Trips

• August 24

Adult………………..$2,649

Includes land transportation to and from the river.

• • Full Days on the River
  • Camping Gear: Clean Sleeping Bag, Pad, & Tent
  • Oarboats
  • All Camping Equipment
  • Great Hikes in Canyonlands National Park
  • Quality Guides: Highly Experienced, Professional, & Licensed
  • High Quality and Quantity Meals
  • Iced Coolers on boats
  • Lemonade, Iced Water, and Gatorade: Coffee, teas, hot cocoa, and juice available in camp.

• • Trip Deposit: $350 per person deposit required upon reservation. Full balance due 45 days prior to departure.
  • Trip Cancellation Insurance
  • Minimum Age: 18 years old

• • Guide Gratuities by no means required but always appreciated by our guides. We recommend 10-20% of the cost of the river portion of the trip.
  • Transportation to Moab, Utah.
  • Lodging and meals prior to or following your expedition (except where noted.) Click to see a list of quality places to stay in Moab Utah.
  • Government user fees and taxes (about 9% of trip cost.)

On these days we will see evidence of the uranium mining that once took place in these canyons. Tailing piles and abandoned mining equipment can be seen from the river below.

We will also stop at another 1836 Denis Julien inscription. Denis Julien was a trapper and fur trader who left inscriptions on the rocks in a number of places. All of his inscriptions are dated 1836. How Julien got into the canyons is still a mystery. It is not known if he came by boat or if he walked in from the rim.

We will switch from our touring kayaks to oarboats for the rest of our journey. We will launch and float through Stillwater Canyon. Within a short time we enter the spectacular landscape of Canyonlands National Park.

The next couple of days provide opportunities for extraordinary exploration. On these days you may get a chance to hike to several great features including Turks head, Anderson Bottom Narrows, ancestral structures at Fort Bottom, Jasper Canyon ancestral structures, or Hike up Water Canyon.

The scenery begins to change as the river leaves the open desert and cuts its way into the rising plateaus of Utah’s Canyon Country. The canyon becomes deeper as Sandstone walls of the Wingate Formation rise hundreds of feet on both sides. Orange and reddish brown cliffs drip with a darker brown and blue-black known as “desert varnish.” Formations of tan Navajo Sandstone, purplish-red Kayenta towers, and brown Wingate cliffs, continuously unfold above.

The Fremont People were a semi nomadic people who inhabited these canyons (500-1175 A.D.). They left petroglyphs on the rock walls that can be spotted today. By the end of the 7th day, you will sense the anticipation of the group rising as the rapids near.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Turks head, Jasper Canyon, Water Canyon, Shot Canyon Hell Roaring Canyon, Bowknot Bend

Breakfast is served in your canyon dining room. Breakfast offerings will vary throughout your rafting expedition. Hot coffee, tea and chocolate are always available, as are juices, and fresh fruit. After breakfast, clients will board the boats and we will head down river. Enjoy another healthy and delicious Lunch, served as you visit a large sandy beach alongside the river.

Today we may get a chance for a “Layover Day”. This allows us to hike to the top of the famous Dolls House in the Heart of Canyonlands National Park. This is a very challenging hike with over 1500 feet of vertical gain as you hike from Colorado River to rim of Canyonlands National Park. Once up top some of the attractions include spectacular views of the La Sal Mountains, Canyonlands and the Colorado River. You will also get a chance to see hidden ancestral structures and petroglyphs.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Dolls House

This afternoon we will reach the Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. We now enter the true heart of Canyonlands National Park as we near the Confluence. If it has rained recently, the mixing of the rivers will be defined in brilliant swirls of red and green.

After the Confluence, we will experience the first of the Cataract Canyon rapids, numbers 1 through 10. By now the river has doubled in size and force. The rapids are not huge, but will suffice in getting everyone good and wet before we pull off for the night. We may take a side hike to the top of the Dolls House.

We will pull off river for an afternoon of hiking, swimming and yard games such as horseshoes or bocce. The crew will set up the camp as guests relax.

Dinner will be served with the sound of whitewater in the background and blue skies overhead. Guides will tell stories of early explorers and of more recent experiences in the rapids that you will face the next day.

Tonight we will experience a night of peaceful camping and quiet anticipation. Fall asleep to the quiet sounds of river music: quiet splashing accompanied by the high tones of crickets and the low tones of nearby owls.

This morning’s fare is complimented by the sound of rushing water and the anticipation of a great day of running the famous rapids of Cataract Canyon. We will load everything back onto the boats and prepare ourselves for the exciting day at hand.

This morning we will run some of the biggest whitewater in the Western United States (on trips during May and June, later season trips ~July and August~ have smaller rapids). Rapids whose names are almost as intimidating as the whitewater itself: Big Drop 2, North Seas and Capsize. Everyone will be thoroughly soaked as we take a break at midday for lunch and to catch our breath.

Stop for Lunch and for some “Land Time”. While the guides prepare lunch, guests are welcome to explore the canyon a bit or watch as others run the big rapids they have just been through.

Once we have finished with lunch, we get back on the boats and head into the big whitewater. This afternoon we will navigate through more intimidating rapids, including Big Drop 3, Satan’s Gut and Little Niagara. There may be stops along the way as the guide scouts the rapids to find the best route through the churning whitewater.

We will pull off the river. After we recreate our riverside oasis, guests are welcome to kick back, relax and relive the day’s adventures over and over again as the evening deepens and a bright canopy of stars replaces the blue sky. Traditionally, this last night is a “Dress Up” night. Anything goes, from formal wear to clown outfits with floppy hats. Guests are not required to participate, but are welcome to use their imagination and help celebrate an amazing trip.

Your final day of rafting begins with hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate followed by a delicious breakfast, prepared by your guides.  This morning we will pass through the final rapids. We may have some opportunities for hiking in some of the canyons previously lost to Lake Powell’s waters, but accessible now that the waters in the lake have dropped. Clearwater Canyon and Dark Canyon are guide favorites.

We’ll climb back aboard the boats and follow the Colorado River as it pushes its way into the calm waters of Lake Powell. Here we’ll be in the deepest part of the canyon, surrounded by nearly 2,000 foot cliffs. We’ll see the Dirty Devil River and Piano Leg Arch.

We will motor off of the lake and pull off near what used to be the Hite Marina on Lake Powell. You will be escorted to the landing strip for your return flight to Moab. As you take this scenic flight, watch for the Henry Mountains, the White Rim, the Abajo Mountains, the La Sal Mountains and nearly the entire Colorado Plateau. You will bet met at the Moab airport and transferred back to Moab and the Sheri Griffith Expeditions office where your journey ends.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Clearwater Canyon, Bowdie Canyon, Dark Canyon