Sheri Griffith River Expeditions

Ask our guides which trip they’d want to run on their own time, and Gates of Lodore comes up more than almost anything else we offer. There’s a moment they talk about from one trip in particular: a family of bighorn sheep crossing the river at first light, the group going quiet as they watched. It’s a moment you can’t plan for and can’t really describe to someone who wasn’t there.

Gates of Lodore sits inside Dinosaur National Monument, and it runs differently than our Moab-area trips in almost every way. Different town, different rock structure, and different pace of planning. If you’re weighing the options for your next river trip, here’s what you need to know.

What Makes This Trip Different From Our Moab Trips

The first thing to know is that this trip doesn’t leave from Moab. It launches out of Vernal, Utah, a few hours away, and is important to know. Vernal sits at a higher elevation, and in the middle of summer it runs noticeably cooler than Moab’s desert heat, which is part of why this trip is such a good fit for peak summer travel.

The landscape shifts too. Instead of red sandstone and cottonwoods, you’re in alpine terrain with dark pine forests and canyon walls that run deep maroon rather than the rust red you’ll see on our Colorado River trips. The Green River through Lodore is dam fed, so the water runs clear rather than the silty brown you might expect from a desert river. The Yampa, by contrast, still carries that classic silty color and a lighter red and white canyon palette, since it’s one of the last major free-flowing tributaries left in the Colorado River system.

The Permit System, and Why Going Guided Actually Matters Here

Dinosaur National Monument runs a stricter permit system than Westwater Canyon or Fisher Towers, and that’s worth keeping in mind if you’re trying to go at this on your own. 

Private river permits for the Green and Yampa are issued through an annual lottery, and by our own guides’ account, they’re some of the hardest permits to draw in the entire country. Even if you draw a permit, you’re on the hook for your own boats, food packs, meal planning, and compliance with the monument’s health and safety standards for food and water. 

Traveling with us means you skip that process entirely. We hold the permits, handle the food and water logistics to the monument’s standards, and take care of the boats, whether that’s an oar boat or an inflatable kayak. During main season, the Park Service also pre-assigns your camps, so you’ll know exactly where you’re staying each night before you ever put in.

You’ll also need to carry a monument entrance pass or have otherwise paid the park’s entrance fee, which is separate from the river permit itself. It’s a small detail, but one we can help you sort out ahead of time so it doesn’t catch you off guard at the put-in.

Choosing Between the 4-Day and 5-Day Trip

Both the Lodore and Yampa trips run as either 4-day or 5-day itineraries, which is the maximum trip length the park allows. Lodore launches from the Gates of Lodore boat ramp, and Yampa launches from Deerlodge Park, but both trips take out at Split Mountain.

The real difference between the two lengths comes down to time, not mileage. The extra day on the 5-day trip goes almost entirely toward hiking, and the hikes in this canyon are worth the extra time. If you’re trying to decide between Lodore and Yampa itself, it often comes down to water. Yampa runs a bit bigger, which we’ll get into next.

What the Water Actually Feels Like

Neither river allows motors, so it’s a quiet trip in the truest sense, and both rivers bring rapids nearly every day along with some flat stretches to relax and take in the canyon.

Lodore runs lower volume and more technical, with that dam fed clarity we mentioned earlier. Yampa is known for Warm Springs Rapid on day one, followed by a long, winding flat water stretch through the Weber sandstone formations. Both trips end the same way, with Split Mountain on the final day, a fast paced stretch packed with named rapids like Moonshine, S.O.B., Schoolboy, and Inglesby.

Rapids on both rivers generally run in the Class II to IV range, depending on water levels and time of year. That’s a similar range to what you’d find on our Westwater Canyon trip, though the two couldn’t feel more different. Westwater is a fast, compact run through black rock, over in a day or a long weekend. Lodore and Yampa unfold slower, with more flat water between rapids and more time to actually look around at the canyon instead of just reading it.

That pacing is part of what makes this trip work for a wider range of guests than you might expect from a stricter permit area. You get real whitewater days without the trip feeling like it’s rushing you from one rapid to the next.

A Trip Layered in River History

This stretch follows the same water John Wesley Powell’s expedition ran in 1869, and the history isn’t just a footnote, it’s part of what our guides talk about on the water.

Powell’s crew named several of the canyon’s most memorable spots, including Disaster Falls, after a boat capsized there. Guides work in stories about the Kolb brothers, river runners Amos Burg and Buzz Holmstrom, and outfitting pioneer Bus Hatch as the trip moves downstream. Around Echo Park, where Steamboat Rock rises above the confluence of the Green and Yampa, you’ll hear about Powell’s crew getting stuck on a ledge there, and about the fight to stop a dam from flooding this exact stretch, a fight led in part by conservationist David Brower.

Some of these stories come out at camp in the evening. Others get told mid-hike, especially at spots like Disaster Falls itself, where the history and the landscape are standing right in front of you. It’s one thing to read about a boat wreck in a book. It’s a different thing entirely to stand on the same bank where it happened, with the same rapid still running below you.

That’s really the throughline of this trip. The canyon hasn’t changed much since 1869, and running it with people who know the stories makes the miles mean more than they would on their own.

Wildlife You Might See

Bighorn sheep and mule deer are the wildlife guests see most consistently on this stretch, along with birds like bald eagles, osprey, and blue herons. Otter and beaver sightings happen too, and on rare occasion, guides have spotted other wildlife passing through, including a black bear near Pot Creek.

As always, none of this is guaranteed. It’s a wild canyon, not a wildlife park, and that’s part of the appeal. The animals here aren’t performing for boats floating by. You’re a guest in their space, and most days that means catching a glimpse of a bighorn ewe on a ledge or an osprey working the river for breakfast, rather than anything staged or predictable. 

Who This Trip Is Really For

Gates of Lodore tends to work best as a second or third river trip rather than a first. Guests who’ve already done Desolation Canyon with us often move to Lodore next, then Yampa, then eventually Cataract Canyon as they build up their whitewater experience.

That said, Lodore specifically works fine as a first trip for the right guest. Yampa runs a bit bigger and is usually a better fit once you’ve got at least one multi-day trip under your belt.

If you’re still working out where you fall in that progression, our guide to choosing a river trip walks through the factors that matter most, including trip length and whitewater intensity.

Planning Ahead: Booking Timeline

The National Park Service releases river dates to us about a year in advance, and because the permit pool is limited, dates tend to fill quickly once they’re public. If you’re set on a specific date, let us know early. We’re sometimes able to coordinate a launch trade with another outfitter to help make that happen.

You can check our current dates and rates to see what’s available, and if you don’t see something that fits, reach out directly. Given how tight this permit system is, planning ahead matters more here than it does on most of our other trips.

Frequently Asked Questions

What class rapids are on the Gates of Lodore trip?

Rapids on this stretch generally run Class II to IV, depending on water levels and the time of year. Split Mountain, on the final day, tends to be the most active water of the trip.

How hard is it to get a Gates of Lodore permit on your own?

Private permits for the Green and Yampa rivers inside Dinosaur National Monument are issued through an annual lottery, and demand is high relative to the number of permits available. That’s the main reason most guests choose to go with an outfitter that already holds the permits.

What’s the difference between the 4-day and 5-day trip?

Both trips launch and take out at the same points. The extra day on the 5-day trip is used almost entirely for hiking, not additional river miles.

Do I need a park pass for Dinosaur National Monument?

Yes. Entrance to the monument requires a separate pass or paid entrance fee in addition to the river permit. We can help you sort out the logistics ahead of your trip.

What wildlife will I see on a Lodore rafting trip?

Bighorn sheep, mule deer, bald eagles, osprey, and blue herons are the wildlife guests see most often. Otter, beaver, and occasional other wildlife sightings happen as well, though nothing is guaranteed on any given trip.

Is Gates of Lodore a good first rafting trip?

It can be. Lodore is generally more approachable for first-timers than the Yampa, which runs a bit bigger. Many guests do choose it as a second or third trip after starting on a stretch like Desolation Canyon, but it’s not a requirement.

Ready to Plan Your Trip

That morning with the bighorn sheep crossing the river isn’t something we can promise you’ll see. But it’s a good example of what this canyon tends to do to people, guests and guides alike. Between the permit system, the history, and a landscape that looks nothing like our Moab trips, Gates of Lodore rewards a little extra planning.

If this sounds like the trip you’ve been waiting to book, check our current dates and reach out. We’ll handle the permits, the logistics, and the worrying. You just show up ready for the river.

About Sheri Griffith River Expeditions

Sheri Griffith River Expeditions is a guide-led rafting outfitter specializing in multi-day river adventures through the canyons of the Colorado Plateau. Known for small-group experiences and thoughtful trip logistics, the team focuses on clear communication, solid river skills, and a safety-first approach that helps guests relax and fully enjoy life on the water, from rapids to camp.