Green River Float Trip?

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I’m contemplating a Green River trip before The Bride and I are too old to do it. At this point, I don’t know if it will be in a canoe or a kayak, and I’m not sure if it will be from Green River, UT to the Colorado, or just the lower segments (Labyrinth and Stillwater) starting at Mineral Bottom.


I believe the open canoe might be the easier, but don’t want to rule out a kayak at this point.

Any thoughts about boats, gear, route, side trips, shuttle that you can share?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I posted this on a folding kayak forum, but I suspect a few folks here have done the flat water portion of the Green. Any input would be helpful and appreciated.

 

[rando]

I have done both sections between the town of Green River and just below the confluence (and just did the section north of Green River, Desolation Grays last month). The section between mineral bottom is maybe slightly 'prettier', but also a little more heavily trafficked. There are also more side hikes on the lower section as it is within Canyonlands NP.

The logistics for either are super easy - we have used Tex's out of Moab - they will drop you at either put in with a canoe/kayak (either yours or theirs), rent you a groover and pick you up in a jet boat at Spanish bottom:
http://www.texsriverways.com/stillwater.cfm

We have always done this in a canoe, but have been on trips where folks have used touring kayaks. I prefer the canoe for gear carrying and ease of loading/unloading. The biggest hazard on this trip is wind - it can rip up the canyon making paddling unfun.

It is a beautiful trip, and about as straightforward as a river trip can be.

 

[Cayuse]

I've thought about doing it and would do the full trip if I could swing the time just because having days on the water like that are so rare and it's nice to get into a multi-day mindset and stay there.

 

[Wallowa]

Sagebrush...what a great trip you are planning! ..only experience on that "river" was on Powell Reservoir...vicious winds up the Escalante Arm...in my '17 foot sea kayak I had less issues with the winds, I do not use a rudder [I have also toured in a '17 canoe and like was mentioned the wind can kick your ass!]...another advantage in a canoe is that in a pinch one person can paddle; I dislike two person sea kayaks and only use solo ones...would also recommend using a cover at least on the bow of the canoe to keep white water out...

Just me, but if you can swing it and if the river you want to run is big enough, two sea kayaks gives you speed, agility and less effort to paddle...gear in dry bags are easy to remove and replace, plus no water should enter the kayak with a spray skirt.

All a matter of personal preference and either way it will be a hoot!

Hey, remember that the Green River starts in the Wind River Range...just sayin'

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Thanks everyone! Great info. I’m thinking that the canoe makes better sense for the reasons that Rando mentioned. We might just do the Stillwater and Labyrinth segments, with a jet boat ride back upstream. The weather in late September and early October should be perfect, but I’m not sure about water levels. Dragging a boat across shallows isn’t always fun.

 

[rando]

There is plenty of water for a canoe year round. September is ideal (if it is too hot, float along in your PFD behind the canoe). October can be great, but days are getting shorter and it can be a bit cool for getting wet.

I have even done this in July (we joined a friend for a week who was rafting the length of the green from Flaming Gorge to Lake Powell) and even this was not too bad - lots of swimming, hanging out in big alcoves in the middle of the day ad paddling in the evening.

 

[Foy]

All I can add is that the up-canyon winds seemed to attack us on a precise schedule when we floated the Grand (aka the Colorado) in mid-June 1994. We put in at Potash late Monday morning and took out at Hite early Friday afternoon. We were 20 guests and crew on 5 oarboats, each having a single rowing position. At times the up-canyon winds spurred we guests to squeeze in beside the guide and man one of his oars.

In those big boats, we ran the Cataract Canyon below the Confluence and took out at Hite. The Grand was running 22,000 cfs that day but was dropping several inches per day by then. Lake Powell was around 75' higher back then, and we hit the pool some 30 miles up-canyon from Hite. The outfitters SOP was to send a pair of aluminum skiffs up from Hite, departing in darkness on the 5th and final day, to arrive at our campsite by 0730, lash two and three of our boats together, and to a big fold-out "T" shaped boom on the bow of the skiffs, and push us at about 5 mph back to Hite. It reached over 100 deg F by noon that day so we had to constantly dip water out of the river to stay cool in the direct summer solstice sunlight.

We talked and talked about going back and self-guiding a float down the Green (since after the Grand, we knew everything), but we never did. Sure sounds like fun now. Hope you can pull it off. A jet boat ride back upriver sounds like a blast.

Foy

 

[Taku]

Give Tex's a call in Moab. they do the shuttle up from Spanish Bottom and can give you up to date information. I have done it in canoe and also a whitewater kayak during the complete trip through Cataract Canyon. Either a sea kayak or canoe is great, canoe is more comfortable for us. Have fun

 

[outdoornate65]

Sagebrush,

The boats you use really depend on the type of trip you want to have.

Certainly possible to do this float in rec/sea kayaks. The downside is that it will be more of a "backpack" style trip due to the limited space you will have for equip/water/food.

Most folks do open canoes or a mix of different types of boats. Canoes offer great load carrying ability, allowing you to take more "stuff" including coolers, firepans, potties, etc. We did a dude's trip a couple years ago and and rented a "T-Cat" from Tex's to haul all our crap. Just remember, you become a slave to loading/unloading all that gear everyday.

I think the lower section is just about perfect for a 4-5 night trip. Depending on how much off-water exploring you plan to do will dictate your timeline.

In my mind, fall is the best time of year for this trip. Temps are cooler.....water level is down and campsites are plentiful. Spring trips with high water wash-out the sandbars and make campsites more limited.

Agree with the others, wind is the biggest hassle. It can make for some long days. Better to cover some mileage in the morning before the winds get humping. Funny, the wind NEVER blows downriver.

Tex's Riverways is the only shuttle outfitter I've used. Darren is easy to deal with and communicates promptly via email.

Do yourself a favor and purchase Michael Kelsey's guidebook this winter. There is so much info/history in his books that most other guidebooks don't cover.

Feel free to hit me up with any more questions. I LOVE this trip and would do it every fall (we are going late Sept next year).

Nate

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Nate, thanks! I’ve got Kelsey’s Lake Powell book, and there’s so much detail that it’s almost hard to read, but I will probably get this one, too.

 

[outdoornate65]

Nate, thanks! I’ve got Kelsey’s Lake Powell book, and there’s so much detail that it’s almost hard to read, but I will probably get this one, too.

Ah....so you're familiar with the extremely small print and never-ending paragraphs of his guidebooks
They are tedious to read but no other guidebook offers the same amount of info.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Ah....so you're familiar with the extremely small print and never-ending paragraphs of his guidebooks
They are tedious to read but no other guidebook offers the same amount of info.

Yup... plus the organization or lack of it.