyone was tuned up. I bet with some “clarity” we could have gone a lot further in the middle of summer.

Figure a jet ski needs 8-12” of water running 40mph? You could cover some ground.

Would be pretty badass to carry a fly rod and say you caught trout on the Colorado [emoji1598]


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Back I the day there were a bunch of "canals" in the reeds just south of Lost Lakes. They eventually closed em all off, but when they were open, we would explore em all day.

I swear, it looked like we were in two inches of water sometimes! You had to be hauling ass to do it.

The bad news is, you can't come off plane! So you'd have haul AZZ the whole time, and hope you got to deep water before you ran out of fuel!

I miss the old jet ski days.

 

[Happy Smitty]

I made it from Mead to Powell one time by boat. It was back in the day when I did a lot of drugs. To this day still not sure how I did it. There's Glenn canyon damn to contend with.

 

[hallett21]

Back I the day there were a bunch of "canals" in the reeds just south of Lost Lakes. They eventually closed em all off, but when they were open, we would explore em all day.

I swear, it looked like we were in two inches of water sometimes! You had to be hauling ass to do it.

The bad news is, you can't come off plane! So you'd have haul AZZ the whole time, and hope you got to deep water before you ran out of fuel!

I miss the old jet ski days. [emoji4]

We still do that from time to time in speed alley area lol.

It’s really a bummer because there is so much river that’s “closed” that you can enter and exit without a trace after 30 seconds. Even while pulling a skier [emoji41]





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[hallett21]

I made it from Mead to Powell one time by boat. I was back in the day when I did a lot of drugs. To this day still not sure how I did it.

Love it. We don’t care how, just that it was done lol


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[warpt71]

Back I the day there were a bunch of "canals" in the reeds just south of Lost Lakes. They eventually closed em all off, but when they were open, we would explore em all day.

I swear, it looked like we were in two inches of water sometimes! You had to be hauling ass to do it.

The bad news is, you can't come off plane! So you'd have haul AZZ the whole time, and hope you got to deep water before you ran out of fuel!

I miss the old jet ski days.

I have ridden back to the end of one of those. Stopping sucks cause the water is warm and the floor is all muck. Agreed, fun times in a 550!

this one to be exact

 

[Happy Smitty]

Love it. We don’t care how, just that it was done lol


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So I lied about half the story. I didn't make it to Powell.

 

[warpt71]

This one too, it's above LL, what we have always called the upper sandbar. It's pretty much single track untill it open up in the back.

There is another area like this down south by hidden valley I think. I'll consult the map

 

[arch stanton]

In the mid 90s my brother took his 38 foot I think it was a tall deck Baja more than 40 miles up, he did not plan this run but i believe it was the first time they flushed the canyon so the water level was way up and the signs saying no boats beyond this point were under water as were some major rapids. He found all this out when a white water rafting guide and crew rowed over while my brother and his family were having lunch while floating down river, the guys on the rafts were not happy that the high water level had caused some good rapids to be way under water and just another smooth section of the river and they were not pleased he had his boat that far up either.

 

[KevinR]

Back in the 70s, 80s, 90s we would head up the river 10 to 20 plus miles. Start our day at Hemenway. Pit stop at Temple Bar. Cruise up the Canyon. Stop for another cocktail at Temple Bar on the way home. Then on our way back to Hemenway.

 

[hallett21]

So cool that the lakes were that high


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[KevinR]

It really was. Such a big adventure in the 70s and 80s in flatbottoms or day cruisers.

 

[hallett21]

Only comparison I would have is if the sandbar and Topock ceased to exist lol


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[hallett21]

I am getting a good laugh about you guys going miles up the river, while people are still trying to figure out how to get across the mouth at havasu [emoji41]


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[rivermobster]

Does anyone remember when Overtons Marina was still open?

That must have been a happening place!

 

[rivermobster]

I have ridden back to the end of one of those. Stopping sucks cause the water is warm and the floor is all muck. Agreed, fun times in a 550!
View attachment 981719
this one to be exact

We had to "dismount" one day cause my buds impeller sucked up one too many reeds. That freaking mud was gross!!!

 

[hallett21]

Does anyone remember when Overtons Marina was still open?

That must have been a happening place!

Just looked it up. Wow @2FORCEFULL was right. They really let the lake down


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[arch stanton]

Does anyone remember when Overtons Marina was still open?

That must have been a happening place!

camped in a houseboat up around Overton many times and prefer it over the temple bar area

 

[rivermobster]

Just looked it up. Wow @2FORCEFULL was right. They really let the lake down


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I found it on Google maps looking around at property. There are a few articles on it. Musta been so awesome back in the day!

 

[mothershipper]

We took my dad's Chris Craft just past where they land the helicopters in the canyon in the late 90's. Ran out of gas on the way back within sight of Temple Bar. We would have made it if it we not for a thunderstorm outflow and the waves it made. I remember water skiing past the rafters going downstream. That water was cold. We took the boat right up to the waterfall just inside the canyon, that was pretty cool. Now it's tough to get past big sandy because of the sand bar the river creates. There is a pretty big drop just upstream of Iceberg canyon that takes alot of skill to get up, but it's possible.

 

[2FORCEFULL]

Does anyone remember when Overtons Marina was still open?

That must have been a happening place!

up from there was stewarts point....real popular with vegas people and so cal, everyone built house out there..... but the draw back was the stagnat water,... any way, Thats one of the reasons they dropped the lake level, they claim that having the lake that high polluted millions of gallons of water,.. that and that they were loosing millions of gallons of water to evaporation because of the larger water surface.... with the lake way up,... the water wasn't making it to the ocean...part of the natural cleaning of fresh water is for the water to return to the ocean,.. fresh water germs won't survive in salt water...so the water in the ocean evaps, and rains clean water on land... water has a short potable time ...look what happens with a swimming pool... as it is now,.. mead has the clearest cleanest water I've seen in my 60 yrs of going there...it took a little time but now there are nice beach's every where..

 

[Taboma]

Up until around the later 90's, four or five of us would trailer our sit down jet skis to Pierce Ferry and launch there in the morning. Each carrying an extra couple of gallons of "Just in case" gas. Then we'd ride up the Colorado into the Grand Canyon for 30-35 miles, exploring some along the way and ridding conservatively to preserve fuel.
Then we'd spend the day floating back, really taking in the sights and beauty of the canyon, floating was so quiet and serene.

Then the National Park took a knee to the enviro-nuts and deemed jet skis hazardous to the Grand Canyon -- a fucking ditch carved by millions of years of erosion ???
So just skis were banned up river from Pierce Ferry, which in those days, although shallow, allowed for launching jet skis or small light boats.
Going up the muddy water was initially spooky, but we never hit anything.

All the pics were on film we lost in the fire. From where the river entrance is now, you've got 16 miles just to get to Pierce Ferry, assuming you can get that far with water depth. I'm not sure where the Park Service bans jet skis from now, it used to be at the canyon entrance a few miles from Pierce Ferry.

Back in the late 50's I watched a 16MM film with my parents at a man's house we'd had dinner with. He owned the Lake Arrowhead Marina and was a large Chris Craft dealer.
The film he showed us was of an expedition sponsored and supported by Chris Craft, of three or four 19' Chris Crafts traversing the Grand Canyon up river from Pierce Ferry to Lee's Ferry (Glen Canyon Dam), it was mechanical carnage, and included aerial support bringing in replacement shafts, struts, props, rudders. I know a couple of them made it, but despite my internet searches, I can't find any record of it, yet I know I saw the film. There was another famous Chris Craft that made the journey with the current, but that was a different exploration.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

The rapids below Lee's Ferry are no joke. However, from Lee's Ferry to Glen Canyon dam the river is placid, like Parker.

Other than fuel, I'd think one of the white water jet boats would make that trip easily, especially later in the year with lower river flows.

The Park Service would probably call in A10s to strafe you if you tried it though... LOL...

 

[mjc]

In the mid 90s my brother took his 38 foot I think it was a tall deck Baja more than 40 miles up, he did not plan this run but i believe it was the first time they flushed the canyon so the water level was way up and the signs saying no boats beyond this point were under water as were some major rapids. He found all this out when a white water rafting guide and crew rowed over while my brother and his family were having lunch while floating down river, the guys on the rafts were not happy that the high water level had caused some good rapids to be way under water and just another smooth section of the river and they were not pleased he had his boat that far up either.

The rapids below Lee's Ferry are no joke. However, from Lee's Ferry to Glen Canyon dam the river is placid, like Parker.

Other than fuel, I'd think one of the white water jet boats would make that trip easily, especially later in the year with lower river flows.

The Park Service would probably call in A10s to strafe you if you tried it though... LOL...

Now would be the time to go again. They are starting a water purge a Glen canyon dam this week up to 20150 cfs 3/22-3/25.

 

[2Driver]

Sort of realted topic on the river and powell I found on Waynes Words

River runners discussing over loss of rapids... Explains the silt drain into the lake. Really amazing

 

[old rigger]

In our defense everyone was tuned up. I bet with some “clarity” we could have gone a lot further in the middle of summer.

Figure a jet ski needs 8-12” of water running 40mph? You could cover some ground.

Would be pretty badass to carry a fly rod and say you caught trout on the Colorado [emoji1598]


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Never been boating that far up the river but back in the day we'd catch dinner off the dock in Bullhead. Haven't been there for a few decades now so I don't know if that's still a thing?

1965 My two younger cousins and me. RIP Teri.

 

[old rigger]

these are cool if you've never seen them.

 

[hallett21]

Never been boating that far up the river but back in the day we'd catch dinner off the dock in Bullhead. Haven't been there for a few decades now so I don't know if that's still a thing?

1965 My two younger cousins and me. RIP Teri.

View attachment 981803

That’s pretty cool. I’ve never caught a trout down stream of lake Powell on the Colorado river.


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[MeCasa16]

Who else wants to build a 12’ jet stream aluminum mini with 300hp to give this a go with me in next years purge? Sounds pretty awesome.

 

[hallett21]

Who else wants to build a 12’ jet stream aluminum mini with 300hp to give this a go with me in next years purge? Sounds pretty awesome.

Down. They sell those in kits if I’m not mistaken?


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[MeCasa16]

Down. They sell those in kits if I’m not mistaken?


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Ya, the kit is pretty reasonable and in Canadian dollars. I would not have the skills to weld aluminum, so I’d have to buy it assembled already. The mechanicals, rigging, and power are up to you.

 

[old rigger]

That’s pretty cool. I’ve never caught a trout down stream of lake Powell on the Colorado river.


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I don't want to turn this into a trip down memory lane because that's not what this thread is about but it was a much different place back then.

Our flat bottom tied up inside and my youngest cousin casting off the dock. Everyone fished so much there was a cleaning station at the up river end of the dock, complete with hand pump to flush the guts.

Across the river is where Laughlin would be at the end of the decade, by then we were in Parker. It was always flat like that in the 60s, no one went there because of the water temp. It was paradise.

 

[stephenkatsea]

That’s pretty cool. I’ve never caught a trout down stream of lake Powell on the Colorado river.


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At one time the trout fishing out of Willow Beach up to the base of a Boulder Dam was phenomenal. Then along came the striped bass population. The bar at the original Willow Beach had a wall full of huge mounted trout.

 

[Taboma]

If you think google and other marketing spies are spooky --- my daughter who lives 150 miles away, has the real gift.
This thread pops up this morning out of the blue. I write in a response how I'd lost all the film pics in the fire.
A few minutes ago, I get a Face Book message from my daughter, saying she'd found a picture I'd sent her years ago --- When she finds them going through boxes and stuff, she always scans them for me knowing we lost them. She also had one of my dad, that makes two I have now and about the same number of my mom.

Grand Canyon Jet Ski trip, 1995
Got the just rode a jet ski for 30 miles hair do going on This was up canyon maybe 30 miles, we'd stopped for a leg stretch break and a beautiful pure sand beach out of the current.

 

[mash on it]

From Pierce Ferry, which is high and dry, you can boat upriver ~56 miles to Seperation Canyon. From South Cove, about another 12-15 miles but have to negotiate Pierce Ferry Rapids

Pierce Ferry Rapids

Seperation Canyon

Dan'l

 

[hallett21]

From Pierce Ferry, which is high and dry, you can boat upriver ~56 miles to Seperation Canyon. From South Cove, about another 12-15 miles but have to negotiate Pierce Ferry Rapids

Pierce Ferry Rapids

Seperation Canyon

Dan'l

Looks like you would need to just grip it and rip it through there.


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[arch stanton]

I don't want to turn this into a trip down memory lane because that's not what this thread is about but it was a much different place back then.

Our flat bottom tied up inside and my youngest cousin casting off the dock. Everyone fished so much there was a cleaning station at the up river end of the dock, complete with hand pump to flush the guts.

Across the river is where Laughlin would be at the end of the decade, by then we were in Parker. It was always flat like that in the 60s, no one went there because of the water temp. It was paradise.
View attachment 981811

That pic looks to be of Harrahs casino that little bay they have

 

[mash on it]

Looks like you would need to just grip it and rip it through there.


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Its over an 11 foot drop.
National Park Service jet böté

Dan'l

 

[rivermobster]

Wouldn't an inflatable be better for running shallow water? One with a small outboard on back?

I got stuck behind some guy towing a center console inflatable the other day. Florida plates. He was actually driving 55mph!

 

[Taboma]

On our honeymoon in Sept 1983, we beached the houseboat for one night a few miles up the GC from Pierce Ferry, the lake was extremely full in 83'.
By Sept 1995, when we started doing our annual jet ski trips up the GC, we had to work a bit to get the skis off the trailers, which we had backed way out in the bay, in order to launch them. Here's a couple of google earth images I've put together as a timeline showing how the river and area has changed as the water has receded.

Dec. 1984 to June 1994

Dec. 2005 to June 2017

The old Pierce Ferry Launch Ramp and the new one built to haul out the bladder boats.

The Pierce Ferry Rapids

 

[mash on it]

From rough calculations, if Lake Mead water level reaches 1106' asl, Pierce Ferry Rapids should be underwater. Current level is 1086.26 asl.

In the past year the highest it's been was 1098' asl, March of 2020
As 2FF stated before, it's not likely to reach that level again. (1106')

Dan'l

 

[QC22]

I've had a Rental Houseboat to Columbine Falls. This is motoring out I think '86. You can barely see the falls back left.

We skied in Pierce Bay then. Got upriver of Grand Canyon West in '98 I believe. Those days were probably my all time favorite.