Water skiing in SLC (Logan, Park City: home, campers, live)

[RaleighRules]

My brother-in-law was telling me recently that SLC is awesome for water skiing. He just came back from SLC after doing a 6-month job contract, and swore up and down that I wouldn't regret trying SLC out (I'm a water skiing fanatic!) He seemed to be pretty excited about me and my wife trying it out for ourselves, and kept raving about how cool the area is, which is strange, because he rarely ever speaks to us. He's offering to help us load the U-Haul and everything, which will make it much easier to move out of his crappy guest house. Guess I shouldn't complain, its rent-free.

I think we are just going to wing it and give SLC a try, sight unseen. So pumped. Utah, here we come!

[carlymac]

You'll have to drive a bit to get to any body of water big enough to water-ski on. Don't think Great Salt Lake would be all that enjoyable for waterskiing. Bleh!! Utah Lake isn't much better although it's fresh water (if you can call it that) and not salty like the GSL. We used to go up I-80 to Echo Reservoir which was my favorite- not too crowded during the day but it can get crowded in the evenings when the water settles down to glass. Wanship is OK. Not my favorite, though. I haven't had any great experiences on the biggie (dang- lost the name of it) between Heber and Park City. It was always pretty bumpy and too much company. Pineview is OK, too. Bear Lake is huge but very cold and can get REALLY bumpy- but that's where I learned to ski on one. There is a tiny puddle called Hyrum Dam up in Cache Valley that we skiied on when we lived in Logan. Cute but barely big enough to turn around on.

The best of course is Lake Powell but there are always issues there, too. The water has become polluted by the fall and then rise again of the lake level. To explain...(may be tmi, but...oh well. Better to be frank) Campers outdoor potty spots (poop) above the lake level got washed into the lake when the water level rose again after being down for many years. I haven't been there for 20 yrs or so (moved from Utah 10 yrs ago) but my sister's family who go every summer always come home with ear infections. But it is the best ski-water in the state if you're looking for glass to ski on.

Our favorite spot to ski is actually in Jackson Lake in Wyoming about 45 min away from Jackson Hole (5-6 hrs from SLC) Even colder than Bear Lake but AWESOME skiing. ANd awesome scenery, too. Just can't be beat. It's worth a trip up there in the summer.

Good luck and have fun.

[Lamborgotti]

I like Jordanelle because it is a pretty good mix. All lakes are going to have their benefits and drawbacks, but Jordanelle, for the most part, is good because it's a decent size, it's close, and it has some reasonable beaches. Utah lake will certainly be very dirty, usually have lots of bugs, and no beaches, but it's warm, it's huge, and it's also pretty close. We usually go to Utah Lake just to test stuff out or when it's early in the season, it's a good place to break out the boat after a long winter. I also like Pineview and Echo, as mentioned above, though to me they would just be considered half-day affairs. East canyon is also pretty and relaxing but it's a difficult drive if you take the short way. I'm not sure if I've ever been to Rockport, but it seems about the same as the other medium-small sized lakes. Willard Bay is a lot like Utah lake, as it is huge and not situated between canyons. It is actually just a portion of the Great Salt Lake but it has fresh water. It's much cleaner than Utah Lake but also much further.

I also agree that Lake Powell is the best, hands down. Though it is a very dangerous lake, I think it's well worth the risks. You can easily spend several days down there (that is, if you wear sunscreen, of course). I'm glad the lake has gone back up some, but it's probably a bad option if you're prone to infections, etc. You have to be careful, no doubt. The scenery is beautiful, the lake and canyons are endless, you can go cliff diving, hike up and go down sand-dunes, etc. The beaches can be wonderful, but it depends on the season. We went in '07 when the lake was really low and most of the beaches were covered with tamarisk. We also hit a rock in the water and bent our propeller, ending our vacation a day early, so there are definitely benefits to higher lake levels.