Lake Powell, Utah: The day we got stuck in the sand while a storm was coming
What was supposed to be a simple, peaceful tour to Antelope Canyon turned into one of the most memorable travel stories of my life. The plan was straightforward: enjoy the canyon, take our photos, and be back at our hotel in Las Vegas by 6 PM.
That was the plan.
Reality had something completely different in mind.
The day was going perfectly, good energy, amazing mood, everyone vibing. At some point our guide mentioned, almost casually, a “beautiful lake not too far from here.”
Not too far = another state.
Goodbye Nevada → Hello Utah
Naturally, we convinced him to take us.
When we reached Lake Powell, he explained that to truly see the lake you need to drive down a long sandy path. We saw plenty of cars and RVs already there, so we thought… why not? Let’s take the van down.
And honestly, it was worth it.
We stayed for about an hour, took photos, swam in the lake, laughed, relaxed, and enjoyed one of the most stunning landscapes of the Southwest.
Then came the moment to leave.
To get back to the main road, we had to drive uphill through the sand. And that’s when it happened:
the van sank into the sand and got completely stuck.
At first, we were laughing.
Then we looked at the sky.
Every nice trip has that one moment you will never forget. This was ours.
It was turning darker and darker, almost black. A huge storm was coming straight toward us. And there we were in the middle of nowhere, with no water, no snacks, no signal, and nothing left from our supplies.
We considered asking someone to pull us out with a rope, but it was pointless. Nobody could get close enough without getting stuck themselves.
About 45 minutes later, a large truck appeared from behind the dunes. It drove through the sand with so much power that it created a fresh path. That was exactly what we needed to gain traction we followed its tracks and finally made it out.
“Storm is coming”
“But we made it”
And then… only 4–5 more hours of driving back to Las Vegas.
An unexpected, chaotic, absolutely unforgettable day but honestly, what’s the meaning of travel without a little adventure?
