8 Days on the San Juan River

We had been planning to paddle the San Juan River in Utah for months.  But as the departure date approached, the flows steadily declined to below 300 cfs.  The usual lowest recommended flow is 500 cfs.  We were considering canceling the trip, when further research revealed that there was lots of water flowing down the Animas River.  Warm weather had melted the snow, resulting in 2000 cfs flows.   Our trip was saved by the Animas, which is undammed and untrammeled.  The water from the Animas reached our put in location two days before we put in!  Perfect timing.

The trip turned out to be three people, Randy, Wally, and me.  I was in my whitewater canoe, they were in inflatable kayaks.  The long drive over to Bluff UT was uneventful, and we camped near the put in.   The next morning we headed over to the ramp, which was a busy place, with multiple parties  hard at work packing their boats.

Randy looking over a wall at River House

Our first day involved many stops, including the River House ruins, and the Butler Wash rock art.  The steps carved into the rock were particularly interesting. We camped about mile 6.5.

Anazasi Steps

Butler Wash rock art panel

Our second day included Four Foot, Eight food, and Ledge rapids, as well as the narrows, with a camp around mile 20.

We noticed that we kept seeing collared lizards, day after day.

Our routine was developing, waking up around 7, getting on the river by 9 AM, getting to camp in the early afternoon, and then setting up a tarp to protect us from the sun, until the sun dropped behind the canyon walls.  Once the sun was down, we cooked dinner and headed for our sleeping bags.  Since we had a good current, we did not paddle much, mostly just drifting and watching the scenery.

Wally and Randy reading in camp

Our third day had us going through the town of Mexican Hat, named for the rock formation.  We stopped for lunch at the San Juan Inn.  Randy pointed out an apparent contradiction in the highway signs.  We camped just past Mexican Hat.

Randy is asking which sign do they mean

Our fourth day took us to the Honaker trail, built by a prospector.   We decided to hike it in the morning.  That evening we saw a herd of 30 sheep.  We ultimately saw more than 50 desert bighorn sheep.  How many sheep can you see in these pictures?

Wally with sheep in the background

Our fifth day had us hiking the Honaker trail.  From below, it is virtually impossible to distinguish the route, which goes back and forth through various shelves and cliff bands. 

Randy hiking the trail

Most of the way up there was a spectacular view of the river.  We proceeded to the top of the canyon, with a panoramic view, including Monument Valley.  This hike was the highlight of the trip for me.  We stayed a second night in the same camp.

Richard, with Monument Valley in the background

Our sixth day had the most excitement.  Ross Rapid had a large rock near the bottom.  Randy and I were able to get around it, although we almost bumped it.  Wally, the least experienced paddler, was not so lucky.  He hit the rock and was pinned by the current, his boat full of water.  Randy and I hiked back upstream and were considering rescue strategies.  However, Wally was able to work off the rock, losing some gear in the process.  Randy threw Wally a rope, while I went downstream retrieving gear.

We camped at John’s canyon.  There is a natural tinaca (tank of water) above the camp, but we were unable to locate a safe way to get up there.

Richard, thinking

Our seventh day included Government Rapid, the only class III rapid on this section of the river.   Randy and Wally elected to line their boats down, using ropes to move the boat along the bank.  I elected to run it, and ran it clean, just a little bump as I went past the big rock.  We stuck around to watch other groups run the rapid.   You can see my run at the link below, or just click on the photo below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRsAKEa6tm4

We proceeded to our only reserved camp, Slickhorn D.  In the lower part of the canyon, there are few campsites, so four campsites are located in a small area.  This was probably our worst campsite.

Randy, drifting down the river

Our final day was the longest day, 17 miles to Clay Hills.  Richard remembered bad headwinds the last time he was there.  A rafter also warned us of possible bad headwinds.  We resolved to get up early to beat the wind, which tends to come up midday.  We got up at 5, and were on the river by 6:15.  We paddled steadily, without wind, and arrived before noon, apparently the first party to arrive. 

The drive home started with 12 miles of dirt, and then took us through Blanding and Monticello.   Richard took advantage of his iPhone to research hotels and make some calls.   Many hotels were full in Moab, and the prices were high, due to the Memorial Day weekend.  We took the last room at a motel in Monticello, and were happy to have it.  The warm showers felt good.

We finished the drive on Memorial Day.  We were surprised not to see any backups or delays due to the holiday traffic.

A good and relaxing trip.

Most of the photos are mine, but the video and some of the photos were by Wally, thanks.