Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas Responds Offers “Cut Open Guarantee” Package

Feb. 2008 – In response to recent above-average snowpack reports, Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, an ARAMARK-managed destination, announces a new “Cut Open Guarantee” package to encourage guests to book their houseboating vacations now in anticipation of the reopening of Castle Rock Cut due to increased lake levels this spring.

New snowpack reports from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation predict the highest water levels at the lake in recent years. The rising water in spring are forecasted to cause Castle Rock Cut, a shortcut route from Wahweap Marina to popular Lake Powell destinations, to open for the first time in more than five years during June or possibly sooner.

“This is significant news for visitors to Lake Powell,” said Bruce Fears, president, ARAMARK Harrison Lodging. “Given current forecasts, we expect the houseboating experience on the lake to be the best it’s been in years, and we are willing to guarantee it!”

With the Castle Rock Cut open, a shorter and safer passage becomes available, saving boaters 12 miles of travel between Wahweap Marina and popular uplake destinations such as Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Padre Bay, and Warm Creek Bay. The shortcut could also decrease lake pollution due to less fuel being used by boaters traveling on the lake, not to mention saving money.

“We’re hearing a lot of great news about the Cut opening, and are excited to finally have that shortcut to get around quicker and easier,” said Debbie Crick of Sedona, Ariz., who said she’s been enjoying the lake with family and friends for fifty years. “We’re planning a trip this season and can’t wait to explore all the beaches and canyons the Cut will make accessible.”

The “Cut Open Guarantee” package is available from 6/15/08 to 10/31/08. It offers a free day and a $200 fuel credit to houseboaters who return their boats after June 15, 2008 if Castle Rock Cut does not open by that date.

The Castle Rock Cut shortcut requires a lake elevation of about 3,620 feet for boats to pass through. Currently the estimated water surface level at Lake Powell is 3590.66 feet above sea level, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Under the current inflow forecast, Lake Powell would reach a peak elevation of about 3,628 feet in July 2008, said the Bureau. At the end of January, basinwide snowpack above Lake Powell was 127 percent above average, and the Bureau anticipates an increasing winter snowpack this season.

Lake Powell, the second largest manmade lake in the U.S., is located on the border of Utah and Arizona in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and offers nearly 2,000 miles of spectacular shoreline with towering red rock sandstone cliffs, more than 90 major canyons, blue-green water and sandy beaches. Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas provides houseboat and powerboat rentals, lodging and tours to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. To book a houseboat vacation with the Cut Open Guarantee or for more information call (888) 486-4665 or log on to www.lakepowell.com.

SOURCE Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas