Summary

Women at Play - Labyrinth Canyon- 5 Days

Prices From USD$ $930.00
1st Departure 09.07.2009
Provider Sheri Griffith Expeditions
Destination Green River
Duration 5 days/ 4 nights
Challenge Easy
Avg Rating Not Rated

Labyrinth Canyon is a graceful float through a bounty of southwestern vistas and steep cliffs of red rock sandstone. Spectacular buttes and mesas rise over 1,500 feet above the river floor. Perfect for paddling your own sleek kayak or share a two person kayak with a friend. Gear rafts carry all the comforts of a full scale camp. We explore some of the secret side canyons, Indian ruins and traces of lost civilizations.


Our Women Guides are naturalists with great depths of knowledge about the history, geology, wildlife, and legends of the canyons. They know the ‘secret’ places that only exploration and experience reveals, and they share it all, connecting you to this incredible country.

No prior experience is necessary, as sea kayaks are easy to paddle, comfortable to travel in and very stable. Your guides will be instructing and encouraging you from their own kayak and you’ll be maneuvering your sleek craft like a pro in no time. You can have your own kayak or explore the river with friend in a two person kayak.

Itinerary

Day 1

The expedition begins early in the morning at the Sheri Griffith Expeditions office. We then drive to the launch site near Green River, Utah. After a safety talk and some basic kayak instruction we launch. Gliding out onto the longest smooth water portion of the Green River we will float through an open valley and begin a descent of about a foot and a half every mile. There are no rapids on this portion of the river, only a few riffles just below the town of Green River.

Today we will have the opportunity to explore Crystal Geyser~ a cold water geyser whose eruptions are fueled by pressurized carbon-dioxide gas. The first eruption recorded was in 1936 when Glenn Ruby was drilling for gas and hit the pressurized pocket that activates the geyser. Years of accumulation of minerals brought up by the eruptions have left a beautiful copper colored formation around the geyser.

By late afternoon we’ll pull into a secluded campsite where we will enjoy exploring while our guides prepare a delicious dinner.



Day 2, 3 & 3

The scenery begins to change as the river leaves the open desert and cuts its way into the rising plateaus of Utah’s Canyon Country. This is Labyrinth Canyon, named by John Wesley Powell when he was here on his historic expedition in 1869. The canyon becomes deeper as Sandstone walls of the Wingate Formation rise hundreds of feet on both sides. Orange and reddish brown cliffs drip with a darker brown and blue-black known as "desert varnish." Formations of tan Navajo Sandstone, purplish-red Kayenta towers, and brown Wingate cliffs, continuously unfold above.

We will hike “Bowknot Bend” where the river makes a seven and a half mile loop back onto its self. We will hike up to the saddle which provides an incredible view of the desert. There will be ample time each day for hiking and exploring the canyon’s rich history and geology.

The Fremont Culture were a semi-nomadic people who inhabited these canyons (500-1275 A.D.). They left petroglyphs on the rock walls that can be spotted today. You will also see the inscriptions left by the crew of the Launch Marguerite, a stern-wheeler river boat which traveled on the Green and Colorado Rivers between the towns of Green River and Moab during the early 1900’s. Denis Julien was a trapper and fur trader who left inscriptions on the rocks in a number of places. All of his inscriptions are dated 1836. How Julien got into the canyons is still a mystery. It is not known if he came by boat or if he walked in from the rim.



Day 5

Today we will see more and more evidence of the uranium mining that once took place in these canyons. Tailing piles and abandoned mining equipment can be seen from the river below. We will also stop at another 1836 Denis Julien inscription. Our river adventure ends at Mineral Bottom. We’ll load the kayaks and gear for the spectacular drive back to Moab which begins with a steep climb up an old mining road. We will arrive at the Sheri Griffith Expeditions office by 6:00-6:30 p.m. (MDT).

Gear List






Ziploc and trash bags are very useful for separating personal items in your dry bag such as medications, shampoo, soap, wet items, and dirty laundry. Wet wipes are great for washing your face, wiping your hands, and cleaning sand or dirt off of personal belongings. Pack a few clothespins and rope to dry clothes while on the river. Remember, on the river it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it! All of these items can be invaluable and do not take up much space or add much weight to your luggage.


Carabiners are very handy in the outdoors as well as back home. Their oval shape and simple gate mechanism allow you to easily clip your water bottle, camera, hat ~ just about anything ~ nearby.


We provide snacks throughout the day, but is a good idea to bring extra snacks for children, for individuals who have snack preferences, or for those who may be diabetic.


Each boat has an ice cooler for “personal” drinks such as soda, juice, beer, wine, etc. Since there are no stores along the river, we recommend bringing more than you anticipate needing. Please do not bring glass. SGE provides water, available to you all day long, with lemonade, Gatorade, and iced tea mixes.





Travel Information

Activity Location

Sheri Griffith Expeditions
2231 South Highway 191
Moab, Utah 84532 USA