The National Park Service shut down one of the top swimming spots at Lake Powell last week because ranchers didn’t remove two dead cows stuck in the sand.
After the rising lake swamped their carcasses, park officials closed “the sweet spot,” a cove near Lone Rock Beach, fearing bacteria levels in the warm lake water.
Go ahead and laugh, but Utah may feel it. The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, home to Lake Powell, is the No. 1 tourist draw in the state. More than 4.5 million people came last year. They came to rent houseboats, hike slot canyons, water ski and swim in the otherworldly landscape where red sandstone meets blue water.