Packraft          Trip Reports

Why Packraft the Zion Narrows?: Flowing through the heart of Zion National Park, the Zion Narrows section of the North Fork of the Virgin has long been a popular backpacking route when the water levels are low. During a short window each year during the spring snowmelt, the Narrows has paddleable flows. There are very few rivers on earth with such sheer-walled and dramatic canyons that remain accessible to the intermediate-level paddler. Either as a long day trip or an overn

Why Packraft the Canyonlands Figure-8?: The flatwater sections of the Green River's Stillwater Canyon and the Colorado below the confluence offer a unique way to link the Needles and Maze districts of Canyonlands National Park. The overland portion of this loop primarily follows a trail or cairned route that traverses mesa tops and descends through the famous Maze with stunning geology, great canyon hiking and numerous pictograph panels. This route is a great introduction to

A typical drop in the 2nd Black Box. Why Black Boxes?: The Black Boxes of the San Rafael River are a stunning multi-day trip through a remote and dramatic section of the San Rafael Swell. This is one of the best wilderness runs in Utah and combines consistent, fun whitewater with high-caliber canyon scenery.  Standout scenery in the 1st Box. Why Packraft?:    Given there are roads to the put-in and take-out, the Black Boxes are an excellent kayak run when levels permit. That

Paddling through an arch, one of the many eye-popping moments on the Paria. Why Paria?: The Paria is the ultimate ephemeral desert river.  Boatable flows on the Paria are so fickle that some groups have had to hike out after the water dropped on them overnight.  While hard to catch, the Paria is easily the most dramatic desert river I have paddled. It will reward any paddler with 20 miles of beautiful slot canyon paddling followed by another 20 miles of class III-IV boulder

Steven's Arch towering over the Escalante. Why Escalante?: The Escalante is a maze of deep slot canyons, sheer slickrock walls, and dramatic natural arches. The caliber of the scenery is continuous, and almost every bend yields another stunning view. While the river travel is excellent, we found that this trip is less of a whitewater experience, and instead, our boats served as a tool that ferried us from one mind-boggling slot to the next. This river is truly a desert class