Green River

[71dartswinger]

My wife and I are headed out west at the end of September to do the Hermit-Tonto-Bright Angel Grand Canyon hike. I was looking at possibly bringing the canoe and possibly to a few days on the Green River. The wife wants to bring the dog, so it narrows down a lot of our choices. Already have to board him for the hike. Has anyone done the labyrinth canyon section? If so did you enjoy it? Looks like a few more restrictions than here such as portable toilet and fire pan. Any other suggestions for great floats under class 3 rapids? Might end up just doing more hiking such as Buckskin Gulch or Paria River if the forecast is very dry.

[Owl]

Some friends and I did a six day trip through Labyrinth Canyon back in 2007. I liked it and would do it again.

Below is a link to a trip report and photos I put together after I returned.

http://home.centurytel.net/Owlspage/Utah_Trip.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gma06001-]

Labryinth is absolutely beautiful! It has some amazing side canyon hikes too. This time of year 80% of the water is coming from Flaming Gorge so its fairly clear too. It is flatter than a pancake though! If you want a few rapids, the Green River Daily is just up the road as well. It is non-permitted and a real nice float through the bottom of desolation/gray canyon. It starts at Neffertiti Rapid and goes down to Swaseys. I would definitely do it in a canoe at the level its at now, and the road follows the river up from the boat ramp so you can scout the whole way.

If you decide to just hike some, there are some beautiful (super easy access) slot canyons not far away in the San Rafael Swell. They are near Goblin Valley (which has amazing hikes in itself) off of HWY 24. Little Wild Horse Canyon is the main attraction, but there are some others too in the same area. All non-technical slots so no rope needed! If you have never been in a slot canyon I would highly suggest it. They are beautiful and it is definitely one of the most unique places in the world. Ill try to see if i can figure out the names to those few others accessed from the same parking area.

Mitch Allen

[dogpatch]

An even better option for Labyrinth, leave the canoe at home and rent from Tex's Riverways in Moab. You leave your car in their secure lot, they take you to your choice of put in (Ruby Ranch is best, as it cuts off the boring upper part), and take you out at Mineral Bottom. No hassle and they are very reasonable and effecient. If you have time, you can float through to the confluence and they pick you up by jetboat. A great trip and well worth the time and effort. It will be very hot in the summer, though.

[71dartswinger]

Thanks for all the replies especially the trip report. It looks like no matter what we choose it will be fun. I don't think the flat water will be bad as long as there is some current. I was reading about sometimes the wind is really bad in the canyons. It is a little demoralizing going the wrong way if you are not paddling the whole time.

[Cowper]

This may be old news to many, but I'll mention it for completeness:

Especially for open boating, be aware that some of what is called Class II or Class II" out west would be rated higher in our part of the country. While everybody tries to use the international scale, regional differences still exist. Out west they have a lot of big water, so waves that we might call "big" don't necessarily impress them that much. Rapids that don't get names would attract boaters from miles around here in Arkansas.

Enjoy your trip and report back!