Highlights

• Rapids Every Day
• An Active Vacation
• Great Waterfall Hikes
• Dinosaur National Monument
• Stunning Scenery
• Tons of Wildlife
• Classic Outlaw History
• Rarely Run River
• Undammed River

2023 Trip Rates

Trip Length:

5 Days/4 Nights

Host City:

Vernal, Utah

Minimum Age:

10 Yrs Old

Rapids:

III-IV (Depending on Water Levels)

2023 Dates:

May 30
June 21

Boats

Oarboats, Paddleboats, Inflatable Kayaks

“It was truly remote and desolate wilderness far from civilization surrounded by incredibly beautiful scenery and an unbelievable sky. When things get hectic, we like to remember the river, the sky, the quiet and our new friends. We have already recommended your company to our friends and will continue to do so.”

Mary, Tom and Jeff Steever, Metuchen NJ

Join Our Community

2023 Trip Rates

Adult.....................$1550.00
Youth.....................$1450.00

2023 Dates

May 30
June 21

 What This Rate Includes:

More Information

Full Days on the River:

Camping Gear: Clean Sleeping Bag, Pad, & Tent

Oarboats, Paddleboats, & Inflatable Kayaks

All Camping Equipment

Great Hikes in Dinosaur National Monument

Quality Guides: Highly Experienced, Professional, & Licensed

High Quality and Quantity Meals:

Iced Coolers on boats

Lemonade, Iced Water, and Gatorade: Coffee, teas, hot cocoa, and juice available in camp.

Transportation from and back to Naples, UT  The 2022 rates include the shuttle from Naples to the put-in, and from Split-Mountain Back to Naples. 

Trip Deposit: $300 per person deposit required upon reservation. Full balance due 45 days prior to departure.

Trip Cancellation Insurance

Minimum Age: 10 years old

What is not included in trip fares:

Guide Gratuities by no means required but always appreciated by our guides. We recommend 10-20% of the cost of the river portion of the trip.

Transportation to Naples, Utah.

Lodging and meals prior to or following your expedition (except where noted.) Click to see list of quality places to stay in Vernal Utah.

Government user fees and taxes (about 9% of trip cost.)

OPTIONAL SHUTTLE OPTION: If you prefer to have your vehicle shuttled from the put-in at Deer Lodge Park to the take-out at Split Mountain, please contact our office.  There is an addiitonal $150 per vehicle fee for this shuttle.

Day 1: Starting The Adventure

We meet at the Microtel Inn and Suites in Naples, Utah, at 7:00 AM, shuttle to the launch site, meet the crew, have a safety briefing, and then launch. We float for a short while as we enter the Yampa River canyon which rises 1000 feet above. After entering the canyon we have exciting whitewater all day. We will stop and take a short walk to Anderson Hole and Stubbs Cabin.

The scenery is spectacular and offers great views around every corner. Midday, the guides will prepare a fresh buffet lunch along the riverbank. After Lunch we have the option run the big rapids Tee Pee, and Big Joe  right before camp or on day two first thing after we launch for the day.

This evening, relax by the river while the guides prepare hors d'oeuvres and dinner. Campsites are well maintained by the Park Service with wonderful camping spots. Camp under Ponderosa and Box Elder trees, and let the sound of the river lull you to sleep.

Note: Meals are served from a set daily menu, but you are welcome to request in advance, special dishes or tell us if there are particular things you would prefer not to have.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Stubs Cabin, Tee Pee, Big Joe, Harding Hole

Day 2: Hiking the Yampa River

Wake each morning to the smell of coffee. After a hearty breakfast, off Pancakes with bacon or French toast and Sausages we pack and push off.

Today we enter the Weber Sandstone layer of the canyon. The river slows down and we drift under the Grand Overhang and by Mantle Ranch. We may stop and explore Mantle Cave, once inhabited by the Fremont people. We will also float by the spectacular Tiger Wall.

Lunch will again be on a nice river side beach. Option could include Chicken Cesar Salad, or Sandwiches with fresh vegetables. We will pull over and camp in the late afternoon. While you find a spot to pitch your tents, the guides prepare dinner. Fall asleep under the starlit sky.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Mantle Cave, Signature Cave

Day 3: Warm Springs Rapid

This morning we wake up with the anticipation of running Warm springs rapid, the biggest rapid of the trip. The Yampa River was once known as a float trip that was very beautiful but did not have a lot big rapids. This all changed in the late 1960's, when a wet spring brought down tons of rock and sediment which created Warm Springs Rapid. On the 5 day Yampa trip Warms Springs is smaller than on the 4 day trips but still exciting. We will stop and scout the rapid before taking on the challenging cataract.

Rafting the Yampa River is like traveling through time. Each of the river canyon's various layers represents an entire age of the earth's development: the rise and fall of major mountain ranges, the arrival and retreat of oceans at least 12 different times, and the alternating development of deserts and swamplands.

Dinner will be prepare by your professional Chefs. We start with appetizer and move to the entrées which can be any thing from high end steak and potatoes to lasagna and fresh vegetables.

Day 4: Confluence of the Green & Yampa Rivers

We will eat another hearty breakfast and then raft to the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers at Echo Park where we will pass imposing Steamboat Rock rising 1,000 feet above the river. Echo park offers several great hiking opportunities including whispering cave, and 1000 year old Native America writing.

Pass by the amazing Mitten park fault, named after Pat Lynch's mule Mitten. Soon we will enter our next canyon: Whirlpool Canyon. Guests may be able to see Seastacks, which afford geologic evidence of vast seas that covered the area eons ago. Later we will see an inscription made in 1838 by French fur trapper Dennis Julien, and equipment left by dam surveyors who had big plans to build a dam in Echo Park.

We will cross into Utah and then just below Jones Hole we will stop for a hike and try to catch a glimpse of one of the largest herds of Bighorn Sheep in the area. Jones Creek is a spring fed creek with countless opportunities for fun and adventure. Spend some time fishing along the creek, which has a fish hatchery at the top. Hike up to some amazing Fremont pictographs. Play in the Ely Creek waterfall or just hang out along the creek in the shade enjoying the peaceful scenery.

Camp is just down stream where your guides will prepare hors d' oeuvres while you relax on the beach. Come "dressed" for dinner tonight. This is our party night! Our way of celebrating a great trip, fun rapids, great hikes, amazing scenery and new formed friendships! Dinner will again be served in a spectacular setting.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Echo Park, Whispering Cave, Jones Hole

Day 5: More Big Rapids

This morning we will run more fun rapids. Start this morning's river travel with the fun, splashy Greasy Pliers rapids. The canyon then opens up into the Island Park area. Enjoy viewing amazing
petroglyphs of a very large bison. Raft through Rainbow Park and enjoy swimming in the river before the river slices through Split Mountain.

Stop for Lunch on another great sandy beach. At lunch today your guides will give special instructions for those brave souls who wish to challenge the next few rapids in their Inflatable Kayaks. We run exciting rapids-Moonshine, SOB, and Schoolboy. We take out at Split Mountain and return to Vernal (approximately 45 minutes away).

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Rainbow Park, Moonshine

The Yampa River, located in the heart of the Dinosaur National Monument on the Eastern end of the Uinta Mountain Range. Beginning in Northwestern Colorado, the Yampa is one of the last free-flowing tributaries to the Colorado River system and is featured in National Geographic's, "Wild and Scenic Rivers" Book.

Native Americans, prospectors, outlaws, ranchers and early river runners make the history of this canyon interesting.

Colorado Plateau

The Yampa River Map

Click to view larger image

Join Our Community

Required Forms:

Please print, sign and return the required forms (for each person in your party) to our office by email, fax or mail at least 45 days prior to your trip.

Trip Risk Forms

Guest Registration

Trip Document in PDF's

Vernal Trip Planner

Packing List

Trip Itinerary

Travel Insurance:

Transportation to Vernal

Preferred Lodging Guide

Tips for Women in the Outdors

Beverage Request Form

Faxed Reservation Form

Helpful Links

Canyonlands National Park: Canyonlands National Park preserves a colorful landscape of sedimentary sandstones eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River and its tributaries.

Arches National Park: Arches National Park preserves over two thousand natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations.

Dinosaur National Monument: Dinosaur National Monument protects a large deposit of fossil dinosaur bones--remains of the so-called "terrible lizards" that lived millions of years ago.

Vernal Travel Council: A great resource on Vernal area trails, hotels, and other great things to do in Vernal.

Links to Area Information

Vernal Weather

Water Levels

How to get to Vernal

Where to staying Vernal

What to do other than rafting

Questions about the trip:

Cancellation Policy and Trip Insurance:

Sheri Griffith Expeditions has a NO REFUND policy. Since you have reserved space for which we have a limited number of seats, our non-refundable policy applies in every instance. There are no exceptions for any reason, so we highly recommend that you purchase Travel Insurance to protect your vacation investment. Please take some time to visit the following website www.travelinsure.com/affiliate/selecthigh.htm?32219, which contains information about Travel Insurance.

How to book a trip

There are several easy ways to make a reservation. Easiest is to click on the “book online” button on your trip or at the top of the screen. You can always give us a call at 800-332-2439. You can also download Reservation PDF and fax it in (435)-259-2226 or mail it to us at Po Box 1324 Moab UT 84532.

Deposits and Reservations

For 1 day trips full payment is required at time of booking. For multiday trips a non-refundable $300/person deposit is required at the time of reservation. The balance is due 45 days prior to departure. After making your reservation you will receive a reservation packet that will include a packing list, helpful travel hints, travel insurance information, a beverage request form, and a guest registration form. Please fill out the guest registration form and send or fax back quickly. If you find you are unable to participate in the trip that you booked, but would like to transfer your trip to the following year, there will be a charge of $300 per participant if the change is made at least 3 weeks prior to your departure date.

Non-Performance

We make every effort to follow through on our plans. However, we reserve the right to make changes in the itinerary or possibly cancel a trip if necessary including but not limited to weather conditions, water fluctuations, insufficient reservations, changes in international relations, or other factors beyond our control. If cancellation is necessary, your money will be refunded. Our financial liability shall be limited to the amount actually paid and shall not be extended to cover any other costs incurred by the trip member.

Orientation:

At 6:30 pm (MDT) the day BEFORE the departure we meet at the Best Western Antlers Inn in Vernal( 423 W Main St Vernal, UT 84078) for a pre-trip meeting. Here you will learn what to expect and prepare for, receive your dry bags, sign Assumption of Risk forms, and get a chance to ask last minute questions. If you cannot make the meeting, let us know before hand. That way we will drop off you dry bags and any last minute instructions at your hotel.

Beverages:

If you would like any personal beverages while on the river, i.e., sodas, beer, wine, etc., you can bring them with you the morning of departure and we will place them in iced coolers. We provide some sodas, water, lemonade and Gatorade mixes and tea, juice and coffee in the mornings.

Tipping:

Guests often ask whether gratuities are appropriate, and in what amount. If you feel your guides have provided a very special trip for you, a gratuity may be left with the trip leader and will be shared among the crew. Entirely discretionary, anything between 15% and 20% of the trip cost is a general tipping guideline. If you plan to tip, remember to bring a personal check or cash—ATM’s are hard to find in the backcountry! PLEASE, do not make out checks to Sheri Griffith Expeditions. If you are writing check please make it out to the Trip Leader.  NOTE: we cannot take credit card gratuities.

Hiking and Physical Requirements:

If you are of an adventurous spirit and in reasonably good health, you should have no problem enjoying any of our trips. It’s not necessary to be an athlete to participate in a river expedition. However, It is several hours to the nearest medical center. If you take medication you should bring a good supply and inform your guide of all medication that you are taking. When you meet your guide, you should discretely explain any medical conditions you may have or be concerned about including allergies to bee stings, etc. Each guide carries a first aid kit and will need to know if specific medicines should be stored. It’s also helpful to know about other health issues when planning activities for the day. Pregnant women and anyone with heart trouble should have their physician’s approval before taking a river trip.

Safety, and Assumption of Risk

We maintain an excellent safety record, since 1971. However, all outdoor experiences involve risk and we all must recognize that accidents or illnesses may occur. We cannot guarantee your safety. We place final responsibility for your safety firmly on your shoulders where it belongs. You have to pay attention to what you are doing. Mother Nature controls the water level, the weather and the elements, so there is a risk involved in rafting and camping. Before your trip departs, you will be asked to sign an Assumption of Risk and Release Form. We assume no responsibility for injury to trip members, their personal belongings or, for time and expense incurred. We strongly recommend Travel Insurance, which covers vacation losses and accidents and provides a refund if you have to cancel your trip.

Parking, luggage and valuables:

The Best Western Antlers allows us to leave vehicles at the hotel while we are on the River. We also can store valuables with the hotel here. The guides will help you with this.

More FAQ's