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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says snowmelt will raise Lake Powell to levels higher than last summer, keeping a notable boating shortcut open.
Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas says houseboat reservations for prime season are up by a third over this time last year.
Resort vice president David Sloma says 85 percent of available houseboat slots for the summer are already reserved. Onshore lodging bookings are up 20 percent.
Sloma credits a turning economy and ideal boating conditions.
The so-called Castle Rock cut has remained open since last summer. It shaves a dozen miles off a trip from Wahweap marina to the most popular beaches and Rainbow Bridge National Monument.
Low water had Castle Rock cut closed for five years until 2009.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
