P121H – Gunsight Butte and Bay – Lake Powell, AZ

I’ve been to Lake Powell many times over the years. I’ve seen the lake with high water levels, and, more recently with lower water levels. Here’s an older photograph with the lake at a higher level. Taken from the end of one of the dozens of government roads in the area at Alstrom Point, this viewpoint overlooks Padre Bay and Gunsite Butte. Navajo Mountain and Tower Butte can also be seen in the background. This is one of my favorite locations of Lake Powell because you really get the feel of the vastness of the lake, although getting here requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Even with the right vehicle, the dirt and gravel road can be impassable. I almost couldn’t get to this location that day because it had rained the previous two days. When the dirt roads in this area get wet, they turn into deep mud, almost quicksandish. I, however, was determined to get here after the storm with the clearer than normal fresh sky. Slipping and sliding through the wet ground was certainly interesting and nerve wrenching at times. When I returned to town the next day, I took my “rental” to one of those self car washes and spent probably $20.00 in quarters getting that car clean. Mud even got thrown into the engine compartment… it was quite something.