Canoeing on the Green River?

My dad and I spent many summers paddling sections of the Delaware when I was younger. The longest trip was like 160 miles.

Trying to think of a good trip to spend some time with the old man. Paddling, camping, fishing on the Green in spring (before Memorial Day)? Snowpack obviously plays a big part in the flows I'm sure. If we planned a trip now would a lean of fat snow year make that much of a difference as far as paddleability? Water too low, crazy rapids, etc.

We are proficient in anything up to class 2 with a loaded canoe. We have an Old Town Appalachian that we love.

The Green from Green River, Utah to the confluence of the Colorado is all flat water, with one tiny little riffle, at least in Fall. I suspect at higher water there isn't even a riffle. If this is the Green you are contemplating, it is one of the nicest paddles there is. Fantastic side county hiking, neat ruins and petroglyphs, easy paddling, etc. I have done it twice in the fall. It is more work, but has more camping options as the sand bars are exposed.

I've canoed from just below Grren River all the way to the confluence on two separate trips. Highly recommended. Both times we went in May. If I recall flows were in the 15-20 thousand cfs range. The upper stretch, Labrinth Canyon, goes from Crystal Guyser to Mineral Bottom and the lower stretch goes from Mineral Bottom to the confluence. I would rec the lower stretch, much more scenic IMO. We had zero canoe experience and were fine. There are no rapids at that flow.

I meant to type more, but somehow submitted the first post before I was ready and can't figure out how to edit on my phone...

Continued..

The upper stretch is more open country and there is tons of tamarisk so camping spots can be kind of limited at higher flows, mostly bc the sandbar camping is non existent at high water. Once you get into Stillwater Canyon, the scenery is more tall canyon walls and classic Red Rock scenery. We used Tex's Riverways out of Moab for our shuttle and canoe rentals, they were great. The upper stretch is accessible via roads and they shuttle you in a van. If you go to the lower stretch , they drop you off at Mineral Bottom with a van, and pick you and your gear and boats up with a jet boat, just below the confluence with the Colorado and bring you back up to Moab on the Colorado. If I remember right, the boat shuttle was a hundredish dollars each and was pretty cool way to end the trip. The boat ride was about 45 minutes or so, then they bring you back to your car in Moab. It was a really cool trip and if you go, I have my maps and can point out a couple of cool camps that we used.

At high water it is easy to do both sections in one trip. Don't bother starting at Green River if you are doing the upper or both sections, rather start at Ruby Ranch. We used Red River for shuttles and rentals. At the time they had vastly better boats then Tex's. Roto-molded vs, Grumman tin cans. You can rent as much or as little gear as you want. We got boats, paddle, and a shitter, and brought all our own camping gear. Beer and steaks all the way down the river:biggrin: Both my trips were in October, and low water. It involves more paddling, but also a lot of just drifting with the current. There are almost no people on the river then, but you have to make sure not to go too late and miss the jet boat pick up if you do. We did it so as to be the last pick up of the season and it was a fantastic trip.

I can give you a lot more detail if you want, but I am still not sure we are even talking about the same stretch, or even the same river.

Did a two night paddle on the fourth of July years ago. Saw maybe two other groups. Rental was about $150 per canoe including drop-off and pickup. Great deal, I hope to take the kids and do it again some day. I only remember one section of mild rapids the year we did it.

PM Skifishbum. He knows that river like the back of his hand.

only upstream of ladore.
in the land of permitless floats and troots fishin
the greens some 700 miles flowing through 3 states
so a little clarification on what part of them 700 you think you might wanna float would help.

Thanks for all the beta so far everyone.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skifishbum

only upstream of ladore.
in the land of permitless floats and troots fishin
the greens some 700 miles flowing through 3 states
so a little clarification on what part of them 700 you think you might wanna float would help.

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Really any section that offers the best mix of scenery, camping, seclusion, etc. Whatever might take roughly 4 nights/5days of alot of relaxing and not paddling too hard.

Depending on if my brother and brother-in-law come along we might have an odd number. If there are three of us I think I may paddleboard to make things more challenging.

well then from labarge wyo and the fonty dam is the mellowest canoeing, sup water, with quality trout fishing but no legal campin in the 50 sum miles of the seedsskadee nwr.
high dessert, riverside cottonwoods, secluded, good wildlife
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...ps76f1e5f5.jpg
from dutch john and the fg damn 1st 8 miles or "a" section, least secluded , highest trout concentration per mile aquariumesque water quality, grand red canyon walls,
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...ps1f53a739.jpg
a few class 1's no camping
the "B" little hole- browns park 12+ miles quality usfs camp spots some reservable ,a couple w/ shitters, quality fishin ,more secluded,
bout 1/2 way red creeks a legit class 2, easily portageable
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...bum/gr096a.jpg
spring runoff or rains can turn your float to a choco milk don't bother fishin boozy cruisy from this point on.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...psdf273d15.jpg
river mellows again and life vest regs end.
browns park and the next dozen miles "c" section are pretty chill cool history @ the jarvis ranch and cheap developed campgrounds
@ ix crossing and taylors flat bridge
in blm camp as you please w/ a few free unimproved takeout/ camps
small class 1 @ enterance to swallow canyon froggie chill water from there
take out @ swallow ramp or another chill 10 to swingin bridge/co state line.
this is all pretty much tailwater dam flows,
which seem to be pretty standard pre mermorial day 800 cfs minimal to around 2k possibly dropping in the eve.
pm me if you want more specfic info on that stretch

Awesome info SFB. Will PM you if this trip gets the go ahead. Thanks.

i can't for the life of me find the pics but there is a large group of dudes w big ole homemade classic +20' freighters and dugouts that run from the dam-swinging b every spring in a big annual canoe posse.
cool site to see especially running red creek.

If you don't want fishing, the lower Green is a great trip. Kind of like the Grand Canyon, without the rapids. Great campsites and side country hikes, slot canyons (small) Native American rock art and ruins, pioneer/cowboy and uranium boom history, and just plain fantastic scenery, just no "real" fishing. In spring and high flows people can do the whole thing in a day, but why? A week per section, upper or lower, is ideal, but not necessary, it just leaves more time for hiking and exploring.

The two sections are Ruby Ranch to Mineral bottom, and Mineral bottom to the confluence (which needs a jet boat pick up). If you are good, you can continue past the confluence into Cataract Canyon, the biggest rapid on the Colorado. In other words, don't miss the take out at Spanish Bottom or you are in big trouble.

I'll see if I can find my pictures.

Floated Cataract last week saw a lot of jet boats picking up canoe trips Tagalong was most active and nice folks.
Temps near 100 F. Bugs mostly gone. Zero current til after the confluence.