Green River Float + Hike

“So, right now I'm just feeling people out. I think some time next Spring (or fall if spring doesn't work out), I want to do a float trip down the Green River, from the town of Green River, UT to Spanish Bottom, right underneath the confluence with the Colorado. It's about 190 miles, total, with no rapids to speak of. I figure about 3 weeks would allow us some time to do plenty of hiking and exploring, and maybe an overnight or two into the Maze once we get the Spanish Bottom.

This one could be relatively expensive - it costs about as much to rent a raft/kayak for 3 weeks as it would to buy one (of course, if you have one, then that's a savings to you), and I'm looking into the various permits we'll need, but those could get costly as well. Finally, to get from Spanish Bottom back to our vehicles in Green River, we need to take a jet boat up the Colorado to Moab, and a van from there to Green River (unless we do 2 cars and leave one in Moab) - there are several companies that do this, and the cost is in the vicinity of $200 a person.

Currently, I have 3 (including myself) confirmed, and 2 "maybe"s. More are welcome if you're interested. We can nail down official dates based on who's going and when they can make it. I'm pretty flexible.”

“A couple of years ago I did a river trip on the Green River from the town of Green River to Mineral Bottoms through Labyrinth Canyon, a distance of about 70 miles. We did it as a 6 day trip. We chose the section because the logistic were simpler than for the next section that takes out at Spanish Bottom.
last edited: 9/15/09 10:02:14 AM”

“Thanks, Owl - any tips?

I'm kind of looking at making this a pretty open-ended hike. We'll have a launch date, and a pickup date at Spanish Bottom, and we can just float on down the river and hike around anything that looks cool. I'd want to get to Spanish Bottom a day or two (or three) early and hike up into the Maze - a place I've always wanted to see”

“Well, take me back down where cool water flows, yeah.
Let me remember things I love,
Stoppin at the log where catfish bite,
Walkin along the river road at night,
Barefoot girls dancin in the moonlight.

I can hear the bullfrog callin me.
Wonder if my ropes still hangin to the tree.
Love to kick my feet way down the shallow water.
Shoefly, dragonfly, get back tyour mother.
Pick up a flat rock, skip it across green river.
Welllllll!

Up at codys camp I spent my days, oh,
With flat car riders and cross-tie walkers
. old cody, junior took me over,
Said, youre gonna find the world is smouldrin.
And if you get lost come on home to green river.

Welllllll!
Come on home.


~CCR”

“absolutely - great song”

“I wish I could take off three weeks for a trip, but that just isn't doable.”

“yeah, that's most people's problem, actually. I only get 4 weeks a year, so this'll tap me pretty dry”

“pep:

There were three of us; two in kayaks and one in an oar raft that carried all the gear. We carried all our drinking/cooking water as the river is too silty to filter. I'd think drinking water could be a concern for a three week trip unless one could re-supply at Mineral Bottoms.

The many Tamarisk trees along the bank made some of the camp spots a bit hard to find. Luckily the outfitter marked them on a map so we'd have a pretty good idea where to look.

Peak river flows are typically in May. After the snowmelt the CFS drops quickly.

Below is a link to the USGS gauge at Green River. It was about 14,000 CFS when we were on it. Very little paddling required :-)

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?09315000

It's a great trip.

Below is a view from a spot caled the "River Register"


last edited: 9/15/09 4:16:41 PM”