Following your decision to elope at all, follows your next most important decision: Where to? Consider Lake Powell. Created by flooding Glen Canyon, the once empty canyon now boasts a body of water stretching 186 miles long. Lake Powell is famous for its campsites, hikes, water sports, and more recently, elopement.
Eloping in a Houseboat
With Lake Powell being one of the most popular water recreation destinations in the United States, a highly-recommended addition to the elopement itinerary is houseboating. Houseboating in Lake Powell is a lovely experience that allows the couple to enjoy the coziness of a home on serene waters along an extensive 2,000-mile shoreline, surrounded by the picturesque red rocks of Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. The couple can choose from many rental companies based in Lake Powell to provide them with the most suitable houseboat for their needs personalizing the elopement experience every step of the way.
Boat Tours During Your Elopement
While Lake Powell is great for camping, hikes, and beautiful scenes, it is all but limited to them. Among the most popular Lake Powell adventures to be had are tours, and more specifically, Boat Tours. During your elopement, enjoy Lake Powell’s scenic landscape without the hassle of renting your own boat. Prepare to board the boat alongside tourists from around the world and of course, your newly wedded spouse. During the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the land the lake sits on along with those who explored it up until the canyon’s damming in 1966. During your elopement, it’s important to stop and smell the roses, and there are few venues better for newlyweds to do just that than the waters of Lake Powell. For more information please visit Lake Powell Boat Tours.
Camping in Lake Powell
As part of your elopement guide, you can’t go wrong with camping while on your trip to Lake Powell. Located in the vast Glen Canyon, Lake Powell offers visitors various recreational areas; which make for some pretty incredible campgrounds and an elopement you won’t forget!
Here are just a few of the popular campsites around the Lake Powell area:
- Lone Rock Beach – A campground located right on the sandy beach, allowing for easy access to water-based activities.
- Wahweap – Located about a quarter-mile from the lake, the Wahweap campground provides plenty of amenities for its guests (restaurants,
lounging, powerboats, etc). - Shoreline Camping – Feeling a bit more adventurous, set up camp on the undeveloped beach areas that outline Lake Powell.
Photographers of Lake Powell
There are lots of great options for photographers for your lakeside elopement. Most photographers simply offer their imaging services and require you to make other plans for the rest of your day. This is great if you want ultimate control over every detail of your elopement. Photographer Jordan Voth is not from the Lake Powell area, but he is an incredible destination wedding and elopement photographer. He’s shot couples by the lake at sunset and the images are stunning.
If you would like an all-in-one package with most things already covered for you, there are photographers that offer that too. Andie Avery is a photographer based in the Utah Lake Powell area. She can provide couples with a houseboat and help plan out the entire elopement. Her photos feature warm colors that really highlight the gorgeous landscape of Lake Powell and Southern Utah. If you’d like to hear about more photographers, be sure to check out more of our resources.
Hiking in Lake Powell
Lake Powell has so many different options when it comes to activities to do while on an elopement. Hiking is one of the most popular of the options. Lake Powell has many different hike destinations that are sure to impress with great views and amazing scenery. One of the most well-known hikes is called Rainbow Bridge. This hike will lead you to one of the largest known natural bridges in the entire world. The way the water comes up to this bridge it is easy to access if you hop off your boat in the Wahweap Marina and take a short, easy hike up to the Rainbow Bridge. Native Americans in Utah actually consider this bridge to be sacred, so make sure to be respectful of the land and enjoy the beautiful view and hike. Check out all the activities that you can do during your elopement trip. (Link to a Utah Elope “Activities” page)
Some other hikes you can consider while at Lake Powell for your elopement are:
- Navajo Canyon – Offers many hikes that are up to 12 miles and near Choal Falls which is a must-see if this is your destination for hiking
- Labyrinth Canyon – Narrow Canyon hiking that ends with an amazing sandy beach where you can swim
- Cha Canyon – This is considered a moderate hike, but it showcases some very interesting and unique Ute Indian rock art if you handle a slightly more strenuous hike.