We cruised the length of the gorge all the way down to the Flaming Gorge Dam and checked out Cedar Springs Marina. The canyons are not as prominent in this area, mostly lowlands and scrubby brush. Then we headed back to the canyons to a spot we scouted out earlier in the day for our second night anchored in the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Our second night at anchor was in Carter Creek. A busy little creek but other than a boat that beach anchored and camped on shore by the creek, we were the only ones anchoring in Carter Creek canyon that night.

Reflection in the Gorge…

Back at the marina Saturday night the day closed with a beautiful rainbow and dark skies. Since it was the weekend, many of the seasonal slip holders were at the marina and it was party time on the dock. We met so many friendly boaters we felt like we were at our homeport (previously Charlevoix, Michigan).

The Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir…

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“If you liked Lake Powell, you should consider cruising the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.”

Shortly after we cruised Lake Powell in 2011, we started to hear about a place called the Flaming Gorge Reservoir from other boaters. They said, “If you liked Lake Powell, you should consider cruising the Flaming Gorge.” With a little research, we found out that the reservoir was formed upon the completion of the Flaming Gorge Dam, in 1964. That was the year the Beatles first toured the U.S. Flaming Gorge Reservoir is located in southern Wyoming and northeast Utah on 91 miles of the 730-mile-long Green River. The dam was built to create hydroelectricity. Today the Reservoir is a fishing and water recreation paradise. Our cruise concentrated on the 26-mile stretch from Lucerne Valley Marina, in Utah, through the canyon area all the way down to the dam.

With only 26 miles between the marina and the dam, and a bright and clear sunny day at hand, we decided to cruise the entire distance on our first day out. We made our way into the majestic canyons, while occasionally ducking into the side creeks and canyons scouting out potential anchorages for our three-day cruise. We like the unknown and unexpected when it comes to cruising destinations and shortly after we headed into the gorge, as we approached the three-mile-long Horseshoe Canyon, we knew we would not be disappointed. With canyon walls 400 feet tall and water beneath us 160 feet deep, we enjoyed a slow pace through the glass-like water. We repeatedly cocked our heads up and around to take in all of the spectacular rock formations.

We continued into Kingfisher Canyon, past Hideout Boat Camp, Hideout Canyon, and up into Carter Creek. Hideout Creek runs about 3/4 of a mile south of the main canyon route and increasingly narrows the further back you go. In the end, we found a sandy beach with a mountain stream running into the creek. The water was 10 feet deep almost up to shore and very suitable for beach anchoring. We made a note of it for our return trip. Exiting Carter Creek we continued through Red Canyon, 11 miles of serpentine canyon. I’m sure the canyon got its name from the red hues that are very pronounced when the sun’s rays reflect off of the rock walls. Along the way, we ducked into a few more small creeks, including Trail Creek. We found the east arm of Trail Creek to be very inviting and returned a couple of hours later to beach anchor for the night.

After investigating Trail Creek and selecting it for our first night’s stay we headed the final four miles to the dam. We cruised slowly past Cedar Springs Marina, the Flaming Gorge Dam, and up into Dutch John Draw. We took in visual delights that can only truly be appreciated from the vantage point of a boat in the water. We returned to Trail Creek, happy to see we had the entire creek to ourselves for the night.

Back to Trail Head Creek to anchor for the night. A beautiful, pristine spot with just enough sandy beach for us to nose our bow up onto to beach anchor Lake Powell style – bow on the beach with anchor buried farther up on shore and our backup stern anchor buried in the sand off the starboard side with a line tied to a rock off of the port side.

The post Simply Gorgeous – Flaming Gorge Reservoir appeared first on Trailer Trawler Life Blog – Cruising USA & Canada.

We couldn’t help but notice the desert-like environment we found ourselves in as we approached Lucerne Valley Marina on the edge of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

After three full days of driving across the country and camping at RV parks along the way, we arrived at Lucerne Valley Marina early afternoon on the fourth day. We were more than ready to test out the waters of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. As we drove from Green River, in Wyoming, south along the western side of the Gorge we couldn’t help but notice the desert-like environment. After making the turn and driving the 4-miles to the marina we crossed the state line into Utah, we could see the change in the landscape off into the south, the area we’d eventually be cruising in.

Kismet had to clear Utah inspection which was situated right at the boat ramp. The inspection process was made easier for us by having the boat inspected when we crossed into Wyoming the day before (the decontamination unit shown above was not needed for Kismet since we passed inspection in Wyoming). Once cleared by the inspection person, we could snip the inspection tag (shown below) from the trailer stanchion. We proceeded to prep Kismet from cross-country trailering mode to cruising mode. The bimini canvas was put up, and fenders and lines were unpacked. “Don’t forget the plug,” Lisa stated. Stern anchor and line were readied along with a host of other things. Like Lake Powell, the launch ramp at Lucerne Valley was wide and long but on a smaller scale. We drove down the ramp, made a U-turn and backed Kismet into the crystal clear waters of “the Gorge,” and made our way to our assigned slip.

I feel it always feels better cruising in a clean boat. After three-plus days on the road, I had to give our little red tug a much-needed bath. Shortly after we got settled into our slip and the boat got its bath, boaters Perry and Denise stopped by for a visit, along with their friends Larry and Sarah, we had made plans to meet at the marina a few months prior by email. Perry and Denise have been boating on the Gorge for about 30 years and wanted to see our Ranger Tug firsthand. They shared some local knowledge of must-see places on the Gorge with us, which we greatly appreciated as we’ll only be in the Gorge waters for three days and want to hit the high spots while we can.

After 1,560 road miles it felt wonderful to be sleeping on our boat as she gently floated in our slip, her lines tethered to the dock seemingly as anxious to get out onto the water early the next morning as we were.

The post Arriving at Lucerne Valley Marine – Flaming Gorge Reservoir appeared first on Trailer Trawler Life Blog – Cruising USA & Canada.

After spending this past winter holed up at home in northern Michigan remodeling our kitchen, we feel we’re more than ready for some new cruising adventure. We are preparing, planning, and packing to head west soon to begin another fun boating season. First, we’ll visit the Flaming Gorge  Reservoir on the Green River in Northeast Utah/Southern Wyoming. Then we’ll continue on to Puget Sound in Washington State, there we’ll put in at Anacortes and cruise north into Canada’s Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, and more. Check back often, the fun is soon to start.

The post Preparing, Packing and Planning for Our Trip West appeared first on Trailer Trawler Life Blog – Cruising USA & Canada.