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Green river trip in Utah

It's a fun trip. Did it in 2000 with my 9 year old daughter. We spent a leisurely 11 days on it, Green River to confluence. Some good hiking, and good camping. Enjoy!
 
Gives you plenty of breathing room between you and the potty! Done the trip twice once in May and once in Sept.
 
That will be an enjoyable trip. If it were me knowing what little I know of cane seats , I would wrap my seat with 4 each NRS straps for extra support in case of seat failure!
 
The only problem is the river may be full on in flood. Multiple lines to secure the boat in camp.. I found a loose canoe on the Green.. Its a long walk out
 
Which section do you plan to paddle. I worked for a season sampling fish in Desolation and Grey Canyons. That section was amazing but I am sure they are all a special place to paddle. Have a great paddle.
 
Great place. Avoid the summer heat. Now the river is lined with Tamarisk. Bring a machete or a saw to get access to camp sites.
 
Great place. Avoid the summer heat. Now the river is lined with Tamarisk. Bring a machete or a saw to get access to camp sites.
I would be shocked if there were campsites that are overgrown with Tamarisk with the volume of paddlers and rafters navigating that river. I do not miss the smell of those trees.
 
Great place. Avoid the summer heat. Now the river is lined with Tamarisk. Bring a machete or a saw to get access to camp sites.
I did it in August, and it wasn't too bad--hot, but tolerable. We did a fair bit of hiking.
 
Sadly, ppine is correct about the tamarisk invasion. I paddled that section (120 miles between Green River, UT and the confluence) 4 years ago and was really surprised at the difficulty we had finding usable campsites in Stillwater Canyon due to the overgrowth and in some places the mud. We had fairly low water and couldn’t make it up most of the creeks to get beyond the tamarisk trees, which are concentrated along the river banks. They do smell like cat urine at times- maybe when blossoming- pretty nasty as noted by Foxyotter. Is that the trip you are planning- with the jet boat shuttle up the Colorado to Moab? If so that 18’ canoe should be fine, even during spring runoff. If you are doing Deso, which can also be a 10 day trip, depending on how far north you start, I wouldn’t recommend it, especially with the runoff we are expecting this year from the record snowpack. Deso gets a lot of rafts and kayaks and some canoes. Labyrinth/Stillwater canyons attracts canoes. I have never seen or heard of any rafts there due to the flatwater nature of the river below the town of Green River, UT. It is a great trip and should be very leisurely at 10 days with the river maybe at 20,000+ CFS. I am a quasi local (split my time between homes in Park City and Moab) and would be happy to help if you have any questions or recommendations.
 
20K CFS is way higher then I ever had the pleasure to experience. Crazy to hear about the Tamarisk. Halpc you have some wonderful country to explore.
 
I believe we are starting at Mineral bottom, finishing at Spanish bottom. We got our permits last year. We are bring our boats, 3 day ride for me, part of the adventure.
 
You will have plenty of time for hiking and exploring for cliff dwellings, pictographs and ruins. I would recommend Belknap’s waterproof Canyonlands River Guide. It has very detailed mile by mile river maps which show the locations of some of these features and the side canyons. We had trouble finding some of the ruins, even with the guide. We found some good petroglyphs (unmarked on the map) at mile 31 on the NW side of the cliff in Anderson Bottom. There is also a great hike in Deadhorse Canyon just past Mile 20. Be sure to stake down your tent securely- severe winds can start up without warning. My best friend lost his favorite Northface tent when a gust sent it cartwheeling into the river, never to be seen again! Looking forward to a trip report when you get back. When in May are you going? Hopefully the current won’t be up in the trees. The snowpack just set an all time high record, statewide, last week. We literally have 5’ of snow in our yard and the nearby ski areas have over 17’. Enjoy the trip! As a Pennsylvania native, I can assure you that it will be a drastic change from NJ- in some ways good and some ways bad.
 
You will have plenty of time for hiking and exploring for cliff dwellings, pictographs and ruins. I would recommend Belknap’s waterproof Canyonlands River Guide. It has very detailed mile by mile river maps which show the locations of some of these features and the side canyons. We had trouble finding some of the ruins, even with the guide. We found some good petroglyphs (unmarked on the map) at mile 31 on the NW side of the cliff in Anderson Bottom. There is also a great hike in Deadhorse Canyon just past Mile 20. Be sure to stake down your tent securely- severe winds can start up without warning. My best friend lost his favorite Northface tent when a gust sent it cartwheeling into the river, never to be seen again! Looking forward to a trip report when you get back. When in May are you going? Hopefully the current won’t be up in the trees. The snowpack just set an all time high record, statewide, last week. We literally have 5’ of snow in our yard and the nearby ski areas have over 17’. Enjoy the trip! As a Pennsylvania native, I can assure you that it will be a drastic change from NJ- in some ways good and some ways bad.
Be on the water May 15
 
Getting ready for my 10 day Green river trip this May. Borrowed this old town Columbia from a friend. 18' long.
View attachment 135124View attachment 135125
I'm headed there myself, but doing a shorter trip.
I'm with you on boat size. I don't know how people do dessert trips in 16' boats.
Two people, a minimum of a gallon a day for 10 days. That's a lot of weight.
There is a way around that, P&G water purification packets, but I'd still go with bringing all my water.
Take lots of sunscreen and a good wide-brim hat.
 
Green river is very silty. Plan on bringing alum tablets, then let everything settle, then use a water filter.
 
Green river is very silty. Plan on bringing alum tablets, then let everything settle, then use a water filter.
P&G sells purification packets. You can buy them on Amazon. They work like magic.
My understanding is you don't need to filter the water after using them, the water is safe to drink as is.
 
P&G sells purification packets. You can buy them on Amazon. They work like magic.
My understanding is you don't need to filter the water after using them, the water is safe to drink as is.
Purification tablets don't settle silt. And even when settled the water tastes off.. Not surprising as runoff does happen from ranches and yes you are supposed to pee in the river... And not all obey the pack it out rule regarding feces. Purify AND filter. This is not an area you want an E coli infection.
 
Purification tablets don't settle silt. And even when settled the water tastes off.. Not surprising as runoff does happen from ranches and yes you are supposed to pee in the river... And not all obey the pack it out rule regarding feces. Purify AND filter. This is not an area you want an E coli infection.
These aren't purification tablets. They are packets of powder. They settle the silt like magic.
 
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