Another view of Utah - rafting the Green River 5/13/07

[Admin]

I had planned to ski Saturday, but it was just too darned hot, hitting 90 in the Salt Lake Valley. It would've been wallpaper paste from the opening bell, so I turned the alarm off and went back to bed.

Today, Mother's Day, skiing was out of the question because, as one friend put it, "I'd get my nuts cut off." We looked instead for something unique to do to celebrate the day, and headed to Jensen, Utah, near the UT/WY/CO border, to try whitewater rafting.

We booked a one-day trip with Adrift Adventures to raft the Green River through Split Mountain Gorge within Dinosaur National Monument. What a phenomenal day! Great weather, terrific guides, and good times were had by all. There were four sets of Class III rapids, plus numerous Class I-II within the nine-mile stretch. No action shots from our own boat, of course -- I was too busy paddling and hanging on, as we were using a paddle boat rather than others we saw who were in an oar boat where the guide does all the rowing.

For anyone thinking about giving this a shot, I can highly recommend Adrift. They were friendly, personable and professional. At $75 a head it seemed like a very affordable price to me, too. After all, that's the price of a lift ticket.

Here's another non-skiing view of Utah for y'all.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Are there some Class IV+ in Utah?

The $75 is a great price though.

 

[Admin]

Yes, class IV is available, but not for a one-day trip. Beyond Utah but still nearby you also have the Yampa in Colorado, the Snake and the Salmon in Idaho, etc.

 

[Patrick]

Nice Marc...from skiing to rafting.

I used to know a skier in University that had his kayak out once the ice started melting.

Are there some Class IV+ in Utah?

There are even some Class IV and V in Quebec. :wink:

http://www.utstat.utoronto.ca/andrey/ra ... #topcanada

I'm not a rafting specialist, but I've known/knew a few skiers that are/were. Always heard that Quebec was a great place for it. There is some just 30-60 minutes away on the Ottawa River and the some river on the Quebec side of the border.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Not a bad reference. I've been on 6 rivers in the Sierra and Tuolumne was definitely the best. I've also done the week in the Grand Canyon and the Zambezi below Victoria Falls. It is still OK to visit that area, but with Zimbabwe's economic collapse most tourists are now lodging and rafting from the Zambian side. I also highly recommend the Class IV-V daytrip run on Six Mile Creek in Alaska, which is about half an hour from Girdwood/Alyeska.

I would presume that Quebec would have a lot, but with some of it in remote northern areas.

 

[JimG.]

My favorite rafting river is the Moose River near Utica NY. The flow is controlled by a reservoir and even with the added water volume during releases the river is run only 2-3 weeks in April because it is so rocky. Wet suits are a necessity! The rapids here are class IV and V only and if there is enough natural flow some of the rapids are genuine class VI. With names like Elevator Shaft and Mixmaster, these rapids are big time fun and excitement.

On my last trip there I was fascinated by the kayakers we saw. Gotta try that one of these days.

 

[Marc_C]

Are there some Class IV+ in Utah?

Cataract Canyon, in the Needles District of Canyonlands NP, is renowned for it's class V water. Two years ago at this time it was running over 65K cfs.

As I wrote in an email at the time:

Cataract Canyon, the canyon starting about 5 river miles below the
confluence of the Green and the Colorado, in Canyonlands NP, was running at 66000 cfs a week ago. Annual high flow averages at 45000 cfs. The big water is in a 20 mile stretch with 25 named rapids - Mile Long, Satan's Gut, etc., all grade IV and V. The gradient varies between 8 and 30 feet per mile, except for The Big Drop, a back-to-back series of 3 rapids, with a drop of 30' in 0.6 miles, the steepest gradient on the entire Colorado.

 

[Marc_C]

Great pictograph panels, Marc! Too bad about the bullet scars from red-neck morons.

 

[Tony Crocker]

66,000 is an impressive number. The max in the Grand Canyon on my 2003 trip was 18,000. The Zambezi in very low water was 12,000. High water on the Zambezi (usually around April) is about 300,000, but rafting is less desirable then because you have to put in lower and miss the first 11 rapids.

You've inspired me to sign up with Andrew for Class V Cherry Creek for Memorial Day: http://www.sierramac.com/cherinfo.shtml . Allegedly the gradient is 110 feet per mile.