Lake Powell near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the city of Page, is the second largest manmade lake within the United States. It was formed when the Glen Canyon Dam was built in 1963. The lake is very large with 187 miles long. The coastline is larger than the west coast from Seattle, Washington to San Diego, California. The coast of the lake measures 1,960 miles. The lake holds 8.5 trillion gallons of water. There are 96 major side canyons surrounding the lake. Perhaps the most unique feature of the lake is that there are rock formations that come right up from the water making an amazing statement.
The lake is located in GCNRA, or Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. This large area plays a significant part in the tourism industry. Lake Powell alone sees some 3.50 million visitors a year, both domestic and international. Located on the Arizona/Utah border, this easy to locate area is found right in the center of The Grand Circle. The Grand Circle is made up of many of the important national parks within the United States. It includes Grand Canyon National Park, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and many others.
Visitors to the area come to see the unique structure of Lake Powell and to see the other landscapes that are rare. For example, Rainbow Bridge National Monument is just as important. This is a span of natural bridge that stands 290 feet high and is the largest within the world. Visitors to Lake Powell can find this bridge by driving up lake about 50 miles from the Glen Canyon Dam. The bridge is located within Forbidding Canyon. The lake is filled with fish including walleye, western pike, largemouth bass and more.
