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rthunder
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Posted: Apr 26, 2007 Post Subject: Which river for a 200 mile gentle float
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This wanders a bit far afield of your usual discussions about challenging rivers, whitewater, competitions, and top-notch equipment. But I hope you'll indulge me.
For the last few years we've built homemade rafts and floated down major rivers like the Missouri (Omaha to K.City) and the Sacramento (Red Bluff to Colusa) for a week at a time.
However, finding a broad river with class zero rapids, consistent depth and no portage needed, that has uninterrupted 100+ mile stretches with easy put in and take out spots has been a challenge.
This year we'll be floating for closer to two weeks and expect to cover a couple hundred miles. We want a river that is no more than maybe a day's long drive from California. Easy access, broad, very mellow flow.
Do y'all have any suggestions? Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge.
Rico
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paddlershunt
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| Posted: Sep 23, 2007Post Subject: Response to 200-mile gentle float
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| Rthunder, you might want to consider a 150-mile stretch of the Missouri River in Montana -- from Fort Benton to the Fred Robinson Bridge (U.S. Route 191) where it crosses the Missouri at the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.
You could even stretch it out to 165 miles if you put in at the Carter Ferry Fish Access Site -- l5 miles upstream from Fort Benton.
Another trip -- 180 miles long -- is the Powder River in Montana. It's a shallow river and the float likely would have to be scheduled in June or early July to have enough water.
The put-in would be at the Moorhead Bridge at river mile 210 in southeast Montana. That's only 8 miles after the river enters Montana from Wyoming. And the take-out could be at the U.S. Highway 12 bridge at river mile 30. (That's 30 miles from where the river flows into the Yellowstone River.)
You could extend the trip a little farther to the Coal Creek Bridge at river mile 14, but rapids are below there at river mile 8.
Details on these two floats, and numerous shorter ones in Montana, are noted in a book titled "Paddling Montana," which provides information on 32 rivers in Montana. I have heard that another book, called "Floating Montana," also is available but I have not seen it yet.
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jrbouldin
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| Posted: Sep 25, 2007 |
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| | Check out the Green River, from Jensen UT to Sand Wash, about 80 flatwater miles or so, and if you're willing to tolerate some mild rapids (mid to late summer) you can go through Desolation/Gray canyons all the way to near Green River UT, about 160 miles total, and then another 80 or so on flatwater with one portage through Labyrinth canyon to a not so accessible take out at Mineral Bottom.
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tahoetraveler
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| | Green river - the section from Green River, UT thru Labyrinth and Stillwater to the confluence with the Colorado (100 miles) is very cool. Very mellow and scenic. Only problem is from the confluence you need to hire a jet boat to take you back up the Colorado about 50 miles to Moab. Not really a problem with canoes, kayaks or rafts,but they need to be able to be loaded on top of the jet boat. Alternatively, you could cut the trip in half and take out at Mineral Bottom, which is easily accessed IMHO. Still a great Canyon Trip!
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