Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day: the three busiest weekends on Utah’s lakes. Here is how to still have a good day.

Book earlier than you think you need to

Holiday weekends are when everyone wants to be on the water, so book as soon as your dates are set. If the holiday is only days away, call us at (801) 923-8185 and we’ll tell you what’s still open.

Pick up early

We open at 8 AM. On a holiday, plan on an early pickup: ramp parking goes fast, and you want to be launched before it’s gone.

Pick a less-popular lake

• If Utah Lake is packed, try Yuba (warm, less crowded, a little under two hours south of our pickup). Check its ramps (opens in a new tab) first: both were closed for low water in late September 2026.

• If you were counting on Pineview, check the Forest Service’s ramp status (opens in a new tab) before you tow: in 2026 the Port Ramp Marina closed for reconstruction (Forest Service order through December 31, 2026), Anderson Cove’s launch closed July 20 for low water, and from August 31 the reservoir was closed to motorized boats. Willard Bay is about the same drive (just northwest of Ogden, about 40 minutes up I-15 from our pickup), but check its ramps too: on October 5, 2026, the state park listed both closed (launch at your own risk) for low water (current conditions (opens in a new tab)).

• Lake Powell is about five hours each way (to Bullfrog), so make it a multi-day trip. Check the Park Service’s launch ramp page (opens in a new tab) first: in October 2026 only a few launches were taking motorized boats.

Fireworks mean exit traffic

Utah law keeps jet skis off the water between sunset and sunrise, so if you’re staying for the fireworks, have the machine on the trailer by sunset and watch from shore. Expect a slow line out of the parking lot after the show. We close at 8 PM, so if the fireworks are part of your plan, ask us about the return when you book.

Consider the Monday

Holiday Mondays (Memorial Day, Labor Day) often clear out mid-afternoon as people drive home. A later start can mean fewer boats and a lighter drive home. The trade-off is wind: most of our lakes pick up wind in the afternoon, so check the wind on your lake’s page before you plan around it.

Small stuff that saves time

• Fill up on the way. Our machines go out with an empty tank, so plan a gas stop between our Woods Cross pickup and the ramp. Top off your own vehicle the night before and the morning needs only one stop. Gas cans are available on request; if you refuel from one at the lake, pull the machine out of the water and away from the ramp first, and follow the marina’s own rules.

• Take the boating safety course at home. Starting January 1, 2027, everyone who drives a jet ski in Utah needs the state’s short boating safety course once each calendar year. It takes under 20 minutes on average. Bring proof, or we’ll go through the state’s safety briefing with you at pickup. Utah Outdoor Recreation covers the course in its boating FAQ (opens in a new tab), and our rider resources page sums up the rules.

• Budget time for the inspection station. Utah law says every boat stops at any AIS inspection station that’s open, at the lake or on the road, so leave 5 to 10 minutes in your plan for it. Over the 2026 Fourth of July weekend, Utah DWR and its partners inspected 9,847 boats, and towing with drain plugs in was one of the main violations (DWR (opens in a new tab)), so pull every plug before you leave the ramp. We hand the machines over clean and drained, which helps keep your stop short. Our inspection walkthrough covers the rest.

• Make it a multi-day. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends run three days, and multi-day discounts start at 3 days (call us for pricing). Pick up the evening before, fuel up that night, and you can head for the lake first thing.

Book a holiday rental.

What we’ve learned

• Book early for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Cancel 11 or more days before pickup and you get a full refund, so reserving early is low-risk. New to jet skis? The GTX PRO 130 is the machine we put first-timers on; the Wake Pro 230 is for experienced riders.

• Plan on 15 to 20 minutes at pickup. Check-in, the machine walkthrough and the trailer hookup take about that long (here’s how pickup goes). Count it in your start time, because launch lines at the ramp build fast on holiday mornings.

• Pre-pack the cooler, towels, and sun layers the night before. Saves a morning scramble and means you get on the water while the lake’s still glass.

• Pick a weekday next to the holiday if you can. The Friday before a long weekend is usually quieter than the Saturday.