For Deso there are no camp reservations, first come first serve. That time of year there are 6 launches a day, something to keep in mind. The camps are pretty tight now that nobody has access to river left anymore. You can do a layover with a 6 day trip, but there would be 2 longer days for sure in there to accommodate that, or average about 17 miles a day for the 5 days you are on the water. However, miles are pretty easy to make from Cedar Ridge to Wire Fence.

 

Bugs tend to be worst just after peak. We had a June trip last year with no issues, but packed lots of bug spray and head nets etc.

As Riverwild said, no reserved camps. With 6 days you're on a tight schedule for a layover day. A motor is helpful for the flat water down to Jack. A River Maps guidebook is very helpful to ID camps etc. Also, talk to the other groups you pass to see where they might be heading. It'll help you coordinate plans.

As for TL advice, I find big spreadsheets to be useful to help organize people, money, group gear, and food. Consider tasking people with certain meals and leaving them to it.

Finally, go SUPER slow on the dirt road leading to Sand Wash. Our group thought we were being very cautious and still ended up with two flat tires.

 

@Riverwild is river left the Tribal section?
@craven_morhead thanks for the heads up on the dirt road. I've read that those roads are notorious for killing tires.

 

@Riverwild is river left the Tribal section?
@craven_morhead thanks for the heads up on the dirt road. I've read that those roads are notorious for killing tires.

Technically both sides of the river are Ute land, they have designated the left side as off limits, the Ute Reservation ends at Coal Creek...

Be bear aware on Deso: ALERT!! Bears on the Deso/gray

 

I wouldn’t think about the snowpack and flows much other than for skeeters. It’s not going to impact your experience in the water much. 6 days seems it might be short for a layover, but depends on your group. I like the Wire Fence camps for layovers. IMO the canyon gets less interesting and scenic past this spot (still sweet though) so maybe take a long last day. Fast-slow-fast in terms of pacing. Concentrate your time between Jacks and Wire Fence. You can also take out at Nefertiti if you aren’t too overpacked and save some miles. Start early on day 1; don’t stop and get as far as you can. Definitely respect the left side closure. Reserve a screen tent on rec.gov the night before and don’t rig at dusk. Last year the far upstream end of the “ramp” (not a ramp) was the best spot at least at 3500.

Edit: people will post bug updates on here. If it’s bad a group screen tent can make a world of difference and is 100% worth the investment. I suspect this year you’ll launch after the worst of it. Pretty much non existent for July 9 last year but have done an August trip after a high water year where they were still epic.

 

Heat... Bring a river wing for sure, and a Bimini/umbrella is not a bad idea. We went last year sometime in early July and we were ready to wage war with the bugs, but didn't end up really having to much of an issue. We ended up catching a release out of flaming gorge for an invasive species flush. I want to say it took about 1-1.5 days for the water bump which sat us pretty through the bulk of the rapids.

The road into sand wash wasn't to bad IMO, but I live up a goat trail... more wash boarded than anything when we went through, and could give a small tired trailer a rough go. The screen shelters at sandwash were worth the cost IMO to camp at/rig the night prior to launch. River left was closed if I remember right last season due to tribal lands not issuing a permit out... All camps we had were river right except after School house rock where we we river left due to running out of options (wasn't an ideal camp).

If I remember right (don't have my map w/notes in front of me) there is one spot to filter water a couple days in, and it the creek was running when we made the hike. The petroglyphs were awesome on this float, and worth the side hikes if you are into that. The one that really sticks out is a mushroom rock formation in memory... The takeout ramp wasn't horrible either compared to let's say the Salmon. I warn you though that people do not give a shit if they hit your shuttle car when you are not there... my buddies 4runner got clipped with a trailer, and screwed the front clip up pretty good.

Next trip I will try to spend more time in Desolation Canyon as I thought it was sweeter than down lower. On our trip all the groups started stacking for camp grounds around Schoolhouse rock (I think that was the name) which was also a pretty fun hike.

I had a great time and would do it again for sure! It's a raft party float, and I would find a kayak laborious and boring on this stretch. The rapids were straight forward enough, as was the water level that even with the bump that my 7 yr old was able to kayak (hardshell) the entire trip with only a couple of swims. Rays Tavern is worth the stop one the way back home!

 

@Ripper What's a river wing? I'm planning on getting a bimini before this trip, so hopefully that will be sorted by then.
I'm hoping I can source a motor to help facilitate the possibility of a layover day. We'll see how that goes. @Nanko are there some good hikes from Wire Fence?
I've heard bears can be an issue if you're not careful. Do people typically run bear lines to get food out of reach or just get it all secured in coolers and such?

 

@Ripper What's a river wing? I'm planning on getting a bimini before this trip, so hopefully that will be sorted by then.
I'm hoping I can source a motor to help facilitate the possibility of a layover day. We'll see how that goes. @Nanko are there some good hikes from Wire Fence?
I've heard bears can be an issue if you're not careful. Do people typically run bear lines to get food out of reach or just get it all secured in coolers and such?

I don’t know that they’d be considered traditional hikes, but there’s a ton of flat space to wander behind camp, super scenic. You can walk down and scout 3 fords and run ducky laps in Wire Fence. My favorite hike is going far up Rock Creek. Bears are present but it’s a matter of common sense camp hygiene. I have heard of them poking around camps and of a couple incidents but every one I’ve seen has booked it immediately. Not on the level of the lower Rogue, for example.

 

@Chapmatterson31 I added an amazon Bimini to my raft just prior to this trip and it was worth it for sure! The bimini top from amazon has held up well, and I'm glad I didn't spend the extra duckets on a river sombrero (as nice as they are). The extra cash helped add the river wing/camp tarp to the kit for desert trips.

As far as river wings/tarps go I got a Big Agnes Deep Creek. It was decent, but didn't far as well in the high George "Dubya" as my friends NRS did. It was cheaper so I figured I got what I paid for... it did stay up the entire time though! I met the owner of Dragonfly Tarps on the trip and got to check his wings/tarps out and they are the beez knees... One day I'll upgrade to one of his when my kid quits outgrowing gear every season!

Regardless you are going to want some shade at some point on the trip... especially with a layover day. Good news though is if you are hot the water feels great!

After getting my ass kicked on a Ruby/WW combo last season rowing out I've been looking at the sail pro propane motor and hope to add one in the next year or so to make a late season Cataract trip a real option... or add in lay over days as you're thinking!

 

6 days is tough, last time I did it was in the fall with lower flow but 7 days was a push with several very long rowing days. I would add at least one day and enjoy a layover or a slower pace. Wind can be an issue down there. Your main issue will be the heat.

 

For me heat lends itself to making more miles. Cooler on the water. It really comes down to camping style. Will the group be rigged and ready at 7am, or hungover just cracking eggs at 10? It’s 30 hours at most of float time total.

 

@Ripper Ok, I've seen those before. I think one of the members on the trip has one. Wow those Dragonfly tarps are pricey!

I think if I can get my hands on a motor I'll keep it at 6 days if not I'll push it out a day. Although with the trip currently ending on the summer solstice we'll pretty much have the most day light possible, so that could help a little.

 

If you take a motor, make sure you have a current registration for the boat it's on, USCG fire extinguisher AND number placards. A friend went down last year with one, they wouldn't let him take it as it was registered to another boat, they checked the serial number of the raft and it didn't match. 6 days without one is ambitious if there's not much water.

Other than that, bugs. Most are gone by the time you pass Temple Canyon, but that's not always the case. I'd check on the releases from Flaming Gorge before you go, as that's where any increased flows will come from this year. Given that they have been emptying it to keep the turbines spinnin at Glen Canyon Dam, if there is a "high flow" you might could have bugs at any time when the flows recede. As was mentioned, a cheap screen room is a huge bonus.

This companies products rock, well worth the investment

Mosquito clothing from The Original Bug Shirt Company. Protection from all biting insects.

The best biting insect protection and mosquito clothing there is. Protection from biting insects and bugs has been our business since 1991.

www.bugshirt.com

 

Not to derail but jeez you think those sun sails are worth a cool 1k bucks? There has to be a alternative thats in the middle? Iam launching the 29th and iam a noob 1st time desert guy so iam following. Think I'll buy a motor cause I really just want to camp and swim with the kids. Maybe not everyday but the first and last? Sorry for the high jack iam following this too! Seems like a billion posts about wind and bugs and that's a bummer but gotta go find out the hard way! To bad a guy can't rent an outboard. Anyway great info sorry for the distraction!

 

A straw hat from the gardening store and a sun hoodie accomplishes 95% of the job. People get crazy with those sail things...it’s too much.

 

Motor would be a great investment for deso, especially if you want a layover. Those first 32 miles or so are flat water. Truly flat water. Read that in the guidebook before first deso trip and didn’t quite believe it. Idiot. Those miles are flat, hot and were buggy. Wife hated it so much we rushed through that deso trip in 3 nights. Came off the river 11 lbs lighter. Exhausted. We now do deso without the wife…

River is great to swim in and campsites are some of the most beautiful anywhere. Some low water beaches are huge sand bars. Invest in some sand stakes for your tents and shade tarps if you don’t have them already. There will be wind and normal stakes don’t cut it.

 

I fully endorse all the comments about motors and wind. We did it in 5 days without a motor and it is a serious push to cover all those miles. A motor would make a huge difference for the first 12-15 miles. Also encourage setting off early and getting the miles done in the morning - that will give you more flexibility in the afternoons to play and for shifting camp spots if necessary. Each of our rafts had biminis - they are a huge plus. Be wind aware and operate with high-wind protocols. Strap everything down at night and be prepared. We suffered an incredible wind storm that last 3+ hours and below our camp to pieces. It was absolutely epic - in a bad way. Came out of nowhere on an otherwise pristine and beautiful evening. Bring more water than you think you need and fill up at Rock Creek.

Next time I do this trip I am going to plan for 7 days and a layover.

 

@MNichols Thanks for the heads up on the motor. That would suck to get out there with one and not be able to take it. I've seen those Bug Shirts mentioned before on the buzz. I'll definitely check them out. Regarding checking the release from Flaming Gorge where's the best place to look that info up? In my experience going straight to the DoR page for a specific dam produces varying results (or I just suck at navigating those sites).

 

Flaming Gorge | Water Operations | UC Region | Bureau of Reclamation

Bureau of Reclamation - Managing water and power in the West

usbr.gov

Here's the bureau of wreck the nation website, flow links are at the bottom..

 

So do rafts have titles? I've never "registered " a raft and I don't think I have a title? Guess I'll call the dmv. It's a real headache in bozo now to go to the dmv lol. Think they said they are 4 months out on appointments.

 

Charlie, rafts do not have titles, but they do have serial numbers, which you will be asked for when you go to register your motor, which is in effect registering your boat. You do not do this through the DMV, usually at your local state Park's office, at least here in Colorado. They handle registration for boats, off highway vehicles that aren't otherwise licensed like snowmobiles and ATVs...

 

You think I could just borrow your snout rig?
Lol...

 

Launched 7/17 last year. I think we had 2200 cfs, and that was with a little bump from Flaming Gorge to donate blood to the dying Powell reservoir downstream.

We brought a motor and went to Jack creek day 1.

Winds were picking up by noon and we averaged maybe 2-3mph. Get out early. We did six days and I wish we had more. We even motored for maybe 8 miles on the

We did have a bear and her cub walk through camp our 3rd or 4th night. They didn’t seem very interested in us. Just make sure to not leave any food or trash out overnight, no scented stuff in your tent, and close up your groover. They like to knock them over.

It was really hot. Cooler/ice management is super important. We kept wet towels on the cooler, a paco over the towel, and Bimini up. Tried to only go in the coolers before sun was On camp and after it was gone. No opening midday. We had a very little ice left the last day. I had friends out a week before and they ran out.

As far as I know with Redtail, you have to rig your gear and drive to the takeout then fly back up. Getting from the Swayses takeout to the green river airport isn’t the easiest thing to do, and the walk from the Sand Wash air strip to the put in isn’t very close, either. I think just getting a vehicle transfer from Dusty (rivershuttleus.com) is the way to go.

As far as registering motors (in Utah) goes, I had to bring my boat and motor to the DMV, they checked the Hull Identification Number and the motor size, and gave me the registration paperwork. I think it’s $50/year. It is legally viewed as a motorized vehicle and DWI laws can very much so be enforced.

 

I've seen videos of guys walking and pulling boats when's it's low . It's low under 5k? So may be too low at my launch with the low snow pack. Is it still fun real low and hot? Would a lower salmon be more fun then a super low deso? 80 miles of low flat water in the blazing sun is scaring me a little lol. Are the. Nights cool? 70's? Lol

 

Charlie, I used to run Deso every october with a friend, and maybe one other and a random passenger. 1500 I think was the lowest, but it was almost always below 2K. I'm actually quoted in Tom Rampton's guide book (Blacktail Enterprises) on low water trips, it's very doable in a 16 foot boat, but is not the best time to bring your entire collection of cast iron cookware.

The crux of the trip in low low water, in MY opinion is staying right, extreme right, in 3 fords. If you don't, it's a LONG LONG drag. Other than that, the runs are straightforward, and easily boat scouted. In the summer it's hot, but there's plenty of camps with shade, and you can always bring a shade tarp, which due to the unpredictable weather and winds, you should have along anyway.

It's fun, there are still rapids, but there's no "boat eating holes". Jack Creek can get interesting, but stay to the right of the waves and you'll be fine. IF you can get a permit, go for it. It's truly a worthwhile trip.

 

Nights are cool enough.
There are really only three rapids - Cow swim, fire fence, and three fords. Other than that, just a bunch of rocks to get stuck on. It is absolutely beautiful. If you’re looking for a whitewater trip (below 5k) then lower Salmon is probably a better call. Deso doesn’t catch on fire nearly as much though. Sandstone is much harder to burn.

 

River Runners' Transport out of Vernal, UT 84078 is a great shuttle service, 435-781-4919. I wouldn't use anyone else, wonderful people. Much better than running your own shuttle. Once past Jack's Creek, mosquitoes have never been a problem at campsites, camping along the first 36 miles can be a problem depending on the time of year, mid-to late July might not be a problem. Rig at Sand Wash before evening when the winds die down. A screened cabin at Sand Wash rented from the BLM is not a bad idea. When I have the permit, I prefer to be on the river by 8:00 in the morning, especially mid summer. You can usually set your watch by when the winds pickup, around 1:00 (I've fought the winds on Deso to many times). We did a July trip several years ago and everyone whined about being on the river that early. The first day we got a late start and the winds picked up; they asked if we could be on the river the next morning by 7:30. Being to your next camp around 1:00 is like a layover day everyday. Not sure what the current status is with camping permits are with the Ute Tribe; it really depends on the mood of the tribe; some years years yes, some years, no. Plenty of good camp sites on BLM land, river right. By all means, stop at Ray's Tavern, it's all part of the experience. There are a couple of places to take showers and dump groover(s) in Green River when you get off the river. Depending on your direction of travel, there are also a couple of places to dump your groover for free along I-70, rest stops Fruita, Rifle and Edwards.

 

River Runners out of Vernal does not do deso shuttles any longer, seems they lost their permit... Many BS reasons from them, and the Price field office won't say why, other than it was not a paperwork snafu as RRT claims..

https://rivershuttleus.com/ seems to be the place to go. Many positive reviews. The owner "Dusty" seems to be a good guy who it's reported even cleans the inside of cars...

 

River Runners out of Vernal does not do deso shuttles any longer, seems they lost their permit... Many BS reasons from them, and the Price field office won't say why, other than it was not a paperwork snafu as RRT claims..

https://rivershuttleus.com/ seems to be the place to go. Many positive reviews. The owner "Dusty" seems to be a good guy who it's reported even cleans the inside of cars...

This is news to me. Are you talking about RIVER RUNNERS TRANSPORT HIRING AGREEMENT AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RISK ?

 

Out of curiosity, is the wind allways in play or is it mostly summer?

 

Any time, but mainly in the spring and fall..

 

as previouly stated 6 days with a layover you will be having some long days on the oars. . Better get up real early each day and hope afternoon winds don't come up. The 1st 20 plus miles is flat until jacks creek. Have plan A, B and C on camps. Its not a good feeling coming around the corner real late in the day and someone is already there.

 

If all was well in the universe and you where so so special....how many days would you plan for for the perfect family experience?

 

24... Based on that being the perfect length for a Grand Canyon trip...

 

So what I'm taking away at this point is get on early, above about 4k 6days with a motor can give me a layover day, otherwise shoot for 7days, below 4k take 7days and a motor. Bugs are worse in Deso than they are in Gray. Keep a clean camp and I won't have to worry about wildlife. Bug spray, sunscreen, and biminis (shade).

 

Maybe it's just been my experience, but have never seen a motored raft on deso other than a ranger. Don't doubt they're out there and have always wanted a motor every time going down deso, but just don't have one. From what we've seen, think 5-7 nights without a motor in any water level is the norm and doable. Depends on how comfortable you are rowing for distance. Sometimes you just might not be able to get the time off for a longer trip and being on deso rowing is better than sitting at home and not rowing. 4 nights is pushing it. Would never attempt it in 3 nights again. Don't forget your sand stakes.