cataract question

[bth]

im trying to plan a cat trip for some friends mid-summer. the kicker is that two of them are unable to take as much time off of work as the rest of us.

as a result, i was thinking that the majority of the group would put in at the "normal" area outside of moab and float the flat water at a liesurely pace, and then potentially meet the other 2 at or near the confluence of the co and the green.

is there a put-in on the green above the confluence that would get the 2 who are slaves to their desks to that point in less time than it will take us to float the flatwater of the colorado? any advice is greatly appreciated...

[sj]

No to the Green idea. But they could take a jet boat down to Spanish Bottom and meet you there. Call tex's in Moab and inquire about prices and avalibility. sj

[raftus]

SJ has it right - jet boating in is the way to catch up. There are jet boats going out most every day during the summer. They can catch up 2-3 days of your floating in a couple of hours.

[bth]

great idea- hadnt even thought of the jet boat thing...seems like an easy solution- i remember how many of them cruised by last time we were in cataract!

one other question...if we simply wanted to do a 4 day trip instead of a 6, and i've done cat and deso recently, does anyone have any suggestions (w/o motors)?

[rock_ski_cowboy]

Sorry, no suggestions. We go a lot, but I've decided motors is the way to go. Even one motored raft pushing the rest will allow you to get pretty close to the confluence in a day. Or jetboats if you can afford'em. They're big enough to haul all your gear to the confluence depending on your group size.

[oarboatman]

There is a trail down from the Needles side that is about 10mi long.

[zbaird]

i dont know how to get to it, or what it entails, but there is a road to the dolls house area. from there it is a quick hike( +/- 1 hr) off the rim down to the river. the only issues i see are getting the cars from said road to the takeout, and or having to take some major detour to get to the road. get in touch with a shuttle company and see what they offer. i use coyote shuttle in moab everytime and have never had any problems. i have always wondered what it would take to get that road and option into play. it would really open up options for families who had kids too small for the rapids and were too poor for jet boats. i think they are fairly pricey.

except for the fact that layovers and lazy launches rule most of my cat trips a 4 day trip should be no problem mid summer. good flow and long days. one option is to float the flats through the night to maximize time in the rapids. drive in, rig delirious, eat goodies, launch, the excitement begins after dark. with flows around 30K its not that hard to make the confluence in a day with an early start.

[richp]

The trail into the Doll's House area is a rugged four-wheel drive-only trek that is particularly rough in the Teapot Canyon area. It's a branch off of another four-wheel drive "road" that has Hite at one end and Hans Flat at the other end. I've done it a couple of times, and while I suppose it would theoretically be doable for a shuttle, it would not be easy or convenient. It certainly wouldn't be my choice.

And then there is the little problem of hauling all your gear up that little hill from Spanish Bottom to the road on top.....

FWIW.

Richp

[progers]

4 day trip suggestions. Try and get a Ladore permit. It's way more entertaining then Deso. Better whitewater and scienery.

[rock_ski_cowboy]

No trail from rim to the river that I've seen is going to be very reasonable for carrying kayaks and gear down, if that is what you were thinking. If you are taking rafts or something and wanted to just have them hike themselves down and pick them up there may be some options. The Maze section, which contains the Doll House and access to Spanish Bottom, is not a reasonable option because the road to get there is some thing like 80 miles of dirt and serious 4x4, taking a day to get there and back. If you look at canyonlands there are three sections divided by the rivers: the Maze (W), Needles(E), and Island in the Sky (N). Needles and Island in the Sky have more reasonable access, and could be reached with less of a diversion on your shuttle if you're going back to Moab afterwards. Although I don't know the specifics, there are som hiking trails and/or backcountry routes down to the river(s) from each. I would look for a Hiking Canyonlands book or possibly websites if that is what you are after.