Lake Powell is full of so many fun and memorable moments and then we sprinkle in a few tense/stressful moments to even it out. This year, the weather was a little windy which had us checking the weather every few hours. We had to be strategic to capitalize on decent water for surfing (the smoother the better).
This was our 10th year coming to Lake Powell and although the kids have grown, the activities they enjoy have mostly stayed the same.
Cliff Jumping: Every year the lake sits at a different level which means we’re always finding new cliffs to jump off. A “good cliff” is defined by ease of climbing out of the water, multiple levels to jump from so everyone jumps at a comfortable height for them and a cliff that is either straight or cuts in for ease of jumping away from the cliff. Bennett loves a good jump so he was willing to be our test jumper. He was excited to show us an area he found while on the jetski and he climbed up to make his jump and we could see it would be a pretty tough climb for the younger ones. So we kept exploring and found an area that better met our needs.
The “Island”: It’s amazing how much fun a bunch of kids can have on a floating island (the same material as a blow-up paddle board). It was anchored just off our houseboat and it gave the kids an area to wrestle and use all their energy. The teenagers wrestled for their daily workout and it left them all exhausted.
Jetskis: This is probably the favorite teenage activity. It gives them the freedom to explore the lake and canyons at their leisure. An added benefit is that they use them to give tube rides. This is a huge relief on boat drivers because there isn’t a minute of the day that a kid isn’t asking to go on the tube. And we did more than a couple rounds of jetski frisbee which is harder than it looks on the thrower and the receiver.
Wakesurfing: This is by far the activity we spend the most time on. We don’t ski. We don’t wakeboard. We don’t foil. We surf. And everyone in the family enjoys it. And there’s something so fun about celebrating people who are getting up for the first time and try over and over again and finally figure it out. Its always more fun to surf when the water is pretty and the background is stunning.
Between all the intense activities – there’s also some downtime. Peaceful boat rides. Exploring the shore. Making up water games. Friendship bracelets. Board games. Evening devotionals. USA soccer game. And all the moments in between. It’s a vacation that never gets old. It just grows with you and we’ve witnessed that as a family.
I’m always amazed by the beauty that surrounds us at Lake Powell. There is something so uniquely beautiful about the red rock, blue water, and varying rock landscape, and I’m constantly trying to capture what my eye sees. But no matter how many pictures I take, they never quite do justice to the beauty that exists in person.
