Green River in Utah

[Baja Trekker]

Hey everyone,

It’s been quite a while since I’ve visited or posted here… Given the political climate in Baja and my own time and $ constraints I’ve not traveled to Baja for over a year – actually almost two. In the mean time I’ve realized that exploring the high deserts and rivers of Utah makes more sense. The Green and Colorado Rivers are only six hours away from my home and offer plenty of flat water and red rock canyons to explore.

Last summer I did a test trip where I floated in my sea kayak 15 miles down-river from Potash (on the Colorado River below Moab) and paddled back up river simply to test my skills, strength, and feelings about this area and … I loved it!

This summer I did a solo trip on the Green River in a canoe I bought from a Craig’s List ad. I put in at Ruby Ranch on the Green River and was picked up at Spanish Bottom on the Colorado, four miles below the confluence. It was an amazing trip and I hope to do another short trip this fall. These videos are a poor attempt to show what this river is about. My video camera audio was acting up and I’m not really good at editing or taking video. None-the-less, I thought this would be a great forum to share the adventure via video.

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAPBX8OkfGI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiUSIMMo5MM

~ greg

p.s. I still explore in my ’98 Subaru Outback with Scorpion springs and KYB struts – love it!

 

[kerry]

Thanks for posting that. Water looks pretty high. When did you run it and how hot was it?

 

[DrMoab]

That reminds me of an article I read somewhere about some guys who left Green River and floated to the Confluence.

In the article they talked about running out of beer about half way down and how it was so hot and all they wanted was a beer.

In silence an solitude they heard a two stroke motor and started to get pissed about the noise pollution...until the realised it was three rafts all tied together and the center one was filled with nothing but ice and beer. They decided then that for awhile at least...they could live with the noise as they tied up to the rafts and the noisy rafters offered their beer. :victory:

 

[kerry]

Some year ago I bought a 5hp motor with the idea of putting it on my canoe at the confluence after paddling down the Green river and motoring up to Potash. I experimented by going upstream on the Colorado from Westwater to Black Rocks in a loaded 17' Old Town Tripper using the 5hp motor. It barely had enough power to push the canoe up the swifter sections. I think it could be done, going upstream from the confluence but it would take a number of days and quite a bit of fuel. I think a more powerful motor used on two canoes catamaraned together would be a better option.
I know some people who paddle upstream from the confluence to Potash.

 

[KSJeep]

Nice videos Greg, Thanks

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Very cool Greg, I'm very jealous of your canoe trip. I've wanted to do something similar and have just never been able to make it happen. Thanks for taking the time to make and share your video's.

 

[jeeperaz]

Really enjoyed the videos. Hearing the Canyon Wrens freshened the memory of some of my greatest experiences.

How many river miles was the trip?

 

[kerry]

I think it's around 80 river miles from Ruby Ranch to the confluence. You can also put in at Green River State Park in Green River. This put-in includes a geyser for your viewing pleasure, just a short distance downstream.

 

[Ursidae69]

Greg, nice to see you back! Love those videos. The silent river video is really a masterpiece. Lots of birds. I think I heard a yellow-billed cuckoo is one of the segments which is really a good one. The great blue heron eating was cool to see too. Chuck...

 

[kellymoe]

Great and inspiring footage. I was just telling my dad today that I want to take my kids on the Green or San Juan soon. A long multi day float trip in the canyonlands would be great. I have a 14' raft that would be great for young kids. Thanks for the insperation.

 

[Baja Trekker]

thanks!

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the great comments! It was a great trip for sure, though it'd be nice to have a friend or three along next time.

Lets see... River miles, about 104 from Ruby Ranch to Spanish Bottom, not including zigzagging from one side of the river to the other to check things out.

I really loved the canyon wrens too, though now I think the hermit thrush tops the list - so moody, that call. As Chuck mentions, lots of bird calls, but they were really hard to see in the dense riverside willow and tamarisk so they were difficult to ID. I'll have to listen for that yellow-billed cuckoo - I don't know many bird calls from that area...

Paddling upstream to Potash is doable (I did 15 miles last summer - floated down 15 from Potash then paddled back up in my sea kayak - as a test), though you'd probably have to portage the Slide, about a mile up-river from the confluence. The only things is, you have to be committed: When you turn upstream and start paddling there's that oh, ******** moment where you might think what the hell did I get myself into... It's hard work.

Regarding running out of beer... I asked the jetboat driver about people's reaction to jetboats (They are really loud and create big wakes - the jetboats, not the people. Well, on second thought ...) on the river after we passed a group that gave us the cold shoulder. He said, after 20 years on the river, he's seen everything - from being flipped off to girls playing Mardi Gras. The most classic scene he described was being flipped off by some rafters as he went downriver for a pickup and then being flagged down as he went back upriver and asked by the same rafters if he'd bring them more ice and beer the next day...

The reality is that without the jetboat service on the Colorado from Potash to the Confluence/Spanish Bottom, there'd be no way for many of us to float and enjoy the flat water stretches on both the Green and Colorado.

As far as I know, the jet boat services only take canoes or kayaks, though I suppose if you have a raft and you could deflate it and fold it up you might be able to get a shuttle to pick you up. Canyonlands National Park won't issue you a permit until you have a shuttle scheduled...

I had hoped to go in the spring, but work and ‘commitments' kept derailing my plans. I finally realized that if I did not make it happen another year would have passed and I would not have been able to have such a great trip. Sure, I had a lot of catching up and problems to deal with when I came home, but they were nothing compared to exploring such a beautiful place. So… if you continually fantasize about an adventure – make it happen! Most often, you'll never regret it.

Thanks again for all the great feedback…

Happy adventures,

greg

Sea kayaking on the Colorado last summer:

 

[kerry]

Technically, the jetboat shuttle is not the only way out. A few years ago a friend of mine was mountain biking on the rim above the confluence. He met a European couple who had just finished portaging their canoe up to the rim and were walking to where their truck was parked (on the White Rim trail??). Definitely not for the faint of heart but apparently doable.

 

[Baja Trekker]

Technically, the jetboat shuttle is not the only way out. A few years ago a friend of mine was mountain biking on the rim above the confluence. He met a European couple who had just finished portaging their canoe up to the rim and were walking to where their truck was parked (on the White Rim trail??). Definitely not for the faint of heart but apparently doable.

Ok, I guess you're right Kerry... ;0) My older brother described to me that back in 1980 he and his buddies, who were going to school at NAU, floated from Moab to the Confluence and then hiked out via who-knows-what-trail. What caught my attention is that his friend Gary packed out the raft. Somewhere exists a photo of Gary hiking up the trail, only his skinny legs exposed below the heavy mass of the folded raft strapped to his back... :Wow1:

Anyone know what trail lets you escape the Confluence of the Green and Colorado?

 

[kerry]

I hiked up to the rim on the west side, just a few miles above the confluence thru Water Canyon. Did you do that hike? Great pools. It was in March but warm enough that we had some great skinny dipping.
For some reason I'm under the impression that my friend met the portagers at the rim on the east side. I could be mistaken.

 

[mojave joe]

Green River Float- Mineral Bottoms to Confluence

Hi,
I have a trip planned for next month and I am hoping to get some advice on "must see" and things to do. I have Kelsey's guide but I'm having trouble getting through all the history to the actual guide part of the book. It doesn't help the type is tiny and I am a cad designer and after 10 hours of starring at my monitor my eyes are wasted.
We have 5 days on the river and hope to see some of the ruins and such-
Thanks