When the Glen Canyon Dam was built back in 1966, it created Lake Powell, the second largest man-made lake in the United States behind Lake Mead. Covering more than 250 square miles in area, Lake Powell falls along the border of Utah and Arizona, a spectacularly beautiful region of the country that offers picturesque sandstone cliffs, winding canyons, and sun drenched vistas. It is truly an amazing natural setting that is best explored by boat, or better yet, by houseboat.

With the fall travel season just around the corner, Lake Powell Resorts and Marina is giving travelers a chance to experience an interesting combination of luxury and adventure by discovering everything that the lake has to offer via a houseboat. Heading into their peak season, the resort is offering an unprecedented 40 percent off boat rentals when booked before Sept. 15th, which makes this trip as affordable as it has ever been.

Lake Powell has a lot to offer visitors, including hidden beaches, great fishing, kayaking and even hiking trails that will take you into the Pueblo cliff dwellings. You can be as active or lazy as you choose, while discovering everything that his aquatic playground has to offer. Best of all, the fall weather is generally very good, making this a great warm weather escape when the cooler temps set in.

The luxury houseboats have all the amenities you would expect, and more. For instance, they come with fully equipped kitchens, comfortably sleep 12, are fully stocked with plenty of towels and linens, and include deck chairs, and water slides. The top of the line models even have state rooms with queen sized beds, hot tubs, wide screen HDTV's with satellite television, outdoor gas grills, and wine coolers as well. All the comforts of home, and then some.

To book one of these houseboats, and take advantage of these great discounts, click here. Then start planning your fall escape to an unexpectedly beautiful and comfortable destination.Next weekend, August 14-15, is the third, and final, fee free weekend in America's national parks for 2010. For those two days, more than 100 of the parks will open their gates to the public at no cost, giving visitors a chance to experience "America's best idea" for themselves.

The complete list of parks that will be waiving their entry fees can be found by clicking here. That list includes such spectacular icons as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Acadia, as well as lesser known, but no less amazing, parks like Big Bend, the Dry Tortugas, and Crater Lake. All told, more than 40 states are represented on the list, which means there is a national park or monument that will be free to visit next weekend near just about everyone in the U.S.

The fee free weekends have been very popular that past few years, and crowds in the parks will no doubt be high. But if you can't make it out to your favorite national park on the 14th or 15th, never fear, as there are still two more fee free days to come in 2010. On Saturday, Sept. 25th, the parks will be free in celebration of Public Lands Day and then once again on Thursday, Nov. 11th, in honor of Veteran's Day.

With summer quickly coming to a close, take advantage of this last fee free weekend of the year for some outdoor fun and adventure.

[Photo credit: National Park Service]