Lake Powell: Houseboat Homeschool

This tour is no longer offered. But don't despair, you can find more fun trips on the Southwest Adventure Tours website.

For eight days, make the reservoir (not a lake at all!) your home and the natural and cultural wonders of the Colorado Plateau your curriculum.

Lake Powell has more finger canyons than you can count with your shoes on (luckily, you probably won’t have your shoes on), each one a perfectly unique, each one a variation on brilliant blue water against fiery orange red rock. Visiting Lake Powell is like visiting a national park that you can swim in, and there’s no better way to do it than from the comfy confines of a houseboat

Wanna take it all in with some experts to guide you? See the sights and learn yourself a little somethin’ along the way on this 8-day Lake Powell tour led by Southwest Adventure Tours:

Day 1

You’ll start your journey in Phoenix, Arizona, where you’ll be picked up from the airport and shuttled to Old Town Scottsdale. Spend the rest of the day strolling art galleries and dining at quaint restaurants.

Day 2

Take a scenic drive through the Sonoran Desert up to Flagstaff where you’ll check out the Lowell Observatory and grab lunch. As you continue the drive to Lake Powell, you’ll stop at Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments and the historic Cameron Trading Post. That evening you’ll enjoy dinner at the Rainbow Room complete with a sunset that shows you why they named it that.

Lake Powell

Day 3

Houseboat time! Board the boat, get settled, then cruise up to Padre and Last Chance Bays. There’ll be plenty of time for personal watercraft rides, kayaking and fishing. What could possibly make a quiet dinner on the beach even better? An astronomy demonstration.

Day 4

Lots of cruising, relaxing and water sports followed by exploration of Oak Creek Canyon and other gorgeous sites before dinner and a captivating account of near-superhero/area namesake John Wesley Powell. (Talk about a midlife crisis…)

Day 5

Check out Rainbow Bridge National Monument, one of the largest natural bridges in the world that is a sacred site to several Native American Groups. Then cruise through the San Juan River Goosenecks before a relaxing evening full of good food and a lesson on the Hole in the Rock Expedition.

Rainbow Bridge

Day 6

Visit Hole in the Rock Crossing followed by some time to explore Escalante River Canyon. You’ll also have plenty of time for water sports and relaxation. That evening, learn about the fascinating culture of Ancestral Puebloans.

Day 7

In the morning you’ll cruise up to Bullfrog Marina and Halls Creek Bay. Then it’s time to get back on solid ground and head to Goblin Valley State Park, though the eerie psychedelia of the hoodoos may make the ground feel something less than solid. Picnic lunch there before you’re transported to Salt Lake City for a closing dinner at The Roof restaurant, located at historic Temple Square.

Goblin Valley

Day 8

Time to go home (sad face emoji). Pro tip: Book a flight that leaves Salt Lake City later in the day so you have time to hang out in the city. Airport transfers are available throughout the day.

Learn more on the Southwest Adventure Tours website.