Whether kissing Tiger Wall or crashing through Warm Springs Rapid, a float trip on the Yampa is an incredible experience / Holiday River Expeditions
Holiday River Expeditions • Running non-motorized trips since 1966 • Specialists in floating Dinosaur National Monument and Canyonlands National Park on the Green and Colorado Rivers
Springs Rapid in its wake. Today, that rapid is rated among the 10 biggest drops in the country. For decades Holiday has run the Yampa on four- and five-day trips in May and June, when the river is flush with snowmelt and the air is slowly being warmed by the season. Come July, the runoff typically has waned, and the river is a bit too “bony” for rafts, and is best run by canoeists and kayakers. Other than the Warm Springs Rapid (which certainly can be tricky at certain water levels) the Yampa is not overly technical. But the landscape is gorgeous and the remoteness a joy to savor and explore. From the outfitter’s put-in at Deer Lodge you’re soon surrounded by large, towering sandstone monoliths fluted by the river. The main canyon dwarfs the boaters, who swivel their heads around in awe. Side canyons harbor alcoves and pot holes bigger than hot tubs and hide patches of history, and even prehistory. Bighorn sheep graze the grassy benches in the shade of towering box elders trees. Perched atop cliffs hundreds of feet above the river, potholes are rich with cattails and other watery vegetation. Here, surrounded by curious geologic formations, Ponderosa pines seem tall enough to snag a few clouds. Holiday’s guides can lead you through this wonderland. Though it’s a national monument, many agree that it should be a national park. But thankfully, no doubt due to that monument designation, the crowds never descend on Dinosaur, and certainly not on the Yampa. As you float down the 46 miles of the Yampa River, and then 25 more miles of the Green, Holiday’s guides recount the history of the canyons, help you understand their geology, and the wildlife that lives here. When they’re not leading you on hikes into side canyons the guides prepare unbelievable meals in the perfect setting: a river beach with millions of stars overhead.
• Family-oriented trips
www.bikeraft.com holiday@bikeraft.com 800-624-6323
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