Lake Powell’s Bullfrog North Ramp is open for the season
Following up on recent reports of Lake Powell’s levels rising, the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has released an update: “Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is pleased to announce the Bullfrog North Boat Ramp in North Lake Powell is now operable for houseboats and larger vessels.”
Left to right:
A guide to parking and traffic flow at Bullfrog Ramp. Images courtesy of the National Park Service.
An aerial view of the water approaching the Bullfrog Ramp.
Before long, the water will have reached a level where the Main Ramp Spur will be open, and hopefully the Main Ramp itself not long after.
The dramatic increase in snowpack this season contributes to steadily rising water levels, resulting in quicker access to ramps and launch points for the season; however, the National Park Services still warns, “Visitors should expect congestion at the Bullfrog North Ramp and are asked to exercise caution in all visitor use areas. To relieve congestion, boaters are asked to please prepare all boats before accessing the Bullfrog North Ramp. Visitors may prepare their vessels in the National Park Service Bullfrog Visitor Center parking lot and the Old Marina Store asphalt parking lot (before the gravel bypass road, see map). Please see the attached map for traffic flow and parking guidelines.”
As Powell’s levels continue to rise, further ramps will open and reduce congestion further. Once the water level reaches 3540, the Bullfrog Main Spur Ramp will open - the North Ramp opened at 3529, so that is not too far off - at which point visitors planning on rafting the Colorado River are encouraged to use the Main Spur ramp instead.
The National Park Service repeated their warnings regarding the rapidly rising water levels - visitors are warned to keep vehicles and property far from the edge of the lake and to keep things supervised whenever possible. Per their release, visitors to the Bullfrog area should only park in designated parking lots. Rising lake levels result in rapid changes to the shoreline. Property left near the shoreline can quickly become submerged in mud and/ or water. Depending on the grade of land, a foot of water rising vertically will cover approximately 30 to 50 feet of land horizontally. Visitors should park 300 to 400 feet away from water’s edge, as a week-long visitor’s vehicle could be inundated (depending on the inflow of water). Additionally, boaters need to be aware that rising water levels overnight and wind can cause float toys and other objects left too close to the shoreline to float away. Houseboat users should check and possibly reset their anchors each day while they are recreating on Lake Powell.”
Lake levels can be checked in real time on the National Park Service website in the “Changing Water Levels” section. The maps referred to in the release are included with this report. The National Park Service and the Glen Canyon Recreational Area bid everyone an enjoyable time on Lake Powell in 2023.
