Cataract Canyon trips

[Wasatch Rebel]

I'm really wanting to go on a river trip through Cataract next year or in the next couple of years. If you can recommend any guide services for this let me know.

[Bo_Beck]

I'm really wanting to go on a river trip through Cataract next year or in the next couple of years. If you can recommend any guide services for this let me know.

Few years ago I went on a private down the Grand Canyon with Monte Tillinghast, Jack Tillinghast, "OC" and others. Monte works for OARS as did a couple of the others on the trip. They were great. I'm sure there are other great services out there as well.

I launch 1 month from tomorrow at Moab and should be in Cataract starting saturday the 16th. Our trip is a private and we'll be running in canoes from Potash to Spanish Bottom. From Spanish Bottom through Cataract and out to Hite we'll be in Alpaka Packrafts. Getting pretty excited for this trip!

[Bo_Beck]

I launch 1 month from tomorrow at Moab and should be in Cataract starting saturday the 16th. Our trip is a private and we'll be running in canoes from Potash to Spanish Bottom. From Spanish Bottom through Cataract and out to Hite we'll be in Alpaka Packrafts. Getting pretty excited for this trip!

19 Days and counting!

[Bo_Beck]

19 Days and counting!

5 Days and counting! Inflated my Alpacka and it's holding air (good thing). Just have to prepare 2 community meals, pack my stuff, hit the LQ and I'll be ready noon sunday to kick out from SG. Adrenaline is beginning to kick in! Psyched for sure!

[Alex]

Hopefully the weather holds up for you! How are you guys going to shuttle the cars?

[Bo_Beck]

Hopefully the weather holds up for you! How are you guys going to shuttle the cars?

Dave (the permit holder) at a moments notice got a job on the Grand. He gets back to Flagstaff at 2PM Sunday. Rich and I will leave SG at noon on Sunday and drive to Hite. We will wait for Dave at Hite. Probably camp at Hite on Sunday nite and then drive to Potash Monday Morn. in one vehicle (leaving the other at Hite). We will look around to see what it would cost to have Tex's or someone else take our truck back to Hite, or we will leave the truck at Potash? If we can pay someone to take the truck back to Hite it would be nice so we could pull out and pack up and just drive back to SG, otherwise we'll drive back to Moab and pick up the other truck after we pull out at Hite. We put on with 2 canoes and a small Cataraft on Monday. Arrive at Spanish Bottom Friday Morn. Go hike to the Dollhouse Friday, come back down and camp at Spanish Bottom friday nite, then the 2 canoes and 2 of our party will shuttle back up the Colorado to Potash. Dave, Rich and I will continue down Cataract saturday morning and hopefully arrive at Hite monday sometime? We have a small motor for the Cataraft to motor the stillwater.

[Alex]

I can give you a name of my friend who does shuttles for Colorado river, I don't know how much he would charge or the logistics. Also there are a couple of places that do shuttles out of Moab. Just google "river shuttle moab"

[Bo_Beck]

I can give you a name of my friend who does shuttles for Colorado river, I don't know how much he would charge or the logistics. Also there are a couple of places that do shuttles out of Moab. Just google "river shuttle moab"

Thank you Alex. Rich is in charge of figuring out the practicality of hiring a shuttle. He's done a fair amount of rivering out of Moab and I'm pretty sure he's got an idea? Anyway I'll mention about your friend and googling "river shuttle moab". Well, I've finished repairing one valve on the Alpacka and have all my gear, food etc picked out and gathered, now I get it all packed up into my backpack and I'm ready to go! (One exception: Lees Discount in Mesquite, and the supermarket to pick out my assigned dinner and breakfast). The long range forecast looks to be in our favor, but you really never know, so I'm prepared for all contingencies. I had weird dreams last night about getting lured into the Big Drops in that tiny Alpacka and really getting pummeled, so I've made the decision to wear my wetsuit and take my Class V Vest instead of my Class III I'm really looking forward to another great trip with the same awesome guys I did The Green and San Juan with! Dave picked up a waterproof camera and I'll take my old Nikon and hope that I can post some pictures and Videos after our adventure!

[Iceaxe]

Here is some basic information I wrote up about 12 years ago.

Cataract Canyon
http://climb-utah.com/Moab/cataract.htm

The wife and I have done Cataract Canyon both commercially and as privateers. Here are a few tips that will help you save some coin and enjoy your your commerical trip.

The only commercial guide I have used for this trip is Western River Expeditions. The guy that owns the company is my old scoutmaster from the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Western River Expeditions is the Cadillac of the commercial guides, they will not be the cheapest, but no one will be better. The food is outstanding and the guides are top notch. The trip back to Moab will not be in an old school bus, but it will be in a first class motorcoach. Everything you need is supplied, you show up with a small bag of clothing and a camera. Their main office is in Salt Lake, you will get your best deal by walking in and talking with them face-to-face.

I know all of the following tips work with Western River Expeditions and many of the other commercial guides.

Ask for a Utah residents discount, last time I checked Utah residents were getting 30% off on all trip (excluding the Grand Canyon).

If your schedule is flexible tell them you will take cancellations or short notice (two weeks). This can cut the cost in half. They want to send their boats through full to maximize profits. Last time I checked if you could set your trip up with only two weeks noticed it was 1/2 price.

The best part about talking with them face-to-face is they will deal so long as it benefits them. By moving one of my trips back one week they were willing to cut $200 off the per person price.

They run the big S-rig (J-rig) boats until about the first of July depending on water levels, and then switch over to 16' rafts for later in the year when water levels drop. You might want to schedule your trip with that in mind depending on what type of ride you want through the canyon....

Now..... for a good time ask my wife about her first trip through.... she told me to book "a cruise" and so I booked a Cataract Trip. I didn't tell her until about a week before what type of cruise I had actually booked.... hahaha.... she is still mad about that one.... and then to top it off we flipped the raft at the top of the mile-longs.... she went through the entire mile-longs without a raft....

[Iceaxe]

More....

Outside of the fact that I like paddling my own raft I have to say going pro can be a lot of fun.... Going pro is a totally different experience from being a privateer.... You have no gear or boats to deal with. Just show up with your clothes. When you pull into camp you go swimming, hiking, play horse shoes, while someone else cooks your meals and then cleans up the mess. You get up in the morning and breakfast is ready, no cooking, no cleaning, no packing..... you get to meet some really cool people. After the first day I have noticed the rafts always break into two different groups.... the party boat and the non-party boat. It's just how the groups always split up after the first day.... the party boat will be the one loading cases of beer at the start. Some non-party folks seem to not understand that finer point...

All drinks are furnished but that is water, lemonade and fruit punch. Everyone is allowed to bring a case of their drink of choice. I highly suggest you mark your beer (or soda pop) or everyone else will try and drink it. With beer I also try and bring an off-brand that isn't real popular and not something like Bud or Coors. Same goes for soft drinks like Pepsi or Coke..... because their is always some scum sucker in the group that will try and nick your drinks.

[Wasatch Rebel]

Now..... for a good time ask my wife about her first trip through.... she told me to book "a cruise" and so I booked a Cataract Trip. I didn't tell her until about a week before what type of cruise I had actually booked.... hahaha.... she is still mad about that one.... and then to top it off we flipped the raft at the top of the mile-longs.... she went through the entire mile-longs without a raft....

Lol! Thanks for the info Ice. That helps a lot. How about if I'm going by myself? Will I have any problem scheduling a single?

[Alex]

You'll never catch me on a commercial trip. If you are not rowing your own rig or setting up your own groover, you haven't earned the right to be on the river. Every time I pass a commercial trip on the river, they always look out of place. The guides are awesome dudes and gals, but the paying customers just don't belong there. They treat it like another effing disneyland ride. River is a serious adventure, which takes lives very often and you got to have the respect for the river which has flown the canyon walls for million of years.

Bo, too bad you are not on the Cat today, seeing a tornado over Colorado river would have been epic! lol

[Alex]

Ice, which rapid did you guys flip on? You flip on Big Drops, it's a nasty swim!

[Alex]

Doh, helps if I read the original post, my bad.

Wasatch Rebel, a private trip is a completely different experience than a commercial. You do get the luxuries of what Ice explained, they do pretty much EVERYTHING for you, except wipe your ass. A private trip, you do all that on your own, setup the boat, build a camp, cook, groove, clean. It adds a great deal to the experience when you are in charge of everything.

If you are looking for a guide company, check out Holiday River Expeditions, Adrift and Moki Mac, I've met a lot of their guides and all seemed like they know what's up. http://www.utah.com/raft/guides/?id=1950

[ibenick]

You'll never catch me on a commercial trip. If you are not rowing your own rig or setting up your own groover, you haven't earned the right to be on the river.

But without a guide or the luxury of having friends that raft, how would someone like myself get into such an activity? I'm thinking hard about buying one of these trips. It will be nice to have them cook for me and all that but more than anything I just want to get out there. Without friends that already do this stuff it's kind of the only option.

[Alex]

The only way to get into it, is to get into it. I never had friends in canyoneering or rafting communities, now most of my facebook is full of people from bogley and river rats. There are forums for whitewater which post invites sometimes, also a yahoo mailing lists. Some people have spots open once in a while.

[Alex]

The best way to get into it really is rent a boat and go do it. Get a permit and invite people who know what they are doing. Permits are the hardest thing in a river community to get. You can rent/buy everything else. You can get a full setup from UofU for much less than it would cost you to pay a commercial trip. A great way to start is Desolation canyon on the Green river. I can give you all the info you need if you are interested in it. Rafting is a steep commitment to get into it, but it totally pays within a year if you get into it.

My car is parked outside, while my rig enjoys the warmth of the garage now

[Iceaxe]

There were several singles on the trip we took.... they just fit in with a group as the first day wears on.... I would also check for singles trips. The rafting companies put together all types of specialized trips. There are trips that deal with geology and others that deal with native Americans, some have kids, some are adult only, all different types of trips are run.....

Going Pro and going Privateer are two completely different experiances.... it's hard to even compare them....

Going Pro is like visiting an all-enclusive luxary resort on a Mexican beach.

Going as a privateer is like backpacking with your friends 20 miles into the backcountry.

I have done both and really enjoyed both types of trips.... A few years back the wife and I paddled a raft through Desolation as privateers. We did the trip in Late April and we were the only ones on the river. We didn't see anther soul. It was really nice being on the river all by our selves.

I have a good story about that trip also.... the wife woke me up in the middle of the night. She said she had to use the restroom but was afraid to go outside because she thought she heard a bear.... I told her to quite being chickenshit and go, there are no bears outside.... guess what she met face to face when she unzipped the tent door? Occasionally she still likes to remind me about what a dumbass I was with that call.....

[moab mark]

We put on with 2 canoes and a small Cataraft on Monday. Arrive at Spanish Bottom Friday Morn. Go hike to the Dollhouse Friday, come back down and camp at Spanish Bottom friday nite, then the 2 canoes and 2 of our party will shuttle back up the Colorado to Potash.

How they getting back upstream?

[Alex]

Ice, that's awesome, I bet she will never unzip another tent door on Deso! LOL Ya there are plenty of bears, black bears. This year we had plenty of tracks of mama and a baby in our camps, especially by the Log Cabin. A dude has been attacked late last year at the log cabin, the dude's son shot the bear dead. Deso is a great canyon to start out the rafting. A lot of people call it mini grand canyon.

To the original poster, I wouldn't go to Cataract for my first rafting experience, or at least go in October (low water). Cataract is classified as one of the biggest whitewater in the United States at high water. I personally would start out with Desolation canyon or Lodore/Yampa if you are lucky enough. Of course if you go with a commercial then anything is doable.