Ibis goes to Lake Powell by Holcombe Family | Dec 16, 2012 | Recreational/Touring | 3 comments It’s dawn on the shore of Lake Powell, AZ, I have the 12 foot+ Jackson Ibis on my shoulder walking down the steep hillside to the water line. I think to myself this boat is way longer than I am used to but it is lighter on my shoulder than I expected. I reach the water and adjust the seat preparing to paddle. This seat adjustments move easily on tight bungee cords locking in each position, so it should fit most anyone and takes hardly any effort to quickly adjust and securely lock into position. The seat is even removable to use on shore – a built in camp chair! I push off from shore and with the first few strokes the bow slices through the water like the beak of the bird it is named for. I quickly realize this is going to be a fast stable boat, perfect for exploring the miles of canyons on Lake Powell. It even has what I call “the trunk”, a yellow fitted dry-bag that mates perfectly with the rear of the Kayak. In this I have room for my GPS, map, hiking shoes, jacket, lunch and even my small camera. It also has a small water tight hatch that is easy to access while on the water. There is still tons of room in the front and back for more gear and other dry-bags. The Ibis was a pleasure to explore the lake. It turned well with a few sweeps of the paddle and would get up and go easily holding it’s speed with little effort. Next year I will return to lake Powell but plan to pack the Ibis with overnight gear and use it to access out of the way slot canyons while camping on beaches all from the comfort of this versatile kayak. If cruising on your local lake or a multi-day adventure in the desert southwest or even on the Great Lakes the Ibis is solid choice! See your local Jackson dealer to give one a try. 3 Comments Butler Cox on December 18, 2012 at 4:02 am Great to see the Ibis on Powell! If it ever gets too crowded South Powell way, try North Powell. Nowhere near the people or p-boats. Some fine camping and launching spots across from where the Colorado and Dirty Devil enter LP. There’s also Hite Marina for a commercial site that had nobody there a year ago and has a convenience store. A couple of Colorado River raft parties wound up at the Hite ramp, but other than that and a couple of yaks camping North of the ramp, we were alone. Also some nice canyons across from Hite. Watch the wind while crossing though. Powell is fairly narrow there and we’ve seen 3 ft. chop come up within a very few minutes. Skirts are a good idea, especially for later afternoon crossings. Touring skirts would be OK in light chop. The JK Journey would be a hoot in those conditions. Tack it right and you could just about surf all the way across. You might find it a fun exercise trip to attain up the Colorado from Steel Bridge a ways, then enjoy a lunchtime float back down with the current. We find the Dirty Devil to be a neat wildlife venue and it’s just around the corner from the C. Easy to attain but thin in places. Caution about beaching & dismounting around that part of the lake. The mud is something else. Just South of the ramp at Hite is a nice launch beach,and there are a beaches on the NW corner of the lake. The slots are a bit of a poke up North, however, across from Bullfrog are some interesting places, including one that gets down to about three feet wide, but is passable. There is a fine launch/camping beach at Stanton Creek just up the road from Bullfrog. If you happen to be RVing and stay at the Bullfrog RV park, watch out for the Kit Foxes. they’ll take the food right off your plate. They’re like wraiths and only come out after dark–really cool to watch. Try to fuel up in Hanksville if you’re coming from the North, much cheaper there than Bullfrog, Hite or Hall’s. Powell is the greatest! Bet the Ibis does fine there, too. HTH Reply Holcombe Family on December 18, 2012 at 9:04 pm Thanks for all this great info Butler. Lake Powell is amazing! I am really looking forward to returning soon. Looks like you have done lots of great paddling there and I’ll check out your recommendations on the next trip. The Ibis was great in Lake Powell, I’d love to surf some of that wind chop you described. All the best, Peter Holcombe Reply Butler Cox on December 24, 2012 at 5:41 am Thank you and chop can be good. I think it’s neat you took the Ibis to LP. So, Moab daily next, professor? Reply Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ
Butler Cox on December 18, 2012 at 4:02 am Great to see the Ibis on Powell! If it ever gets too crowded South Powell way, try North Powell. Nowhere near the people or p-boats. Some fine camping and launching spots across from where the Colorado and Dirty Devil enter LP. There’s also Hite Marina for a commercial site that had nobody there a year ago and has a convenience store. A couple of Colorado River raft parties wound up at the Hite ramp, but other than that and a couple of yaks camping North of the ramp, we were alone. Also some nice canyons across from Hite. Watch the wind while crossing though. Powell is fairly narrow there and we’ve seen 3 ft. chop come up within a very few minutes. Skirts are a good idea, especially for later afternoon crossings. Touring skirts would be OK in light chop. The JK Journey would be a hoot in those conditions. Tack it right and you could just about surf all the way across. You might find it a fun exercise trip to attain up the Colorado from Steel Bridge a ways, then enjoy a lunchtime float back down with the current. We find the Dirty Devil to be a neat wildlife venue and it’s just around the corner from the C. Easy to attain but thin in places. Caution about beaching & dismounting around that part of the lake. The mud is something else. Just South of the ramp at Hite is a nice launch beach,and there are a beaches on the NW corner of the lake. The slots are a bit of a poke up North, however, across from Bullfrog are some interesting places, including one that gets down to about three feet wide, but is passable. There is a fine launch/camping beach at Stanton Creek just up the road from Bullfrog. If you happen to be RVing and stay at the Bullfrog RV park, watch out for the Kit Foxes. they’ll take the food right off your plate. They’re like wraiths and only come out after dark–really cool to watch. Try to fuel up in Hanksville if you’re coming from the North, much cheaper there than Bullfrog, Hite or Hall’s. Powell is the greatest! Bet the Ibis does fine there, too. HTH Reply
Holcombe Family on December 18, 2012 at 9:04 pm Thanks for all this great info Butler. Lake Powell is amazing! I am really looking forward to returning soon. Looks like you have done lots of great paddling there and I’ll check out your recommendations on the next trip. The Ibis was great in Lake Powell, I’d love to surf some of that wind chop you described. All the best, Peter Holcombe Reply
Butler Cox on December 24, 2012 at 5:41 am Thank you and chop can be good. I think it’s neat you took the Ibis to LP. So, Moab daily next, professor? Reply
