From Oregon to the Grand Canyon and everything in between, here are a few outstanding river hikes worth the trip…down the river, that is.

Stone Creek/Land of the Seven Waterfalls Hike
Location: Colorado River through the Grand Canyon
Accessible from two separate superb river camps in the Grand Canyon, above and below mighty Dubendorf Rapid, this one has it all: Ancient granaries, incredible geology, numerous swimming spots, and one waterfall after another. You can make it as long or short as you want, as leisurely or as active as you want. If you go long there’s an incredible cove an hour or so up. Or, you can up the adventure level and find your way into the final Quartzite slot, over boulders and around a few exposed ledges, to the best waterfall of all (a four-hour round trip including some hang time).

Jack Creek Overlook Hike
Location:  Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho
This is a buns-of-steel hike approximately 1-mile straight up from Little Pine Camp. The pay-off after an hour’s worth of very steep and switch-backed hiking is unquestionably worth it, though, as the overlook’s summit gives an unencumbered view of the Impassable Canyon and incredible perspective on the far-reaching and wild Frank Church Wilderness. Hikers get unbeatable views of snow-capped peaks and forests for as far as the eye can see.

Loon Creek Hike
Location:  Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho
Also worth the mention on the Middle Fork Salmon is the 1 ½-mile (one-way) Loon Creek Hike to hidden hot springs. The trail to the springs is easy to moderate and offers lots of options for hikers who might want to peel off and sit by Loon Creek or even go fly-fishing. For a longer, harder hike, going past the hot springs takes you into a gorgeous granite gorge. The trail climbs from there and gives a great view of a valley before descending back to the creek and crossing a lovely small bridge.

Tate Creek Slide Hike
Location: Rogue River, Oregon
Despite being a short, ¼-mile hike, the Rogue River Trail at Tate Creek Camp offers a special surprise that will leave a lasting impression. Following a creek bed on the moderate-to-challenging trail, hikers find themselves at a lovely waterfall. But this isn’t just a waterfall to admire. Lively spirits can go hand over hand up a rope to the top of the waterfall, turning it into a wild 10-foot water slide with a 5-foot free fall into a refreshing pool below.

Wind River Hike
Location:  Main Salmon River, Idaho
Winding its way back into the Humboldt Wilderness, the Wind River Hike ranges from between 3 and 6-miles round trip. After approximately 1 ½-miles, the trail leads to a beautiful shady nook of pouring pools to cool off in. This is a good turnaround point for people looking for a shorter hike, or you can continue on from here for a longer moderate-to-difficult 6-mile round trip trek.

Doll House Hike
Location: Colorado River through Cataract Canyon
You have to wake up early to beat the heat on the 6-mile (round trip) Doll House hike into the remote Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. The trek starts out with a grueling 45-minute, 1,300-foot Stairmaster climb, but is well worth it once you arrive at the top of the canyon among playful rock formations that make up the iconic Doll House region. Here you’re also rewarded with an awe-inspiring, 360-degree panoramic view of the colorful spires of the Needles and Island in the Sky Districts of Canyonlands, and the Colorado River below you. Wander around the rim of the canyon to discover an Anasazi granary, and an area called the Refrigerator that offers a slot canyon experience with relief from the heat.

Seven Devils View Hike
Location:  Snake River, Idaho
From Salt Creek Camp on Idaho’s Snake River, deep in Hells Canyon, take on a difficult ¾-mile round trip hike for stunning mountain and river views. The steep, semi-marked trail is a steady gradient with some need for scrambling. Reach the top and see a bird’s eye view of the winding Snake River below you, or look off onto the horizon to take in the Seven Devils Mountains, which make up the Idaho/Oregon border.

Insider Tip: The Ultimate Hiking and Rafting Vacation
While we’re talking about rafting and hiking, the proximity of the Tuolumne River in California to all the great trails and iconic landscapes in Yosemite National Park has to be mentioned. In fact, hiking enthusiasts can take a wild ride down the action-packed Class IV Tuolumne River and then spend a few days exploring Yosemite’s backcountry by foot on a special Tuolumne & Yosemite Hiker trip. If you’ve got 6 days, this might be the most epic hiking and rafting vacation you can take.

Related Articles:

Falling for Utah: Hiking & Rafting Canyonlands’ Backcountry

Going Rogue: A Self-proclaimed City Girl Goes Camping

The Most Underrated State for Adventure Travel

The post 7 Incredible River Hikes appeared first on River Currents.

This must-drive loop through four National Parks, in the heart of Utah’s red rock country, is big on the miles, but a definite bucket list item.  Check out the route…

Salt Lake City to Zion National Park

From Salt Lake, find your way to I-15S. As you near canyon country, veer onto UT-17S and then left on UT-9E which takes you through Utah’s first National Park, Zion. You’ll want to park your car at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center so you can hop on the shuttle and get into the heart of the park for access to areas like Weeping Rock and Temple of Sinawava (gateway to The Narrows—an entry-level canyoneering experience if you’re up for the challenge).

Zion to Bryce Canyon National Park

From Zion follow UT-9E to US-89N. After about 43 miles turn right onto UT-12E and then another right at UT-63S into Bryce Canyon. In Bryce Canyon, explore unique geology and find out what a “hoodoo” is when you stretch your legs on the 4-mile Hat Shop hike.

Bryce Canyon to Moab (via Capitol Reef National Park)

Follow UT-63N out of Bryce and make your way back onto UT-12E. Turn right onto UT-24E, which heads right through Capitol Reef National Park, one of the least visited parks in the country. Stop for a layover and have this geological wonder all to yourself.

Continue on UT-24E to I-70E. En route, check out the quaint town of Boulder, Utah. Take the exit for US-191S to Moab. Make Moab your base camp for exploring the wonderland of Arches National Park, mountain biking, or maybe even whitewater rafting before heading back to Salt Lake City.

Got another week? O.A.R.S. offers Cataract Canyon rafting trips from Moab through Canyonlands National Park (make that five national parks in one trip!).

Related Articles:

Destination: Moab, Utah

Scenic California by Car: The Tahoe-Yosemite Loop

Road Trip: Worth the Drive Wyoming

The post Hit the Road: Utah’s Red Rock Country appeared first on River Currents.

Yes, that’s right, the Grand Canyon has some of the best sandy beaches in the world surrounded by some of the most surreal scenery you can get.  And the best part?  You can only get to them by boat.  But the Grand Canyon isn’t alone.  There are a ton of rivers that offer stunning, secluded beaches that few people get to step foot on each year.  They are little slices of paradise that you would never expect.  And we’re going to reveal them here.

We’ve talked to some of the most experienced river guides out there to find out where some of the best beaches in the U.S. hide.  Here’s what they had to say…

Billy Bar – Lower Salmon River, ID

Scenery is key at this Lower Salmon River beach spot that’s also ideal for family fun.

Here’s what the guides say:

This enormous sandy beach offers not only a wonderful view but lots of options as to how you’d like to spend your day at camp. There is lots of room for campers to spread out and “claim” their river front property. The beach also doubles as an outstanding volleyball court or bocce ball arena. And of course something must be said about the big calm eddy that invites you to try out an SUP board, start a ducky war or just go in for a cool down.

Brown Betty – Colorado River through Cataract Canyon, UT

One of the favorites on a Cataract Canyon rafting trip, boaters fight hard to make their way to Brown Betty before others claim this ideal spot.

Here’s what the guides say:

Brown Betty is a vast expanse of dunes at the bottom of the very first rapid in nearly a hundred river miles, with the soaring and portentous cliffs of mighty Cataract Canyon tilting upwards towards a searingly violet sky. You’re excited about the huge rapids to come, but want to hang a while to hike to the magical sandstone turrets of The Maze and the Doll House, which of course ups the adrenaline. This is the real deal. It’s so pristine you could go for a walk in the moonlight to the end of the earth, and never stub your toe.

Grapevine – Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, AZ

Already mentioned above, we couldn’t leave the Grand Canyon off of our list.

Here’s what the guides say:

Nothing in the world is quite like having your boat tied to a sand stake pounded to its hilt in fine-grained sand, gently rocking in the calm eddy of one of the most prized catches in the Grand Canyon: Grapevine Camp, mile 83. The roar of Grapevine rapids is just downstream, echoing off the darkening schist cliffs of the Upper Granite Gorge. Your heart is at ease, your spirit soaring with the ravens, your anticipation of more huge rapids on the morrow, and if you’re lucky your belly is full of Dutch-Oven baked brownies with crushed walnuts.

Warren Creek Camp – Main Salmon River, ID 

There are lots of pristine beaches on the Main Salmon River, but this one makes the cut for being a secluded paradise with stellar fishing.

Here’s what the guides say:

This hidden, large beach is a favorite among anglers due to its proximity to Warren Creek just upstream of camp. But if fishing is not your thing, you have plenty of other options at this secluded beach. Its space provides lots of room for finding solitude at your tent, partaking in beach games, heading out for a hike or going for a dip in the calm eddy nearby.

Confluence of the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers – Tatshenshini River, Alaska

With glacial blue waters and snow-capped peaks in the distance, it’s a different kind of beach experience.  But one that’s worth the trip.

Here’s what the guides say:

The views are bigger than any!

A special thanks to river guides Jeffe Aronson, Codye Reynolds, Gena Moore, and Ote Dale for contributing to this piece.

Related Articles:

5 of the Best River Campsites in the World

Galapagos Vacation: What Nobody Tells You

The Most Underrated State for Adventure Travel

The post Perfect Sandy Paradises You Can Only Get To By Boat… appeared first on River Currents.

We get it. Not everyone loves sleeping under the stars, on a hard ground, in a tent. And that’s fine, because not every great adventure involves sleeping outside. If you’re not big on camping, but love being outside, here are six amazing lodge-based trips worth checking out:

Costa Rica: Pura Vida

Raft the world-class Pacuare River, see incredible wildlife while exploring the rainforest canopy, swim at the base of a waterfall and experience the annual turtle nesting at Tortuguero National Park. And at the end of each day of adventure, retire to luxury. The Rainforest Eco-Lodge and Tortuga Lodge and Gardens (pictured above), two of Central America’s most legendary eco-lodges, become your home base on this week-long Costa Rican adventure.

Rogue River Rafting Lodge Trip

Have the Wild and Scenic Rogue River in Oregon all to yourself when you take on its exhilarating whitewater early season.  Enjoy everything Oregon’s beautiful pine forests have to offer as you explore 40 miles of river (that means tons of wildlife).  And don’t worry about the possible late spring elements, because cozy accommodations and hot showers at the Black Bar Lodge and Paradise Lodge will be waiting for you at the end of each day on this 2-night/3-day lodge-to-lodge trip (dates available in May only).

Mystical Peru Lodge Trek

Leave those grueling days of backpacking behind. Experience Peru’s real outdoors on a challenging but comfortable trek along the “Salkantay Inca Trail,” the road less traveled to Machu Picchu. Each day’s hike ends in a beautiful lodge, like the Colpa Lodge pictured above, with hot showers, gourmet food, and even outdoor Jacuzzis to soothe those feet.

Crete Inn-to-Inn Kayaking

Travel to the unspoiled coast of Southern Crete to kayak the crystal blue waters of the Libyan Sea. By day, visit secluded beaches, hike into gorges and explore the ruins of Venetian Castles and Minoan palaces. At night, dine on regional cuisine at seaside tavernas, chat with the locals and stay in intimate family-owned inns.

Main Salmon River Rafting Lodge Trip

Those wanting a multi-day whitewater rafting experience, minus the nightly riverside camping, can organize a lodge-to-lodge trip on Idaho’s Main Salmon River (by group request only). Each day find yourself deeper and deeper into Idaho’s wilderness as you raft nearly 100 miles of fun Class III whitewater, see wildlife galore and maybe even sneak a dip in a hot spring or two. Enjoy the solitude of the evenings from the comfort of a variety of rustic lodges that can only be reached by the river.

Ranch & Raft on the Colorado

While not technically a lodge-to-lodge adventure, this one’s worth mentioning. On this adventure you might have to sleep in a tent for a few nights (on huge sandy beaches), but the sacrifice is so worth it when afterward you’re rewarded with a stay at one of the West’s best and luxurious guest ranches, Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab, UT. Spend the first half of the week rafting the Colorado River’s legendary Cataract Canyon, through the heart of Canyonlands National Park. Then, from the comforts of the lodge, explore beautiful red rock country and Arches National Park or simply kick back and relax.

Related Articles:

How To Do Machu Picchu Right

The Most Underrated State for Adventure Travel

Falling for Utah: Hiking & Rafting Canyonlands

The post 6 Amazing Lodge-based Adventures appeared first on River Currents.

Approaching his 13th season with O.A.R.S., Lars has been a cornerstone of our Canyonlands operation. He’s seen his share of big whitewater, paints a pretty fancy toenail and delivers the best star talk you’ll likely ever hear on a river trip.

In 2011, we had a record breaking year for high water in Cataract Canyon. What stories come to mind when you reflect on that experience?

I stayed here in Moab, waiting to see that high water, and I finally got my chance. So there I was, in this oversized tin can, floating downstream with a family of four. We gave them every chance to get out of the boats and into the motorboats, but they said, “Nope, we’re with you guys all the way,” so I said, “Alright, here we go,” and untied our bowlines above Big Drop 1. We made it through Big Drop 1 and entered into Big Drop 2. I was the lead boat, and all of a sudden I found myself on a roller coaster of emotions. The first emotion was, “Oh my gosh, we’re really doing this, we’re really going to pump through this rapid at this amazing high flow. No one else is out here rowing this, it’s just us.” Then the roller coaster plunged off the backside and I had this horrible sinking feeling as I realized I was not making my move. And to make the move in Big Drop 2, you really have to be on the far, far right side of the river, almost brushing against the shore.

The dory didn’t make it. We were headed into a little feature we call Little Niagara, and as I dropped into that I gave it one hard push, and the dory just stood up and we looked at the sky and I thought to myself, “Wow, this roller coaster’s coming out, I’m going to make it over the backside!” and there came that sinking feeling again as we drifted back down into the pit. Then the dory flipped, we all swam, but all’s well that ends well. We were all smiling afterwards, eating lunch.

What runs through your head when dropping into Big Drop 2 and 3 at 90,000 CFS? Do you do anything special to prepare?

So when you’re down there running big water like that, before you push off from shore there’s a lot of stuff going through your mind. But once you tie up your bowline, coil it up, stow it away, my favorite technique is just to empty my head. Empty my head and let my body and brain take over because they know what to do. If I let my emotions get in there, that’s just going to get the best of me and stand in the way of me running a perfectly good line. So what I like to do is just focus, focus, focus on my run. Sometimes I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and visualize the rapid from top to bottom. Visualize every feature in that rapid, and what I need to do as a boatman to get my boat through those features and into the eddy down below.

Do you feel more comfortable rowing a raft or a dory in big whitewater? Why?

One of the things I like most about rowing a dory in any whitewater, but especially big water, is the fact they can just slice through the biggest wave. A wave that would take a rubber raft and smash it, crush it, knock it sideways and dump its occupants into the river. A dory will take that in stride, it was built for that. They were designed to slice through these waves, in the ocean, to go out and fish. We’ve taken that design to the next level now with these decked compartments and beautiful wood working; I think the dory is the ultimate craft for big water. If I had my choice, I’m gonna be in a dory every single time.

Watch the rest of this interview in the video above.

Related Articles:

How to End Up a Dory Convert

Falling for Utah: Hiking & Rafting Canyonlands’ Backcountry

Meet Stephen Kenney, Idaho & Colorado River Guide

The post VIDEO: There’s No Place Like High Water appeared first on River Currents.

Working primarily in Dinosaur National Monument, she gets to enjoy the Yampa River, Green River through the Gates of Lodore, Split Mountain 1-day trips and many more! Zollinger has a spunky personality, mountains of geological knowledge, and sheer flower power on the river. Get to know this easy going Utah native in our regular series of guide interviews!

What water level do you enjoy rowing most, and what makes Utah watersheds unique?

I think the coolest thing about Utah, is that you have a scale of Class I to Class VI all within a 150-200 mile radius. You have extreme desert where there’s very little vegetation, to the Gates of Lodore where it’s a narrow stretch with clear water and tons of wildlife so you can kind of pick and choose. What’s really great about being here in Utah is starting in one place, and through your whole season you bounce around to different rivers and then come back to that same place. You can go from Cataract Canyon to Westwater, to Desolation Canyon to the Green River, to the Yampa River to the San Juan and meet a lot of different people because they’re choosing that adventure. When you’re always on one river, you’re seeing that same group of people, but when you’re bouncing around from a lazy river to a Class V river, it’s cool to see the variety in people.

What does the job mean to you?

The biggest thing for me is meeting a bunch of people and being able to have a lot of conversation that provides you with connections all over the world. It’s really cool to say that you have friends all over the place and that you’ve all shared a connection on the river. What keeps me going is running a rapid and having the adrenaline completely fill me up, there’s nothing better; it’s free drugs, it’s awesome! I think that’s what keeps me going as well as just being very physical all day and having that challenge and just working really hard, being at the end of the day completely exhausted — it (weirdly) helps me keep going.

What individual thing would you say inspires you the most?

I had a brother pass away approximately 12 years ago, he was an outdoor enthusiast who loved and seeked adventure; he was an extremist. When he passed away, I vowed to myself that I would live the life that he would’ve lived. So when I’m on the river or when I’m out hiking, climbing, biking, (things like that), I just consider him and think that he’s with me and we’re both able to do what he would’ve done if he were alive. We both live his life, it’s kind of cool.

What’s something you can’t leave home without?

My flowers [laughs], I’ve got a bouquet of flowers that I started doing my second year [guiding], and it sits on the front of my boat – it’s a maiden head. And it’s progressed from a bouquet of bird of paradise to a bouquet of carnations to — a couple years ago — changed to poppies. I’ve found that poppies are my power flower! And also turquoise [shows her turquoise pennant]; I always make sure to wear turquoise on the river.

Can you share a story where you’ve had a unique interaction with wildlife while on the river?

‘Skunkito bandito’ got us one night. We’re sitting there asleep on the boats, and the skunk travels up to the cooler and hops off on one of the guides — checking him out, looking him in the eye — until the guide was fed up with it. So we got out our water guns, so next time we’d be ready. An hour later he comes over and we get the water guns and squirt him, but he flips into the front of my boat and gets into the front hatch! I then open up the hatch, and there’s this pink sphincter looks right at us, we thought he was going to spray, but he didn’t, he was scared. Then I got a stick and tried to get him out, but he kept nuzzling up against it like a cat. I realized he probably didn’t know how to get out, so I made him little steps. He then went up to shore, so we went back to sleep, but woke up with him still there only to find that he pooped all over the front of my boat. We tried to wash it out, but the poop just went to the sides and into the back. The next day my whole boat stunk, and since we were in an eddy, the whole boat next to us stunk, too, so we got shunned a couple miles back from the rest of the group because we smelled so bad [smiles].

The post Meet Natali Zollinger, Utah & Colorado Rafting Guide appeared first on River Currents.

We found our way through the National Park icons like Yellowstone and Yosemite and eventually made our way to Utah. To this day, Zion still holds a special place in my heart. And by the end of that 2-week road trip, I had fallen in love with Utah. But life takes you in many directions and eventually Utah, with its red rocks, meandering rivers and deep canyons, fell to the back of my mind.

Second Encounter

Fast forward a few years (too many to share) and I’m back, flying over the Colorado River in a six-seater Cessna, staring down at Canyonlands National Park and Cataract Canyon where I’ve just spent the last week exploring. I think I spot the entrance to Dark Canyon and make out what has to be Big Drop II. I see the Doll House to my left and the stretch of river that was bypassed when we hopped on land to hike the Loop. I’m smiling. I’m a Californian now, but I just fell in love with Utah all over again.

A week earlier I had arrived in Moab, a Mecca for all things outdoorsy, in the southeastern corner of the state. I came specifically for the rafting and hiking and hooked up with O.A.R.S., which promised both in one trip. I was excited about rafting 96 miles of the Colorado River and accessing remote trails along the way, typically hard to reach by any other means.

The trip began with our guides rowing the group, 23 of us all together, through peaceful Meander Canyon, rich with geological features that make you scratch your head in wonder. Early on we passed into Canyonlands National Park, but Cataract Canyon doesn’t officially start until 50 miles into the trip. Having already heard about some of the hikes that lay ahead, I was eager to get further down the river.

The Hikes

At lunch on the second day, we reached Lathrop Ruins, our first hike. A 15-minute jaunt through the bright green, weedy Tamarisk trees lead to Anasazi ruins, including pictographs and an abandoned granary, which an ancient community created to store their surplus of crops and grains.

Day three began with the Loop hike, an approximately one-mile, moderate trail that goes straight up about 500 feet with great views at the top, then straight down with some tricky foot maneuvering. While we hiked, the boats kept rowing to pick us up on the other side. We bypassed four miles of the river, but it was well worth it for the chance to peer down into the layered canyon walls we were living among for the week.

We then headed off to the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers where you reach a sign-in box for groups to write-in the various camps they’ll be staying at throughout the trip. Sign-up is voluntary, but also an unspoken rule of the river. We all had our fingers crossed for plan A and were thrilled when the guides came back and shouted, “Winning!” — our motto for the rest of the trip. We were now set up perfectly to hike the Doll House, as well as Dark Canyon.

Day four was going to be epic. Not only were we hiking the six-mile Doll House trail into the remote Maze District of Canyonlands, we were also running a good chunk of the trip’s Class III-IV rapids.

About half of us woke up early to beat the heat and take on the grueling 1,300-foot ascent that takes you to the playful rock formations that make up the Doll House. After a 45-minute Stairmaster climb you get to the top, and are rewarded with an awe-inspiring, 360-degree panoramic view. In one direction sits the colorful spires of the Needles and Island in the Sky Districts of Canyonlands. There’s an Anasazi granary to discover, and an area called the Refrigerator that offers a slot canyon experience with relief from the heat. 

The Whitewater

We could have spent the entire day up there, but after an hour of exploring we had to get back for lunch and gear up for the rapids ahead, including some big plunges, literally called Big Drop I, II and III.

The following day brought more rapids, which I took on in a ducky after successfully kayaking the first day’s rapids. Lower Imperial got the best of me and my paddle partner and we took our first official “swim.” Luckily, we made it through laughing and unscathed. But I wasn’t as excited about the rapids on day five as I was about Dark Canyon, a hike that hasn’t been accessible for at least eight years due to low water levels and impassable debris.

On a perfect day Dark Canyon offers approximately two miles (or more if you’re adventurous) of hiking and bouldering between its steep, narrow red walls alongside a pristine stream. When we arrived to clay-red water it was obvious a flash flood had come through the day before. Nonetheless, we took advantage of the many swim holes, waterfalls and prime cliff jumping spots that are hidden away in this remote paradise. It was a magic moment to be wandering among canyon walls that glowed like a flame and towered 3,000 feet above you. The wait had been worth it.

As we pulled up to the boat take out the next day a sadness came over me like I was saying good bye to an old friend. Planes arrived to take us out of the canyon and, as we flew over the Colorado River back to Moab, I couldn’t help but think about all the people out there who haven’t gotten a chance to see any of this yet— to fall in love with Utah.

This essay was originally created for the 2012 O.A.R.S. catalog. For more compelling stories from other renowned writers, request your catalog copy today!

The post Falling For Utah, Hiking & Rafting Canyonlands’ Backcountry appeared first on River Currents.