Green River April 2010

[ROKTAXI]

Not even winter (officially anyway) and I'm reminiscing about Spring wheeling. These are a few pix from last year. Love this area. So much to explore out there.

http://picasaweb.google.com/2mavalos/GreenRiver42710?authkey=Gv1sRgCKONyNaRsMCuigE&feat=directlink

[Rob]

Nice. Where's that trail, Marty?

[RockyMtnHigh]

Cool, but when I think of the Green River in Utah I am thinking of this:

http://www.thargrove.com/images/April2006/river_full.jpg

Provided that everything goes as planned, I want to get out there next year, I am dying to fish it. Where's the trail in relation to the actual river or is it even the same? The reason I ask is Rob and I were talking about doing something out that way in relation to the Extended Trips thread.

[Haku]

The Green River does indeed go through Green River, but its not usually Green anymore by the time it gets there. The Desolation Canyon rafting trip takes out near Green River. That still sandstone country for sure. The Green and the Colorado rivers meet about 40 miles downstream of Moab (the Colorado is the river that goes through Moab).

The Green at its source in Wyoming and the Green near Green River, UT are very different, despite not being all that far apart. I'm sure it surprised Powell as much as anyone, as he was the first to chart it and run it beginning to end. The John Wesley Powell Museum in Green River is definitely worth the hour of your time it takes to get through it. Has a couple of the boats used for the first trip down the Green River, UT and onto the Colorado (called the Grand back then, hence Grand Canyon) through the Grand Canyon and all drama(much difficulty and hardship and all that). Fishing on that part of the Green probably isn't as good, though I'm sure you would have some success depending on time of year. Early season its pretty muddy, but by July it clears up and mellows out. Still going to be a floating trip and not a wading trip though.

The Green has some of the best whitewater in the world though, with Ladore Canyon, Desolation Canyon, and others being great multi day trips. At the confluence of the Colorado and Green is where Cataract starts, and depending on time of year, rivals the Grand Canyon for difficulty and remoteness. Absolutely fantastic to do though, and I highly recommend any of these trips to you. If you ever get the chance to hit a Grand Canyon trip, do it. I missed a chance about 6 or 7 years ago due to finances, and have regret not trying harder to go. I've done many of the other shorter Canyon trips, and can't remember a time where I had more fun or was more at peace. Nothing better then spending a day on a river found in a 1000 foot deep sandstone canyon, camping on a beach eating food prepared over a fire, looking up at the stars through the narrow slit of the canyon and later falling asleep to the sound of the river flowing by.

Geez....I really need to get on a river trip next year. Its been a couple years since I did, and I really really miss it.

[RockyMtnHigh]

Geez....I really need to get on a river trip next year. Its been a couple years since I did, and I really really miss it.

So do you fly fish Josh or are you just into the rafting?

Going as planned for me this upcoming year means obtaining a nice pop-up and will do as many wading/belly boat trips as possible. The following year I want to get a drift boat/raft, take a rafting class and get certified, not for commercial interests, just personal so I know what to do out there on the water, then the fun begins, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and of course nothing like our own backyard the Gunnison and Taylor.

[Haku]

I'm a boater not a fisherman. Honestly can't stand the taste of fish in general, but that didn't keep me from trying fishing growing up. Never got into it for some reason, though I can see the appeal. Any day spent on the river is a good one, whether is casting line or paddling.

There is no certifcation for rafting in Colorado. There isn't one in Utah either as far as I know, unless you want to do it commercially. In Colorado, the dude who takes you down the Arkansas from the rafting company isn't overly certified in any way. No classes or such. Its entirely on the outfitter to provide education and to certify that said guide is capable of piloting the raft down the river. Its a big liability on the companies part though, so they tend to do a pretty good job. Its also a fairly desirable job (who wouldn't want to get paid to be on the river all day right?) so they can afford to be picky and restrict who gets to guide which parts of the river.

Utah is a bit different, since they have an actual guiding license. You have to get a certain amount of hours under a lead guide/instructor (who is himself licensed to do so) and must take a written test (mostly about first aid, rescue and regulations). This is only in regards to commercial rafting operations though, and as far as I know only pertains to the permitted trips.

Ladore Canyon(Green River), Yampa Canyon (Yampa River) and Westwater Canyon(Colorado River) are the only heavily regulated lottery driven raft trips in Colorado. Ladore and Yampa are both in Dinosaur Nation Park, and Westwater is the section of the Colorado that leads up to the Colorado border. All of these have at least one class IV rapid though, so its worth getting some time on easier stuff. Desolation Canyon is also on the Green River, and is a great class II trip that is usually done in 5 days. It is permitted too, so you have to apply and your "go date" is picked by lottery. The Colorado ones are the same way, except Westwater (solid class IV but really cool because it not only spends a large part of the time with nothing but canyon walls on the side of the river, but it also gets down to the same level as the deepest part of the Grand Canyon, which is Billions year old rock) which is a "First come, First served" deal and they open the next month at the beggining of the preceding month. You can do it in a day, but its a lot more fun to do it in two and camp on the river.

Fishing wise, I know the big one in Colorado is either the Eagle River or the Frying Pan. Its hard to do multi day floats for the fishing trips, but I know one that is possible is Yarmony Canyon on the Colorado, which starts at the Pumphouse BLM campground (kind of near Kremling) and goes to either Radium or State Bridge, but you can go as far as the Dotsero exit off of I-70 or even into Glenwood Canyon. There is only 1 rapid of note called Rodeo Rapid and its located in the town of Burns. Its a possible portage, but its runnable. Its just harder then the rest of the run which is largely class II with an easy class III in Yarmony canyon. The Frasier River (on the way to Steamboat) is also a good one, as is the Cache le Poudre near Ft. Collins(which would make a great wheeling and fishing trip BTW and its also the only Wild and Scenic river in CO), among many others for fishing. Don't even get me started on where you can go for whitewater, as there are even more possibilities then there are places to go wheeling.

I've boated both the Gunnison and Taylor rivers, and they are great too. There is actually a really nice wheeling mandatory run with a gear lug at the end for the Gunnison Gorge. Its a 4x4 trail down to a hiking trail, where you have to haul the rest of the gear in for a mile or two. No way a dorry could do it, but you can just manage with a raft or kayaks. Its the part of the Gunnison just before it goes into the Black Canyon I think (or just after, can't remember) but its quite the adventure.

Obviously they all get big with the runoff, but most of them mellow out and get to the level where wading is possible.

Depending on how the rest of this winter goes, I might think about getting a rafting setup. Its a big expense, but if you can buy a used package from someone getting out of the sport, then its not horrible. Getting all brand new stuff though, you can drop $5k without even going high end with stuff.

Ok, I could really go on and on about this, since it was a MAJOR passion of mine from 12 years old till a few years ago. Wheeling has kind of taken over now, but I still try to get out some. Need to do it more this year though. Oh, and no, I won't teach anyone how to roll a kayak back over. I can however, recommend some places to start. If I get a rafting setup, I am definitely going to put a trip together for Front Range too. Arkansas river goes right through middle of prime wheeling country (Buena Vista area), so it would be cool to do it either way.

[RockyMtnHigh]

That's some good info thanks!


Any day spent on the river is a good one, whether is casting line or paddling.Yeah, I can't put it into words, there's nothing quite like it. I told Reese a few weeks ago, when he was becoming frustrated, I have my best days on the river fishing when I stop thinking about fishing and just enjoy where I am as opposed to what I am doing. Kind of sounds like something from A River Runs Through It, but it's the truth! Ever since I was a little kid something about a river has always excited me.

We spent a few days on the Poudre this year and it's one of my favorites, looking forward to more this next year!

The raft I am looking at, is something like this:
http://superflyfishing.com/ProductImages/raft3.gif
And new, they're right around $5K, so when the time comes I will be looking at craigslist for starters.

Maybe, I can get you to row for me while I fish! :D

[Haku]

Best place in Colorado for boating and whitewater related activities, as well as Snow Pack "all in one place" is www.mountainbuzz.com. Its largely a Kayakers thing, but plenty of Rafters on there too. Its mostly whitewater oriented, but you'll see fishing outfitter stuff on their website too. For me, a Raft is the way to go, especially like the one you posted. Its much more versatile, packs down much smaller, and a ton less fragile then a Dory. That one you posted fill easily fit on a HF style or Snowmobile trailer, or can be broken down into smaller bits that will fit in a vehicle.

I'll definitely come row for ya, or you can ride on mine if I do it first.

There is a really nice setup for $3k up, complete with everything you need including a trailer. Maravia is a really nice raft too, and has a great warranty (at least 10 years last I checked). Here it is....

http://www.mountainbuzz.com/swap/showproduct.php?product=17490&title=maravia-09-27-diablo-w-2f-tilting-trailer&cat=3

You'll see other stuff go up there pretty often, especially during the season. I'm sorely tempted by a 16 foot cataraft for $1100 that someone has up for sale right now.

[RockyMtnHigh]

Seems like we've pulled a good old FR4x4 hijacking on this thread, sorry Marty!

Yeah I wish I had 3K right now, I would be all over something like that Josh. That's a cool website too, thanks for posting it, I frequent one of the kayaking sites too for water flow information, when it's good for them it's bad for us waders, can't recall the site now, got it bookmarked at home.

I will give you a shout when the time comes, if I get mine before you do, that is!

[Haku]

Its probably Eddyflower.com (aka Phateye.com). Could be American Whitewater too. There are a few others, but the Phateye one is my favorite since its the easiest to read and navigate.

Good times. Back to cool pictures of wheeling in Utah. :D

[ROKTAXI]

Seems like we've pulled a good old FR4x4 hijacking on this thread, sorry Marty!
Hijacking is OK by me! Gets more somewhat related info out there without starting a new thread. Boating and fishing are not in my outdoor vocabulary. Maybe in my next life??

The area in the pictures is south and east of Green River. I would guess it's an area over 200 sq. miles of countless "trails". The proverbial rats maze. Even after all the years of exploring out there, I can still get disoriented (a nice way of saying lost). However there's a few major arteries that criss cross that area so given the worse case scenario you'll eventually come to one of those.

[ROKTAXI]

If you want an overload of weather info for Moab, check this out:

http://www.expeditionutah.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1705

The graphs start on post #7

Edit: the link above is for members. This link below is just for the graph (I hope):

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_gh74b7IYj6w/TPbErd7gryI/AAAAAAAAEsY/6Ky8yvj8cDQ/Perfect%20Week%20%28Large%29.jpg

[ROKTAXI]

Nice. Where's that trail, Marty?

That "trail" is about 5-7 miles south and east of Green River. A proverbial exploring playground out there.