Desolation Canyon 5-6 Day Desolation Canyon is actually anything but desolate. Instead, this amazing area is teeming with Bighorn Sheep and Birds of Prey. You’ll often see an eagle soaring overhead. As the Green River flows through Desolation Canyon, it is surrounded with groves of cottonwood trees and white sand beaches. These canyons abound with caves and ancient petroglyphs, and archaeologists have been visiting the area for many years uncovering it’s amazing history. This 84 mile white water rafting trip into Desolation Canyon takes us on the ride of a lifetime and we will encounter over 60 rapids! Belknap Rapid, created in 1987 by a flash flood, is a favorite and makes quite an exhilarating experience all by itself. The whitewater builds in intensity each day. SAMPLE ITINERARY One of the advantages of rafting Desolation Canyon is the flexibility of the daily itinerary. It can vary widely from one trip to the ​ next based on group desires, Mother Nature, and courtesy for other groups on the river. This sample itinerary illustrates a five-day ​ trip through Desolation and Gray canyons. In August, we lengthen the Desolation Canyon trip by one day due to lower water levels. When you arrive in Green River the day before your trip, there will be a pre-trip orientation meeting at 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time. A ​ ​ ​ Holiday representative will give you a short orientation on all aspects of river travel. At this time we will issue your waterproof bags, answer any questions you may have, and finalize your flight departure time for the trip. If you plan on buying any last minute items from our accessories store, please plan to do so at this time (see our packing checklist for a list of items you can find at our store). ​ ​ Special Note: Due to the limited space and weight on the aircraft, if you have any specialty sodas, beer, wine, or other extra heavy ​ or bulky items, please bring items to our headquarters by 2:00 p.m. the day prior to your trip. ​ Day 1: On the morning of your trip, plan to arrive promptly at the predetermined time established at the pre-trip orientation ​ meeting. We will then take you to the local airstrip. Our pre-scheduled flight will be waiting to take you to the embarkation point (approximately 30 minutes in the air). The flight is on a small, single-engine type aircraft. There is a 30-minute downhill hike from canyon rim to the rafts waiting at the river bottom. Plan ahead to wear appropriate shoes for the hike. Guests who are apprehensive about the hike can be transported by vehicle to the river. Talk to the river rangers about the significance of the wilderness you are about to enter, and then start floating! Watch cliff swallows explode out of their nests as the walls rise around us. Take a short hike to see a turtle fossil, and make camp on a sandbar or in a grove of cottonwood trees. Day 2: Enjoy a few more miles of calm water as we row around Peter's Point. Lighthouse Rock, named by John Wesley Powell, clues ​ us in to the whitewater just around the corner. Hop in an inflatable kayak to splash through our first rapids. Hike to one or more ancient Fremont cultural sites or explore a side canyon. Day 3: Wander around the historic Rock Creek Ranch, where Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch slept, and try to spot granaries, ancient ​ food-storage structures, on the canyon walls. Hold on tight (or paddle hard!) through rapids such as Chandler Falls and the biggest of them all, Cow Swim. Born of a flash flood in 2008, it marks the former location of historic cattle ford. Day 4: Desolation's walls soar, red and rugged, into the sky, a colorful finale as we transition into Gray Canyon. Today brings ​ continued whitewater fun with Wire Fence, Three Fords, and Coal Creek rapids. Look for evidence of a planned dam site on the hike to scout Coal Creek, and poke around in the ruins of a surveyor's cabin just downstream. Day 5: Several more rapids to go, and a few more hours to listen to the song of the canyon wren as we approach the end of the ​ canyon. We'll have lunch and maybe squeeze in one more cultural site before arriving at the take out at Swasey's Beach. We will return you to Green River, Utah (20-minute van ride). Our expected time of arrival back at our headquarters is 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ​ If you are on a 6-day Desolation Canyon rafting trip, you can expect a similar itinerary to this 5-day trip. However, with lower late-season river flows and an extra day to play, you will most likely see different campsites than your 5-day counterparts. As mentioned earlier, this is a sample itinerary and should not be thought of as the trip you will experience. It is intended to give an ​ ​ idea of what the trip will be like. It could also be exactly what you do. Keep an open mind, be flexible, go with the flow, and enjoy rafting Desolation Canyon! Getting Here… (If you need assistance with your travel arrangements, please ask your Holiday River Expedition reservation agent.) We meet for your trip in Green River, Utah at Holiday River Expeditions headquarters (2075 E Main St. Green River, UT 84525) ​ ​ ​ ​ (located 1/4 mile east of the Green River Bridge, across the highway from the Motel 6 and behind the Comfort Inn). If you arrive in Green River by shuttle, bus, Amtrak or plane call our office ahead of time (801-266-2087) to make arrangements to have you and your gear transported to our headquarters the morning of the trip. Also please give any last-minute updates to our headquarters directly at (435-564-3273 . If you are driving, your car can be left at our headquarters. Departure time can vary from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. (Mountain Time), depending on your flight. For this reason it is imperative that you attend our pre-trip orientation the night before your trip to finalize your departure time. Flying: While most of our guests fly into Salt Lake City International Airport and rent a car, there are a few options to consider. ​ ● Salt Lake City to Green River: Salt Lake City located 180 miles northwest of Green River, Utah (about a 3 hour drive). ​ Most guests rent a car from any of the major rental agencies at the airport and drive to our headquarters. ● Grand Junction to Green River: Grand Junction is located 100 miles due East of Green River (about a 1.5 hour drive). ​ Delta, United and American Airlines all service Grand Junction Airport. Rental option from GJ Airport include: Alamo, Hertz, Budget, Enterprise and National. ● Moab to Green River: Moab is located 52 miles southeast of Green River and now offers one flight a day in and ​ out operated by United Airlines/ SkyWest Airlines connecting through Denver. Moab has rental car service through ​ ​ Enterprise *** While rental cars are typically the best transportation option, in rare instances, including large groups, shuttles may become a reasonable alternative: Shuttle Service from Salt Lake City, Grand Junction or Moab airport to Green River include: ​ ​ ● Moab Express Shuttles 435-260-2389 www.moabexpress.com ​ ● Redrock Express 800-259-2869 www.redrockexpress.com ● Road Runner Shuttles 435-259-9402 www.roadrunnershuttle.com Lodging before and after your trip can be booked at one of six locations: ​ ​ ● River Terrace Inn 435‑564‑3401 (locally owned, pool, hot tub, full breakfast, riverside rooms available) *10% discount ​ ● Comfort Inn 435‑564‑3300 (inside pool, hot tub, continental breakfast – in front of our headquarters) *10% discount ​ ● First Choice Inns 435-564-4439 (inside pool, hot tub, continental breakfast – west of our headquarters) ​ ● Super 8 435-564-8888 (inside pool, hot tub, refrigerator, microwave) ​ ● Motel 6 435‑564‑3436 (pool, kids free, lower rates) ​ ● Sleepy Hollow 435-564-8189 (clean with lower rates) ​ *When making advance reservations at the River Terrace Inn or Comfort Inn, mention that you are on a Holiday River Expedition trip and you will be extended a discounted rate on your room. You will need a trip invoice at check-in. BE SURE TO MAKE ADVANCE RESERVATIONS! If you are camping out, there are two campgrounds in Green River: the Green River State Park (no pool, lower rates and may ​ have mosquitoes – call 435-564-3633 to make reservations), and the KOA Campground (435-564-8195 – across from our headquarters). Before You Go... When you arrive in Green River, there will be a pre-trip orientation meeting at 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). A Holiday ​ representative will give you a short orientation on all aspects of river travel. At this time we will issue your waterproof bags, answer any questions you may have, and finalize your flight departure time for the trip. If you plan on buying any last minute items from our accessories store, please plan to do so at this time see our packing checklist for a list of items you can find at our store). Special Note: Due to the limited space and weight on the aircraft. If you have any specialty sodas, beer, wine or other extra heavy items, please bring items to our headquarters by 2:00 p.m. the day prior to your trip (see beverages). Beginning of the trip: On the morning of your trip, plan to arrive promptly at the predetermined time established at the ​ pre-trip orientation meeting.