Utah boasts the greatest snow on Earth, home to incredible national parks, amazing hiking, mountain biking and river rafting. For skiers the powder snow is light and airy, and the mountains have available terrain for skiers of all ability levels. Indeed, there’s good reason the winter games came to our humble little capital in 2002. Salt Lake City – or Small Lake City, as some call it – is within a 30 to 45 minute drive of eight mountain resorts, including Park City, Snowbasin which hosted the men and women’s downhill, and the famous (or infamous) Snowbird and Alta (skiers only). And it’s no secret. During the winter holidays rental shops and hotels are inundated with travelers from all over the county, even the world. But, in this writer’s opinion, they are missing some of the best Utah has to offer.
Something magical happens come March’s end. Slowly but surely the temperature begins to rise, and all that wonderful snow becomes something the desert West needs so desperately. Water. As spring progresses the snow recedes, a color change to give autumn a run for its money occurs. The foothills and mountains bloom into yellows, purples, and greens. In the lowlands incredible flowers start to bloom. The red Indian paintbrush makes an appearance alongside claret cup cactus and the state flower the brilliant white Sego lily making for a spectacular wildflower show. Starting in May before the heat takes hold, checkout Arches and Zion national parks. The smooth rock makes for easy hiking and incredibly mountain biking.
By June most of the mountain trails are dry. Grab a pair of hiking boots and a water bottle and you can easily enjoy the stunning vistas along the Wasatch. Around Salt Lake, there is easy access to any number of trails of differing difficulty. The Bonneville Shoreline trail – so named as it is the ancient shoreline of a great inland sea – is a mellow and planar trail that spans a great distance. As the summer heats up in July and August, head into the Uintas. Speckled with lakes and covered in pines, its a wonderful place to escape the heat. The lakes and creeks support trout, and the surrounding woodland are home to deer, elk, and moose.
The tried and true best way to beat the heat of summer is to grab a paddle and get wet. While your’e in the Uinta mountains, check out Dutch John, Utah and the Green River. Starting just below the Flaming Gorge dam is a gorgeous section of the Green River. This seven-mile section is perfect for the avid fisherman and those wanting to enjoy a scenic one day float trip. Those with a bigger adventure in mind should continue downstream to Lodore Canyon on the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument. Typically undertaken as a four day trip, this section is chock full of side hikes, beautiful sand beaches, and terrific whitewater. For a similar must do adventure, one should take the five day trip down Colorado’s Yampa River also flowing through Dinosaur National Monument. This beautiful sandstone canyon houses the last un-dammed tributary of the Colorado and Green river systems. Here you can see traces of the ancient peoples that once called this place home. There is abundant rock art, and sites that are still home to ancient granaries. As always there is stupendous white water. You’ll get wet, but you won’t get scared.
Whether you are looking for a quick weekend getaway for world class snow skiing or looking for a longer adventure Utah has something for everyone. Try a fully guided Colorado or Utah white water river rafting adventure today.
Einstein discovered that water on a perfectly flat plane won’t trickle in a straight line, but rather snake its way down in a series of S turns. It’s something I always tell guests as you come into the goose necks on the Yampa River as we float through the heart of Dinosaur National Monument. For the next 20 miles until the confluence with the Green River, the Yampa is mostly flat water. As you wind your way downstream the water becomes tranquil. It’s an easy float under the grand overhangs the river has carved into the sandstone. It’s a peaceful change from the whitewater of Teepee rapid and Big Joe. The slow water gives way to flood plains like Laddies Park and Mantle’s Cave. These self same spits of tillable land played host to archaic peoples, Utes, pioneers, outlaws and boatman. The river here was easy to divert for irrigation; warm and calmer still in summer months. You may find yourself thinking – looking out at the calm clay water slipping by – that it’s truly smooth sailing through calm seas. Why then do the boatman seem tense? It must be that the canyon closes in once more, reasserting its undeniable presence. That must be it. Eventually though, the flat water is a sign of something else. It is the calm before the storm. A storm that has its roots in the summer of 1965.
On June 10, 1965 a storm that can aptly be described as biblical built in the northern sky. It ballooned over Starvation Canyon which empties into Warm Springs draw. The storm spilled its considerable guts on the draw. George Wendt, camped at Warm Springs on that day, took shelter in an outhouse as the earth around him turned into a raging slime, laden with boulders and the broken bones of trees. The storm moved 33 million pounds of debris into the Yampa river, damming it. When the river broke through, Warm Springs, once a minor wave train, was now one of the biggest pieces of white water in the West. At the time of its formation, Al Holland and Les Oldham were upstream guiding a group of boy scouts down river. Coming from Mantle cave, the river was even stiller than it is today. Les had taken off his life vest, for he knew the river well, and knew it was calm water until the confluence and Whirlpool canyon. But the lack of current must have seemed odd to someone who knew it so well. Les was sitting on his vest as they came to Warm Springs. Sadly, it would be his undoing. He was thrown overboard in the now turbulent rapid. Holland saw the passengers safely through but couldn’t find Les in the tumultuous water. His body was recovered 17 days later. News quickly went out to boaters, on and off the river, of the new rapid and the danger it presented. By the next year, the young rapid had shifted once again, this time into something far more manageable.
Warm Springs remains a major rapid today one of Colorado white water raftings top drops. However, the rapid that Al Holland encountered in the summer of 1965 has matured over the past 50 years. In that time, rocks from the cliff face on river left have fallen in and settled in various places within the rapid. While the rapid still has features capable of overturning boats, by now boatmen know the line through. Each summer hundreds of boaters successfully navigate this rapid. And for good reason. The Yampa River through Dinosaur National Monument has so much to offer. It is the last undammed tributary of the Green River and Colorado river systems. It is a crucial link to the ecological health of the native species that call these water ways home. The river and its canyons have sustained hunter-gatherers over 8,000 years. And, of course, the Yampa offers thrill seekers adventures on and off the water.
Only eight letters to express the rivers of gratitude to each of you. It’s laughable that eight would be enough, for without you our lives as river guides would be undeniably different. Let me explain.
Each of you that travels down the river, allows us to live and breathe in this amazing national monument. To feel the tug of flowing water on oars every day, to smell like sunscreen and sweat for months on end, and gasp at desert vistas in every moment. By coming on a river trip you allow us to live the way we wish to live. But more importantly you allow us to feel that we are bigger than ourselves, a part of a history in Dinosaur National Monument while guiding on the Green River and Yampa River.
Each of us become a river guide for a shallow reason, something like: we went on fun vacations with our family as kids, whitewater is a thrill, or even just the novelty of being a river guide. Every guide will admit it, but the reason we stay river guides is because of you. As guides grow more sun crusted we learn more about the river and its surroundings; where different petroglyphs are, who the first person to raft the river solo was, where a dam was almost built and how it was stopped, and the story of the Powell expeditions first trip.
Without knowing it, each time we repeat these stories and facts to you, they become part of our personal history. None of us were on the Powell expedition boating down the Green River Gates of Lodore, but somehow that expedition is as much a part of my history as riding bikes with my brother as a child. Each time we share the river rafting experience of Dinosaur National Monument with you, it becomes our home and its characters our family.
As time goes on, we make our own history: a upside down boat used as a slip ’n slide at Wild Mountain campsite, a guest that cried because they were so grateful to have their family together, a kid dance party on the boat on the windiest day of the summer. And as John Wesley Powell did, you become part of who we are, a character of the river and part of our family. For you, this river trip may be once in a lifetime, but for us, this trip is life, and you are the reason for it.
Thank you for allowing us to create a home and a family here. Thank you for allowing us to love our fellow guides and bosses like we do our own parents and families. Thanks to our families for supporting our unconventional career choices and understanding that the reason we are here, is to connect with a deeper part of ourselves, to become droplets in a massive river system. Thank you for allowing us to feel simultaneously insignificant and vitality important to the universe.
Thank you for letting us share our home and family with you.
In return for completely changing our lives and the way we view ourselves, we give you eight letters. Not nearly enough, but perhaps you will feel that the eight letters we give you, are bigger and so much more important than just letters.
The Green River meanders through the Utah/Colorado border but is so spectacular we had to keep it number 1 on our list. Entering through the Gates of Lodore sends you on a 44-mile expedition through technical whitewater rapids like Hell’s Half Miles, lets you sleep on peaceful beaches, watch the stars swirl around the canyon at night, explore vista hikes that will drop your jaw hundreds of feet back to the river, and let you live among the mule deer and bighorn sheep for a few days. Luckily the river is permitted, so although over 9,000 people apply to go down the river every year, it will never be overcrowded and you’ll sure to have an unforgettable wilderness experience. Once you have experienced a Green River Gates of Lodore trip you will have to come back and see the Yampa River another western river gem located in the heart of Dinosaur National Monument.
Hiking in the Uinta Mountains
This is one of the more underrated mountain ranges in Utah. Just a few hours outside of Park City, the Uinta’s are home to Utah’s tallest peak, Kings peak at 13,534 feet. The wooded area is home to beautiful mountain lakes, wild flowers, and crisp mountain air and due to its high elevation, it stays cooler in the heat of the Utah summers. With plenty of trails for day hikes or backpacking, it’s on the list for a Utah must-see.
Canyoneering in Canyonlands
The slot canyons in Southern Utah are worth getting yourself into. Spend a day hiking through one of the wider canyons, like the Narrows, or hire a guide to take you and your friends repelling down a longer more technical canyon. Be sure not to attempt to do this on your own unless you know what you are doing. The canyons and change quickly with weather and you don’t want to be a search and rescue story. You will more than likely spend some time in Moab while you are there stop in to the local owned outdoor recreation and gear experts Moab Gear Traders.
Backpack the Grand Gulch in Bears Ears
This stunning 52-mile backpacking trip will take you into the heart of Bears Ears. The steep canyon takes you out of this world as you walk past ancient pueblo ruins: everything from granaries and kivas to petroglyphs and pottery shards. It’s believed that Bears Ears was a hub for pre-colonized North America, like and ancient city. Ruins from many tribes can be found throughout the hike, but don’t forget to visit Newspaper Rock on your way out, with hundreds of petroglyphs from centuries of Native Americans.
Fly Fishing on the Green River
The A-Section of the Green River attracts Anglers from around the world. With over 1000 trout per-mile and cold crystal-clear waters, just below Flaming Gorge Dam, you’d be hard pressed to find a better fly-fishing zone in Utah. Float the 7 miles section in a drift boat or walk along the banks of the river along a trail that runs the length of the first section. While the A-section is the most popular, the B and C sections also offer amazing fishing with a few less people. Make a weekend of it and float the A, B, and C sections, reserving a campsite on the riverbanks. Want to learn more about fishing or just need some help with your casting? Not to worry, there is a whole city of fishing guides in Dutch John, Utah happy to take you. Fishing is not your thing but you would still love to see the river, we offer a fantastic scenic river rafting day trip give us a call or book online for Utah one day on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam.
Mountain Biking in Vernal, Utah
Vernal is giving Moab a ride for its money. It has something for everyone; easy beginner trails to learn or ride with kids, self-inflicted suffer fest, flowy downhills with a few drops if you are daring, and everything in between. The city sits on the edge of the North-Eastern Utah desert and the Uinta Mountains giving it a uniquely diverse landscape. Within 20- minutes of Vernal in either direction you can ride on Moab Style slick rock or Montana-esque packed dirt in the woods. There are dozens of well-made trails and not as crowded as Fruita or Moab. Head into the local bike shop, Altitude Cycle, for tips on which trails to ride.
Delicate Arch in Arches National Park
This Utah view is iconic for a reason. The three-mile hike takes you along sandstone slick rock, winding through desert half pipes and bowls. It’s a moderately-difficult hike and worth the trek to see the arch in person.
5 Best Canyons to White Water River Raft in Utah and Colorado:
The Yampa
The Yampa River Canyon, sometimes referred to by as a “little Grand Canyon” is potentially the most beautiful place in the state of Colorado. Located just a short distance outside of Vernal, Utah, the Yampa River is an amazing combination of peaceful flat water and big rapids. The bigger rapids are sure be a thrill at any level sending water over your head throughout the trip. The biggest rapid, Warm Springs is one boaters talk about all over the country. The flat water gives you time to explore the waters on paddling your a paddle board or inflatable kayak. Paddling solo truly gives you a feeling of the wilderness and isolation of the canyon. At night, the campsites are typically big beaches perfect for a game of beach volleyball, kids to play, or just enjoying the firelight with the company of your family and friends.
The 700 foot tall white sandstone walls act as a time machine, sending you back a 1,000 years when the Fremont native Americans called the canyon home. Unlike most western rivers the Yampa is free flowing, meaning it looks almost exactly as it did 1,400 years ago. The trip has many stops where you will be able to see 800 year old petroglyphs, ancient storage granaries and maybe a little wildlife like mule deer or bighorn sheep. Beyond the native history, the canyon is a cornerstone for environmental history, at the center of the first ever grassroots environmental movement. This also makes it one of the most competitive private river permits to get in the US.
This canyon truly has it all, epic whitewater, peaceful flatwater, stunning geological landscapes, and history dating back thousands of years. It’s hard to travel through this canyon and not be simply overwhelmed by it beauty.
The Gates of Lodore
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The Yampa River may be tops on this list but the Green River Gates of Lodore takes a tight number two spot. Both trips are unbelievable and either one is spectacular depending on the time of year you can go rafting. The Powell expedition was one of the first to stare awestruck at the Gates of Lodore on the Green River with a mix of fear and enthusiasm. Today, the reaction to the dark red sandstone at the beginning of the canyon is the same no matter who rafts through the gates of lodore. The aw only escalates upon learning that it is the oldest rock in Utah and Colorado, dating back almost a billion years, predating life itself. The stunning views are matched with amazing white water. At high water (5-9,000 CFS), you are signing up for a “hold on tight” sure to find a thrill adventure and at lower water a family friendly continuous splashy 42 miles.
Cataract Canyon
This is the place to go if you are looking for massive rapids. Just outside of Moab, Cataract Canyon is home to the biggest whitewater in Utah and at high water, the biggest rapids on the Colorado river. At anything above 20,000 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) three biggest rapids turn into one long whitewater ride, so don’t worry about the desert heat, you are sure to get wet.
Split Mountain
A beautiful stretch of canyon if you are just looking for a day of rafting. This section of river is the last 9 miles of a Green River Gates of Lodore or Yampa River trip through Dinosaur National Monument. The mouth of the canyon gives it the name, as it appears the river is cutting the mountain it half. Multiple layers of rock bend and twist here giving it an other worldly look. The rock formations drip and twist the whole way down the canyon allowing for a common game of “what shapes can you see in the rocks,” in between the fun class 2 and 3 rapids. Remember to ask your guide about the Pirate watching over you in the second half of the river!
Desolation and Gray Canyon
Knock out two canyons in one river trip with this 84 mile float. The Gray/Deso combination is a beautiful river trip in eastern Utah with great views and fun class 2-3 rapids and an abundance of native American history, wildlife and spectacular Utah River Rafting scenery.
White water rafting can be intimidating, especially if your only perspective is from the adventure documentary Congo: The Grand Inga Project. You might be thinking to yourself. “These people are insane! I don’t want to die in crocodile infested waters, with beaches unsafe for camping, where literally everyone dies!” Well not to worry. Not all white-water trips are the red bull version of a whitewater adventure. There a few levels of starting your rafting adventures ranging from a scenic float trip on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam to a four or five-day multi-day trip in Dinosaur National Monument on the Yampa River or Green River through the canyon Gates of Lodore.
The Scenic Float:
This trip is perfect for the beginners with young kids, people looking for a relaxing day out or someone unsure if white water rafting is for them. A scenic float typically involves a little bit of white water splashing in a beautiful place. They offer class I-II rapids, places for kids to swim in the water, a delicious lunch, and the option to use an inflatable kayak depending on the company you are booking through. It’s a great way to get a sense of what it’s like to float on a river raft trip. In Vernal, Utah Dinosaur River Expeditions is the only locally owned and operated outfitter we have a great day trip on the A-section of the Green River it is the ideal place for a scenic river float. It offers views of the beautiful Uinta mountains, a bit of geological and environmental history from your guides, and the potential to see a few bald eagles, great blue herons, mule deer and maybe a pronghorn antelope. This trip is a great activity if you are visiting the vernal area for a few days and want to spend a day on the water. https://dinosaurriverexpeditions.com/expedition/daily-trips-flaming-gorge-river-rafting/
The Mellow Multi Day:
Looking for more than a one day trip but you are still unsure about river trips with bigger rapids. We offer a great multi day option that can be just one night, or three, has class 2 and 3 rapids and will give you a great idea for what river camping is like, or glamping rather. A standard night on the river is going to include a campfire, a gourmet dinner complete with Dutch oven dessert, falling asleep to the sounds of the river, and a pancake or French-toast breakfast. This option is on the Utah section of the Green River from Flaming Gorge Dam to Brown’s Park. It’s a beautiful trip with class II rapids and lots of wildlife. The river tends to be much less populated on these lower sections of the river offering seclusion with your family and a chance to view Utah’s night sparkling sky. https://dinosaurriverexpeditions.com/expedition/green-river-flaming-gorge/
The Thrilling Four Day and Five Day:
If you tried the Splashy day trip and a mellow overnight and want to mash the two together, a thrilling four-day or five day trip is right up your ally. In Dinosaur National Monument, the Gates of Lodore on the Green River and the Yampa River are perfect multi day white water rafting adventures. They are classic white water adventures and will offer all the perks of a mellow overnight: great food, seclusion and wildlife with spicier rapids such as Warm Springs on the Yampa River or Hell’s Half Mile on the Green River through the Gates of Lodore. Your guides will know a lot about the area and be able to give you a fairly detailed history of the environment, and geology around you. If you already know you love camping and are a thrill seeker don’t be afraid to jump straight to either of these trips. They are great trips for a first timer or experienced river rafter a like!
After a four day Lodore you are ready for the Congo. Just kidding. This is not a river for beginners in any sense, unless you are beginning the late stages of a professional kayaking career.
Any of these style trips are a great place to start! A few tips: remember a water bottle, sunscreen and a rain jacket (YES A RAIN JACKET). Nothing ruins a trip fast than a sunburn and an angry dehydration headache. Listen to your guides and have fun! The river is a great place to let yourself have a little fun and embrace your inner child. Your amazing guides will make it as safe and fun of an experience as possible.
The time of year you book your river trip will have a dramatic impact on what your trip is like, choosing the right time for you, will help give the trip you are looking for.
The blooming desert flowers and cooler temperatures make for a very scenic trip. It is also the only time of year you can commercially run the Yampa River. The Yampa River is a free-flowing river, meaning there are no dam controls so the amount of water in the river rises the more the snow melts, and as the season goes on the river becomes too low to raft. If you want to see the beautiful white sandstone and archaeological history of the Yampa River, be sure to go on a spring trip.
The other consideration when booking early season trips is the higher spring water levels means a more thrilling white-water adventure. The Yampa has large stretches of flat water, but also big challenging rapids, with water levels typically peaking around the first of June. Due to its free-flowing nature gauging how big the rapids will be, is dependant how much snow the Colorado mountains get throughout the winter. More snow equals more water, more water means bigger rapids, bigger rapids mean a more thrilling ride. If you are dying to go down the Yampa, but skeptical about the larger rapids, aim for an late May trip or a low snowpack year. It’s difficult to predict when the Yampa will hit peak water flows, but typically May is a bit lower. If you are looking for a big whitewater adventure aim for an early June trip.
The Green River also historically has higher flows in the spring. The US Fish and Wildlife encourage Flaming Gorge Dam to simulate a spring flood stages to que the native fish to start spawning. The Gates of Lodore section of the Green River is another great option for a thrilling ride in the early season. Again, the flows are difficult to say until just a few weeks before the launch date, but as a general rule of thumb, watch the Wyoming snowfall and look to the month of June for the most water for a Gates of Lodore trip.
As the season goes on the water levels will taper off and the river becomes a more family friendly place. July and August are great mid level rafting trip on the Green river. The flows are typically friendly enough to let tweens and early teens try their luck on one of our inflatable kayaks in whitewater and the air temperature rises making the cold river water refreshing. The rapids are thrilling and splashy but not quite as intimidating as an early season Yampa or Lodore. The lower water opens up more sandy beaches for kids to play on and enjoy swimming. If you are looking for a trip for you and your family, late June, July and August are the perfect time of year.
Ultimately the time you choose to book your river trip depends on what you are looking for. The river canyons are beautiful no matter the time of year; families with kids typically have more fun later in the season and late teens and adult groups have a great time with the early season high water flows.
The Ultimate Kids Trip: 4th graders and their families get in to the Monument for FREE.
I have the reputation as the “kids” guide at Dinosaur River Expeditions. Every time there’s a trip with someone under the age of 13, they are inevitably my favorite guest (sorry adults). I can talk for hours with a 10 year old about their favorite candy, or listen to stories about the time they rode sleeping bags down the stairs, completely captivated. This fact is the reason that when Dinosaur booked their first trip with more children than guardians, I found myself rowing the kids’ boat down the Green River.
It was a late August Gates of Lodore trip, and we had made it through all the big rapids like Hell’s Half Mile. I volunteered to take the kids’ boat the night before, assuming not all of them would want to come with me. The next thing I knew, I was rowing through Whirlpool Canyon with, no joke, a raft overrun with twelve animated children. We listened to the three Twenty One Pilot songs I happened to have downloaded on my iPod, on repeat, repeatedly. The kids’ faces were caked with seven colors of zinc sunscreen: a creative dad brought them to trick the kids into protecting their young skin from the sun. “War Paint!” They yelled every morning, excited to be decorate themselves; no one questioned what they were at war with…
They stood on the frame, and along the tubes of the boat, with the impressive balance of someone who doesn’t know they should be falling over. They danced (some with terrible kid moves you couldn’t help but love and some who should seriously consider dance as profession) with abandon. “Rapid!” I would yell, pausing the music, and 12 little bodies would suddenly sit down and hang onto “something strappy” on my command. As soon as the rapid ended, they flew back into the frenzied floating dance party.
We floated through the canyon, experiencing our own versions of perfection.
We arrive at camp and the kids scatter, digging in the sand, catching lizards, playing a kind of tag they invented.
A few minutes, later the US Fish and Wildlife Biologists stopped at our camp. They had seen our trip of kids and stopped to treat us with a few cool tidbits about the fish in Dinosaur National Monument. The kids piled onto the boat, the biologists pulled out ten fish from a cooler, and showed them each one before tossing it back into the water. The kids squealed with glee as each fish splashed into the river and swam away.
Doesn’t this sound like a kids’ paradise to you? The billion-year-old rocks aren’t fragile, they can touch everything in sight (except the petroglyphs). The kids won’t care if there is sand in every crevice of their body, about the geology, or the history of the place, but they feel its enchantment. Your family can dance, make s’mores, bury each other in the sand and make new friends. Some friendships will be a fleeting reminder of the freedom you felt on the river: like when you see a lizard you remember the one you caught named Gary. Other friendships might be the kind that last a lifetime. What can I say, the kids and I get each other. I never grew out of my kid phase: I want to touch the water, the sand, the river, breath in the hot air, and believe in magic.
National Parks Foundation seems to understand the kids too, as they started the “Every kid in a Park” initiative. Every4th grader and their families can get into any National Park or Monument in the country for free. The magic in the National Parks is greater than Disneyland and this program allows every kid and their families to experience it.
One of the greatest perks of going on a river rafting trip is the lack of cell phone service and internet connection. Today the average American spends over 10 hours looking at a screen every day and the rise of social media is linked with a rise in mental health disorders among teens. Being unplugged is many guests favorite part of the trip, but it can also be nerve wrecking. Not to worry, you aren’t alone in your fears, and we promise it will all be worth it.
The Anticipation:
Like a college freshman walking into their dorm room for the first time you are filled with questions, nervous, but also excited. What will it be like? It’s the first time my whole family has been unplugged. Maybe I will have service…? Will the internet miss me?
I hate to burst your bubble, but the internet will not miss you. The world of social media will go on to fight another day without you. We recommend you leave your phones in the car (it will make your withdrawals end sooner). Prepare by digging out your old IPod classic and speaker, find a good camera, a deck of cards, and that book you have been wanting to read. If you must bring your phone download a few extra Spotify playlists and delete a few games to make sure there is plenty of room for photos.
But what if something happens while I’m gone!?Not to worry, your guides carry a satellite deivice called an “In-Reach” for emergencies. This means that if something happens in the real world and you NEED to know about immediately, you will. But please keep in mind this is for emergencies only, not to check the score of the Pat’s game.
The Withdrawals:
You are on your way. Your family is lounging in the summer sun, half listening to your guide chatter about the history of Dinosaur National Monument and how old the rocks are, gazing at the beautiful canyon before you. You’re finally breathing easy when your oldest child pulls out his phone to take a snapchat. He realizes that there’s a snap unloaded on his phone. Panic sets in. They weren’t lying, there is no service. Your kids ask at every bend, “Is there service here?” staring at a screen missing the most spectacular views you have ever seen. You’re telling your children to relax and just enjoy the movement and secretly you are wishing you could check Twitter.
The Awakening:
Finally, at camp the first night you’re sitting in mesh chair arranged in a circle on the sandy beaches of the gorgeous Green River next to you. You pretend to read your book, really thinking about the day spent listening to your kids ask all the questions you wanted to…
The chairs around you start to fill and you put down your book to chat. The what do you dos and where are you froms eventually lead to someone asking “Which state has the largest concentration of dairy farms?” Un-googleable, it sparks a lively debate and leads to stories about your childhood summers spent on a dairy farm in Nebraska.
Enjoying the Moment:
All the chairs are full and you watch your children laugh uncontrollably at one another in the firelight. Everything seems to be at peace, a million stars you’ve never seen twinkle above you and silently, you realize that no one has mentioned their phones in hours. You are unplugged. The next three days are full of towering canyon walls, thrilling whitewater, storytelling, and debating which collection of stars is Cassiopeia. You stay up late, loving this time spent with family and new friends, pre-trip worries entirely dissolved.
An Overwhelming Reintroduction:
You float up to the Split Mountain boat ramp at the end of your trip so glad you have unplugged, but just a little curious about what happened while you were gone. You hold your breath to hug your guides goodbye, tearing up a bit, equal parts sad to go and overwhelmed by the smell. Thrilled with the whole experience, you pile into the van back to the hotel. You pull out your phone and it starts to buzz. Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzz. My God, it won’t stop! 150 group messages from the ladies in your gym class complaining about how sore they are, 30 emails from J-Crew alerting you to another 20% sale, and New York Times notifications roll in one after another! Completely overwhelmed, you realize you told everyone you wouldn’t have service until the next day and you turn off your phone, to enjoy the last few minutes of your unplugged paradise.
It was another in a long series of preposterous ideas pursued by Dory Moon Expeditions. The Canyon of Lodore–the steepest, rockiest stretch of the Green and Colorado–in wooden dories full of gear and people. A stretch of water usually so desiccated by Flaming Gorge Dam’s paltry releases that it is all but impassable to hard-hulled boats. We tried it once in 1991, gambling on the annual Memorial Day (-ish) fishery releases, but lost the bet and had to switch to rafts and rumble through on under 1,000 cfs. We tried again in 1995 and won, rowing dories through on a falling release of about 3,500 cfs with only minor damage. But we hadn’t had the nerve to try it again in over two decades.
With several of our core dory crew now in our sixties (we like to call ourselves sexagenarians), we figured there’s not much time to left to do goofy things. So after last year’s wacky Rogue River dory trip’s success (we only crashed three or four boats), we held our breath and gambled on another Memorial Day release, hoping for at least 2,500 cfs to bash our way through.
Imagine our surprise and delight to see the Upper Green River Basin fill to over 250% of normal snowpack over the winter, and find the river running at nearly maximum release throughout the spring. Jackpot.
I headed north, picked up Coop and his dory in Dolores, and headed for Dinosaur. Coming over Douglass Pass we were astonished to see an enormous cinnamon-colored bear tumble into the road, regain his composure, and scramble up the embankment back into the forest. A good omen no doubt. As we neared our goal and the evening light grew richer, we stopped to soak in the glory.
Blue Mountain and whitewater dory boats.
We found Andy and Kate and two more dories doing the same. RJ and Bruce, coming in from other directions, soon joined the sunset party.
The next day at Dinosaur River Expeditions we sidled the top boats over for loading.
Whitewater dory boats at the Dinosaur River Expeditions boat yard.
And the following morning drove to Flaming Gorge Dam, bursting with the water we had so been looking forward to getting. The gage held steady through our trip at over 7,000 cfs. Woohoo!
Flaming Gorge Dam
And away we go. Eighteen innocent clients (well, kind of innocent), six dories, and three rafts full of extraneous gear.
Down through Red Canyon.
A side hike up to Shorty Burton’s old cabin. A log has fallen on hole #2 of his double outhouse.
And the main cabin could use a bit of maintenance.
Camp at Red Creek–such a spectacular place. A wind storm and rain welcome us to the wilds.
Overnight Red Creek went into flood upstream, giving us a two-tone river. The good news is that Bruce, unlike the last two times we camped here, did not have a malarial attack. I think it was because of the large quantities of preventative quinine water and juniper juice we drank that evening.
Red Creek campsite on the Green River
At Taylor Flat, the old low bridge was finally blown away by the high water of 1983. So what did they do? Replaced it with another low bridge–too low to get the dories under at this high flow. Out come the roller tubes.
After careful measuring, we lined the rafts beneath the bridge with four inches to spare. As a reward, the bridge grew us a tasty morel for an appetizer.
We were back afloat in under two hours, but with a headwind and a long haul across Brown’s Park ahead of us. Here is the old Swinging Bridge. It was always a thrill to drive across as it swung and rippled. You always wondered if it would hold. (Like Amil Quayle’s poem, Stairways–“It feels risky and nice. I’m sure it’ll collapse someday. Somebody might get hurt. I always wonder if this will be the time.”) Well, a few years ago a tractor got the booby prize, and the bridge was formally closed to vehicles. The remains tell the story.
A beautiful evening at Crook Camp.
Best cook crew ever.
Lodore School–a remnant of more populous times.
And the Gates of Lodore open to accept us–one of the more amazing views on any river trip. We’re going in there?
Scouting Disaster Falls, where Major Powell lost the No Name. It goes on and on.
Go that way. But watch out for that.
The mid-section of Disaster was completely huge, but we all bounced through. Camp at Pot Creek.
Leah finds a friend.
Morning story time. We each tell the intertwined sagas of our dories’ lives.
Harp Falls rocks and rolls.
Triplet Falls. More scouting as ice balls fall from the sky.
Melissa shows us the way, pausing to blow us a kiss half way through.
And finally, the crux move. Hell’s Half Mile. So well named. Routinely portaged at great labor until 1922 when Bert Loper said “to hell with it!” and ran it. Fast, powerful, studded with boulders and logs, and endless. A long, busy, difficult run.
The raftsmen show us the way, and Bruce tries to convince us it works for a dory. Wowzers.
White water dory in Hells Half Mile rapid Green River Gates of Lodore Dinosaur National Monument
And we make it through with only one minor flesh wound. A late but exuberant lunch at Rippling Brook and a walk to the falls.
Evening festivities at Wild Mountain.
A morning hike to a vista above Alcove Brook.
Limestone hike overlook, Green River Gates of Lodore
And Lodore comes to a dramatic end as we hit the Mitten Park Fault and enter Echo Park.
Mitten Park Fault Dinosaur National Monument
A visit to one of Pat Lynch’s monogrammed caves.
Cooling off in Whispering Cave.
Kate’s sore knee hitchhiking back to the boats.
Steamboat Rock. It would have been a wee island in a large reservoir but for David Brower and Martin Litton’s leadership in defeating Echo Park Dam. Thanks again, guys.
Lunch on the backside of the Mitten Park Fault.
Geology class.
What is RJ looking at?
The Denis Julien inscription. A trapper who plied the Green back in the 1830s.
Evening light at Stateline Camp. We are cautiously optimistic about this voyage. Okay, not that cautious.
Inventing our own parking lot at Jone’s Hole.
While the others hike the creek, I celebrate four years of ukulele abuse under the tree where I first laid hands on one.
We exit Whirlpool Canyon into Island Park. The bison on the wall is there to welcome us.
So are the mosquitoes. They are drilling through Carhartts in this shot.
But the sunset is marvelous.
Beautiful evening Island Park campsite on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument
Marching through the cheatgrass to the Wedding Panel.
Amazing petroglyphs accessible by a scary climb or via sensible binoculars.
Entering Split Mountain Canyon, the final gauntlet.
After a raucous ride through Moonshine, SOB, and Schoolboy Rapids, we stop for lunch. So do the bighorn ewes.
After cutting into Split Mountain, the river parallels the mountain crest, then turns to cut out the far side.
At Split Mountain boat ramp, where most people, eyes looking downward, scurry to pack their boats away and leave, we camp and admire the uncommon beauty.
We spend one final morning cruising the Big W–a winding stretch of river below Split Mountain that offers magnificent views of the cliffs we just exited.
And life-size petroglyphs.
And lichen art.
As we turn south into the gray Mancos Shale, our passengers depart and we push the remaining six miles to Jensen Bridge.
Against odds, the ancient mariners made it through again. We’ll be back in another twenty-two years.
Thanks to Tyler and Jen Callantine of Dinosaur River Expeditions for supporting this madness. And our support crew: Brett Smith, Sweet Melissa Frogh, and young Jacoby. And our stalwart dorymen Andy Hutchinson, Kate Thompson, RJ Johnson, Tim Cooper, Bruce Keller, and myself.
