Wahweap Marina: Page's Gateway to Lake Powell
The National Park Service places Wahweap three miles north of Page on US Highway 89 -- roughly 8 miles and about 15 minutes by road, following the marina signs after you cross the Glen Canyon Dam bridge. It is the largest marina on Lake Powell and is operated by ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment Services, doing business as Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, under a National Park Service concession contract. NPS lists its services as slips, buoys, boat rentals, tours, repairs, dry storage and fueling, plus lodging, food service, gift shops, a campground with hook-ups, laundry, showers, and a service station; the hotel at the marina is called Lake Powell Resort. It is the practical starting point for the vast majority of Lake Powell visitors who arrive through Page.
For visitors who do not own a boat, Wahweap is where you arrange everything: day tours, boat rentals by the hour or day, and houseboat reservations. The tour desk handles booking for the major guided excursions on the water. Hours vary by season and the mix of services offered can change year to year -- verify current availability and rates directly with Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, or with Glen Canyon NRA, before you plan your time on the water.
The marina sits inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which means your America the Beautiful pass or NPS annual pass applies to the park entry fee. However, marina services, boat rentals, and tour fees are separate commercial charges not covered by the pass. Plan the full cost of a day on the water -- fuel, rental, and any tour fees -- before assuming the NPS pass covers your main expenses here.
Antelope Point Marina
Antelope Point Marina sits on Navajo Nation land east of Page -- the National Park Service gives directions as three miles east of Page on AZ Highway 98, then north on BIA Hwy N22B, about 9 miles by road. It is operated by Antelope Point Holdings, LLC, which is an authorized National Park Service concessioner and a lessee of the Navajo Nation -- not by the Navajo Nation itself. NPS lists its services as a launch ramp, day use area, parking, dump station, boat rental, valet launching, slip rental, boat repair, pumpout, restaurant, snack bar, and convenience store. Note that the separate NPS-run Antelope Point public launch ramp is only usable by motorized boats above lake elevation 3,588 feet; below that it is hand-launch only for non-motorized craft, which has been the case through recent low-water seasons. It tends to draw more local boaters and those looking for less congestion at the ramp -- it is particularly popular with wakeboarders and water sport enthusiasts who want open water without the traffic of a larger facility.
Because Antelope Point sits on Navajo Nation land inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, two authorities are in play at once -- the National Park Service for the recreation area and the Navajo Nation as landowner -- so access requirements can differ from Wahweap. Verify current entry requirements, fees, and operating status with the marina itself and with Glen Canyon NRA before driving out; if your plans take you onto Navajo land beyond the marina, check Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation separately. Hours and available services have varied over the years, and it is worth a phone call before making it part of your plan.
For first-time visitors to Lake Powell arriving through Page, Wahweap is the simpler choice -- it has more infrastructure and the major guided tour departures. Antelope Point is worth considering if you have your own boat, want a quieter ramp experience, or are specifically interested in water sports rather than canyon touring. Both marinas give access to the same body of water.
Boat Tour Options From Page
The two tours Wahweap is best known for are the Antelope Canyon boat tour -- which travels into Antelope Canyon from the water side, a completely different experience from the land-based slot canyon tours -- and the full-day Rainbow Bridge trip to Rainbow Bridge National Monument, which the NPS describes as one of the world's largest known natural bridges (a bridge, not an arch). Check availability before you build a trip around either one: as of this update, the concessioner Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas lists both the Rainbow Bridge Tour and the Antelope Canyon Tour as "currently unavailable until further notice," a consequence of the low lake levels of recent years. The cruises it does list include a Navajo Canyon boat tour, a scenic Glen Canyon Dam cruise, a dinner cruise, and private charters.
Tour operators and booking processes have changed over the years. The National Park Service lists three concessioners for Glen Canyon NRA: Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas and Wilderness River Adventures (both ARAMARK), and Antelope Point Holdings. Booking for Wahweap departures runs through Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas directly -- do not assume recreation.gov sells these boat tours. Availability varies by season and some tours are reservation-only with limited slots. Verify current tour schedules, prices, and departure times with the marina, or with Glen Canyon NRA for what is permitted to run.
Sunset tours and photography-focused evening departures are sometimes offered in peak season. These tend to book quickly. If a specific tour is important to your trip, do not wait until you arrive in Page to book it -- popular slots can sell out days or weeks in advance in summer. Morning departures are generally cooler and have calmer water conditions.
Houseboating: The Long-Stay Option
Houseboat rentals are available through Aramark at Wahweap Marina. A houseboat trip on Lake Powell is a multi-night experience -- most rentals run three to seven days -- and the appeal is anchoring in a remote canyon cove, swimming off the deck, and having the canyon landscape largely to yourself after the day-tour boats head back to the marina. It is a fundamentally different experience from a one-day boat tour.
Houseboats range from basic models to larger premium units. No fabricated prices are listed here -- costs vary significantly by season, boat size, and availability, and have shifted considerably with changing demand. Contact Aramark directly or visit the Wahweap Marina website for current pricing. Book well in advance: summer houseboat slots on Lake Powell routinely book out months ahead, and popular holiday weekends can fill a year or more in advance.
Houseboat renters should understand current water level conditions before booking. Low water levels in recent drought years have affected which areas of the reservoir are navigable and which ramps are usable, and the NPS publishes both the current lake elevation and the minimum safe elevation for every launch ramp on its "Changing Lake Levels" page. Fuel planning matters more than it used to: Dangling Rope Marina, long the only place to buy boat fuel between the Wahweap area and Bullfrog -- roughly 100 miles apart -- closed in 2022 and its structures have been removed. Do not plan an uplake route around a fuel stop there. A houseboat trip requires more planning than a day tour -- provisioning, fuel range, navigation briefings, and understanding the reservoir's layout are all part of the preparation.
Kayaking and Paddle Sports Access
Lone Rock Beach is the most accessible paddle sports launch near Page. The National Park Service places it 12 miles north of Page on US Highway 89, at the Utah/Arizona border and two miles south of Big Water, Utah -- so it is a Utah site, not an Arizona one. The beach is directly on the lake and the launch area is suitable for kayaks and paddleboards. Entrance and camping fees apply year-round and can be paid at the self-service machine at the entrance station. Lone Rock is a day use and primitive camping area with vehicle camping on the beach, which makes it a practical base for people who want to spend multiple days paddling without a full houseboat commitment. Verify current access, hours, and fees with the NPS before your trip.
Antelope Point is the other practical put-in; the NPS-run public ramp there allows hand-launching of non-motorized craft even when it is closed to motorized boats, and the marina lists boat rentals (confirm whether kayaks are in the current fleet before you drive out). For destinations, the NPS names Wahweap, Lone Rock, Warm Creek Bay and Padre Bay on the open lake, and Antelope, Labyrinth and Lost Eden canyons as wakeless zones that suit paddlers. Understanding the lake's layout before you launch is important: motorboat traffic in summer is significant and open stretches of water can have chop from wind.
Water levels on Lake Powell directly affect paddling access. At lower levels, some canyon arms become shallower or inaccessible, and launch ramps may be closed. At higher levels, more of the canyon arms are open. Check the NPS "Changing Lake Levels" page, which lists the current elevation alongside the minimum safe elevation for each ramp, before planning a kayak-heavy trip. One safety rule applies to every paddler here: on the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lees Ferry, everyone in a paddlecraft must wear a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket while underway, and on the lake itself everyone 12 and under must wear one on a vessel, at a marina, or in the water.
What to Know Before You Go
Lake Powell's water level is one of the most consequential variables for any visit. Prolonged drought in the Colorado River Basin has caused significant water level drops over the past several years, affecting which ramps are open, which areas are navigable, and what the reservoir looks like from the water. Elevated canyon walls above the old high-water mark are now exposed, which some visitors find striking and others find jarring. Check the current lake level at water.usbr.gov before your trip and ask the marina about any ramp or access closures.
Peak season for Lake Powell is June through August. Summer brings maximum boat traffic, the warmest water temperatures, and the longest days -- but also the most crowded marina conditions and the most competition for houseboat slots and guided tour spaces. Spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) offer lower crowds and more comfortable temperatures on the water. Winter is quiet and some services are reduced.
Sun protection on the water is more critical than most visitors expect. The combination of direct sun and reflected light off the water increases UV exposure substantially. Bring broad-spectrum sunscreen, sun-protective clothing, polarized sunglasses, and a hat. Water and food are not available on the lake itself -- pack everything you need before departing the marina, especially for full-day trips. The Carl Hayden Visitor Center, at Glen Canyon Dam on US-89 just outside Page, is a good first stop for current conditions and regulation updates; it is run by the Bureau of Reclamation in collaboration with the National Park Service and the Glen Canyon Conservancy, since the dam itself is a Reclamation facility while the lake sits inside the NPS-managed Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.