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BULLFROG, Kane County — Boaters now have more places to launch out of Lake Powell as the reservoir continues to gain water from this year's snowpack runoff.
Bullfrog Main Ramp toward the reservoir's northern end is now open, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area officials said Tuesday. They said they believe its opening will help reduce congestion at the nearby Bullfrog North Ramp.
"Both ramps are now available for vessels of all sizes," park officials wrote in a statement. "Please prepare all boats before accessing a ramp. Boaters are advised to prepare their boats at the Bullfrog Visitor Center parking lot and the Old Marina Store asphalt parking lot."
Tuesday's update comes as Lake Powell's levels have risen more than 21 feet since April 25, about the time that snowpack runoff began to rise. It was listed at about 3,580.5 feet elevation on Tuesday.
While the Utah Division of Water Resources lists the reservoir at about 39% capacity, it has made enough gains to reopen ramps like Bullfrog Main Ramp for the first time this season. The ramp last opened for a time last year, beginning on June 21.
KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson says other features like Castle Rock Cut could be functional this week based on Bureau of Reclamation projections released on Friday. The agency estimates the reservoir could rise another 6-16 feet by early July depending on variables.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area officials said earlier this month that visitors should be careful during this point in the season because levels can change so rapidly during the snowmelt.
"Use caution when anchoring your vessel or parking your vehicle, since during spring runoff lake levels can rise up to 2 feet per day and result in rapid changes to the shoreline," park officials said in a statement on June 6.
The reservoir had fallen to an all-time low in early 2023 before last year's record snowpack melted. Its rise since then has helped drive more visitation. A record 5.2 million people visited Glen Canyon National Recreation Area last year, besting all other National Park Service parks in the state.
It's off to an equally strong start in 2024.
The park has only released visitation numbers for the first two months of this year, but its January and February totals ended up 16% above the first two months of 2023. It counted close to 275,000 visits in February, shattering the previous record of 195,337 set in 2023.
