Lake Powell, Utah. Kayaking on Lake Powell in Cathedral in the Desert, Escalante Canyons. In the spring of 2005, due to a prolonged drought in the western US, the surface of Lake Powell dropped to a level 140 feet below the full-pool elevation of the reservoir to reveal spectacular features in Glen Canyon such as this. This low water level has not been seen since 1969 when the reservoir was originally filling. Renowned for its spectacular deep and narrow sandstone canyons, Glen Canyon was flooded by the waters of Lake Powell when the diversion tunnels around Glen Canyon Dam were screwed shut in 1963.