updated 9:45 AM MST

What 3,517.60 ft means on Lake Powell

1 of 7 public ramps with published minimums are above water right now. First to close if the lake falls: Stateline Auxiliary (2.60 ft to spare). Next to reopen if it rises: Bullfrog North (needs +7.40 ft).

Public boat ramps · sorted by minimum level

Antelope Point Publicclosed
min 3,588.00 ftreopens 70.40 ft higher
NPS Glen Canyon NRA
Bullfrog Mainclosed
min 3,578.00 ftreopens 60.40 ft higher
NPS Glen Canyon NRA
Wahweap Statelineclosed
min 3,567.00 ftreopens 49.40 ft higher
NPS Glen Canyon NRA
Halls Crossingclosed
min 3,557.00 ftreopens 39.40 ft higher
NPS Glen Canyon NRA
Wahweap Mainclosed
min 3,545.00 ftreopens 27.40 ft higher
NPS Glen Canyon NRA
Bullfrog Northclosed
min 3,525.00 ftreopens 7.40 ft higher
NPS Glen Canyon NRA · launch at own risk near minimum
Stateline Auxiliaryusable
min 3,515.00 ftcloses 2.60 ft lower
NPS Glen Canyon NRA · low-water ramp

Minimum usable elevations: NPS Glen Canyon NRA: Changing Lake Levels (retrieved 2026-07-11). Conditions change, so check with the operator before towing a boat out. Lakes may be closed to boating during floods.

What each level means

Approximate. Based on published thresholds (ramp minimums, full pool, spillway, records), but every cove is different.

Above full poolabove 3,700.00 ft
Above 3,700 ft Glen Canyon Dam is into surcharge territory. The record is 3,708.34 ft (Jul 14, 1983). In 1983 cavitation badly damaged the spillways.
Filling toward full3,673.00–3,700.00 ft
Within ~27 ft of full pool, unseen since the turn of the century; expect large dam releases and shifting shorelines.
Healthy modern levels3,588.00–3,673.00 ft
Every major launch ramp is above its NPS minimum (the highest, Antelope Point, needs 3,588 ft) and marinas operate normally.
Ramps closing one by one3,525.00–3,588.00 ft
Concrete ramps drop below NPS minimums on the way down: Bullfrog Main at 3,578, Wahweap Stateline at 3,567, Halls Crossing at 3,557, Wahweap Main at 3,545.
Low-water access only3,490.00–3,525.00 ftnow · 3,517.60 ft
Only the low-water ramps (Stateline Auxiliary 3,515 ft; Bullfrog North at own risk) keep working. The record low since the lake filled is 3,516.62 ft (Sep 15, 2026); minimum power pool is 3,490 ft.
Below minimum power poolbelow 3,490.00 ft
Under 3,490 ft Glen Canyon Dam can no longer reliably generate power; dead pool (no gravity releases at all) sits at 3,370 ft. Not reached since the lake first filled in 1980.