Tag-A-Long | Self Guided Trips -Green river, moab, canyonlands, colorado river

Whitewater Rafting

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Self-guided Canoe or Kayak, With Guided Raft trip in Cataract (CR1)

Trip Overview

Mileage Schedule

Jet Boat Pickup

National Park Service Rules

Do you have the ability to plan your own trip? Feel competent camping? You want to organize your own trip and float in your own cadence or you have done the self-guided trip before, either way you are curious about the river beyond the jetboat retrieval for the self-guided canoe services. Tag-A-Long Expeditions offers shuttles to the river launch site on the Green River or Colorado River and canoe pick up at the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers or Spanish Bottom and now offers to rendezvous with our guided raft trip in process to carry you beyond Spanish Bottom through Cataract Canyon and 25 Grand Canyon style rapids.

River Map for sale

Fast Facts
S.E. Utah Detail

Main Attraction
Self-designed trip, flexible length 3+ days, privacy, solitude, a self-guided tour of up to 120 miles of backwaters through pristine wilderness and red rock canyons. Option to trade your canoe and rendezvous with a guided raft trip to see Cataract Canyon. Contact office for details.

Who Should Go
Experienced paddlers, friends, families, minimum of six people. Availability of rafts will be determined upon a look at the calendar.

Adventure level

Length
3 days or longer

Cost
$475 per person + return option from Lake Powell
Return options: $105 per person 30 minute scenic flight; deliver car to Lake Powell $227 each car; return overland with guides - 4 hour drive $74 per person.

Above cost includes transfer from Moab to river start, self-guided canoe/kayak trip to confluence and jet boat pick up of canoes at the confluence to Spanish Bottom; raft trip, meals starting with dinner day of rendezvous and ending with lunch on the last day.

$20 Canyonlands permit required for canoe portion. You get it on your own. We will request to see it at check in.

Multiple day rentals:
Coleman 15 - $12 a day
Mad River Explorer 16-$25 a day
Wenonah Cascade17' 6"-$30 dy Old Towne Discovery 16' 9"-$30
Prijon Seakayak - $25 a day
Toilet - $27.50 week
Fire pan - $5 week
Wetsuits required in Cataract in May and June. $11.00 each

The Big Picture

Your canoe adventure will begin at the Tag-A-Long offices in Moab where your canoes and gear will be loaded onto our shuttle vehicles for the trip to the launch site of your choice. Please arrive at the designated hour to avoid a $30 hour waiting fee. Your private canoe expedition can last anywhere from three days to longer. You may begin on the Green River at Green River State Park, at Ruby Ranch, Mineral Bottom, or on the Colorado River at the Potash Dock or the Moab Dock. At the end of your self-guided canoe expedition, your equipment will be picked up by a Tag-A-Long jetboat near the Confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers on the shores of the Colorado. The rendezvous with the guided raft trip occurs either the same day or the day after. Amount of time spent with the guided raft trip is based on logistical factors. Call to begin to explore the possibilities.

Mileage Schedule for the Self-guided portion

Green River – Confluence 120 miles 7-10 days

Ruby Ranch – Confluence 97 miles 5-8 days

Green River – Mineral Bottom 68 miles 3-6 days

Mineral Bottom – Confluence 52 miles 3-6 days

Moab Dock – Confluence 64 miles 3-6 days

Potash – Confluence 47 miles 3-6 days

Green River State Park
Launch on the Green River. The road is paved to this put-in and there is an entrance fee of $4.00 per vehicle for day use. If you camp overnight, fees are $12.00 for one site and $4.00 for each additional vehicle. Warning: Reports of ill-passage have come back to our office involving lower water levels 1700 cfs - 2000 cfs at the Hwy bridge crossing of the Green River.

Ruby Ranch
Launch at Ruby Ranch on the Green River. Ruby Ranch is located 23 miles downstream from Green River, Utah and is a remote put-in site located some distance across dirt roads. Ruby Ranch is private property and the owners charge $10.00 per boat and $2.00 a person. You must bring exact change and cash.

Mineral Bottom
Launch at Mineral Bottom on the Green River. Mineral Bottom is a remote location 68 miles below Green River, Utah. Access is only by dirt road. The road becomes impassable during heavy rain.

Moab Dock
Launch at the Moab launch ramp on the Colorado River. The Moab Dock is located just off Highway 191 at the intersection of Highway 128. Roads to the put-in are paved.

Potash Dock
Launch at the Potash launch ramp on the Colorado River. The Potash Dock is located 17 miles downstream from Moab, Utah.

In planning your trip, consider that an average of 15 - 20 miles per day in a canoe is a good day on the river.

The Jetboat Pick-Up

The Tag-A-Long jetboat will locate you on a beach between the confluence and Spanish Bottom. Be prepared to pass your bundled equipment onto the jetboat at the designated pick up time. Remove all gear from your vessel. Vessels will be loaded onto the jetboat top rack for transport back to Moab.

The Confluence and Spanish Bottom
Below the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers, the Colorado River rapidly changes personality! There are eddies during various water levels throughout the four miles beyond the Confluence. Also be prepared for a more powerful current in this area. Four miles beyond the Confluence the rapids of Cataract Canyon begin. DO NOT ENTER THE RAPIDS WITH YOUR CANOE. Remain in the jetboat pick up zone for the rendezvous with the raft trip.

The Rules (National Park Service)

Permits
To keep this area pristine for your next expedition, there are several rules and regulations that govern your journey. First, you must obtain a permit from Canyonlands National Park. This can be accomplished by faxing or writing to the Park. Be prepared to provide your name, address, the number of persons in your party, number of boats and boat types, planned route, itinerary, and beginning and ending dates of your trip. Permits are $20 for the entire trip. You must have your shuttle out of the park in place before you apply for your permit. Permits have not yet been denied.

Canyonlands National Park
2282 S. West Resource Blvd.
Moab, UT 84532
Fax: 435-259-4285
Or download a permit application from www.nps.gov/cany/reserve.htm

Backcountry Rules
Fire pans (if you build fires) and toilets are mandatory. Tag-A-Long Expeditions has these for rent. Use only driftwood or down and dead tamarisk for firewood. The ashes can be cooled in a 5-gallon bucket and floating debris carried out in your trash. The bucket contents are emptied from the boat mid-stream. In this way you avoid smothering habitat for fish located along the shoreline. Leave No Trace ethic practiced.

Equipment
If you do not own your own canoes or choose not to transport them, Tag-A-Long Expeditions will rent you two-person Coleman canoes for $12 per day or choose a Mad River Explorer for $25 per day. The rental includes paddles and lifejackets. (Dimensions: Coleman - 15’6" long, 34" wide, 6 ft between the two seats, 4 ft behind the rear seat, 4 ft forward of the front seat. Bar across the top is 2 _ ft behind front seat. Molded plastic seats. Capacity 800 lbs. Mad River - 192" long, 35" wide. Web seats. 1100 lbs capacity. Old Towne Discovery - 16' 9" long, 37" wide. Molded plastic seats.1400 lbs capacity. Wenonah Cascade 210" long, 37" wide. Web seats. 1550 lbs capacity.) You will need to bring your own lines, ropes or straps for tying your gear into the canoe. State requires a whistle on board each craft 16' or longer. Bring one for each rental of Mad River or Old Towne or Wenonah canoe(s) or for your own vessel 16' or longer. Bring a big car wash sponge to mop any mud that might build up in the bilge. Life jackets must be worn at all times in the canoe. Below the Confluence, life jackets must be worn regardless of the type of craft. Children 12 years of age and younger must by law always wear a life jacket on all Utah State waters. TAG-A-LONG EXPEDITIONS HIGHLY RECOMMENDS EVERYONE WEAR THEIR LIFE JACKET AT ALL TIMES WHEN CANOEING OR KAYAKING. We encourage every participant to have a whistle attached to your lifejacket too.

Toilet Systems
Your toilet system should be designed to empty into a sewer system in the same way that recreational vehicles discard refuse. (Toilet dimension: 18" X 16" X 16" high. Tag-A-Long cleans it. Rents for $30 for the week). During the day, you can maintain a wet towel atop your toilet to keep it cool and retard gas build up. Pack your toilet so it is readily available for day use as well as campsite use. Soiled feminine hygiene products should be stored in a zip-lock bag and carried out.

Campsites
There are no designated campsites along the rivers. In order to minimize environmental impacts, we strongly recommend sandbar camping when water level permits. Set your kitchen, fire pan, and toilet system up as close to the river as possible so spring high water will erase traces of your occupancy. We have a list of potential campsites between Green River and Mineral Bottom or Mineral Bottom and the Confluence. The list is free with the purchase of a book or map from Tag-A-Long. Or costs $1.00.

Garbage
PACK IT IN/PACK IT OUT!

Drinking Water
We recommend a gallon of water per person per day. If your original supply of drinking water runs out, you may collect water from the center of the main channel of the river and allow it to settle overnight. Two teaspoons of Aluminum Sulfate Powder or "alum" in five gallons of water, may expedite settling river water. You should find it at a pharmacy or spice rack. Treatment for killing or removing disease-causing organisms: boil river water for ten minutes, plus one minute for every 1,000 ft elevation (Green River is at 4300' or so) or utilize mechanical filtration plus chemical disinfection. You might want to use settled river water for cooking, coffee or other hot beverages. Two teaspoons of Aluminum Sulfate Powder agitated in 5 gallons of water, helps to expedite settling. Bring powdered drink mix or juice concentrates to mask the taste of chemically treated water. Reserve your containers of safe water for hiking.

Cold Weather Hints
Spring break starts the jetboat services in early March. Temperatures March to early April average 35 - 42 degree lows. When the sun is out it is glorious. Keep feet and hands dry. Tents add warmth to sleeping arrangements. Insulated footwear for in camp will add to your comfort, but may be too warm to hike in. Expect frost. You may have to sleep with your personal water bottle, it may freeze if left out.

Emergencies
Hospitals are not immediately available to you in this wilderness area. In an emergency, you may signal aircraft with a small signal mirror or lay out a large "X" pattern on a surface which is visible to the sky. Assess your situation carefully. The cost for evacuation from wilderness areas is expensive!

Best Resource Material
You may obtain copies of river books and maps through Tag-A-Long Expeditions prior to your journey:

Belknap’s Revised Waterproof Canyonlands River Guide Map -- $19.95 (plus tax & shipping). Indicates primary points of interest.

River Guide to Canyonlands National Park and Vicinity by Michael Kelsey -- $16.95 (plus tax & shipping). Great history collection of oral and newspaper archives about the places you'll visit or float by.

Potential Campsite lists -- free with purchase of one of the above resources OR $1.00 and sent electronically.

Learn from other experienced canoeists. Take a look at a packing list devised by Canoe-Camping Organization.