Dangling Rope Marina in 2021 before dropping water levels made it unusable/NPS

Declining water levels at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah and Arizona have prompted the National Park Service to decide the Dangling Rope Marina can no longer operate.

"Due to climate change and aridification, Lake Powell’s water levels have declined. The water depth in the Dangling Rope cove can no longer support a marina. With the water level lower, access is cut off and emerging rock features are a safety hazard," Glen Canyon Superintendent Michelle Kerns said in the park's newsletter. "National Park Service bathymetric surveys showed that the floating marina infrastructure had to be moved away or it would have become high and dry in the cove.

"Lower lake levels also lowered water tables and caused the loss of water wells. Weather-related damage to the electrical system compounded the problems," she added. "All considered, this resulted in the unavoidable decision that Dangling Rope was no longer a viable location on Lake Powell for visitor services. Without an electrical system, potable water to the marina, and a lake level sufficient to maintain a marina or utility systems in low water conditions, the Dangling Rope location is unsustainable."

With that decision final, the Park Service is working to find an alternative fueling operation for boaters at mid-reservoir. 

"We are planning a mid-lake fuel service station that will be operational at low water and not dependent on support systems from a fixed, land-based station," wrote Kerns.

Currently park staff are awaiting a report from an engineering firm hired to design such a fueling station.