I used to be decided to not let out of doors adventures stop when my husband and I made a decision to turn into dad and mom. Five months into my being pregnant, I discovered in regards to the pretty flat, family-friendly Ruby-Horsethief canyon part of the Colorado River and determined to strive for a allow.
I used to be intimidated however intrigued by an in a single day river journey. I had many hesitations (particularly being seven months pregnant!), however this journey is doable for a first-time rafter or household, and, extra importantly, it’s value it!
This weblog put up will put together you for the right way to get a allow, select the proper watercraft, pack the correct gear, coordinate a shuttle, and extra. Start planning your float of the Ruby-Horsethief canyon part of the Colorado River with this whole information!
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Ruby-Horsethief Canyon Basics
The Ruby-Horsethief part of the Colorado River is amazingly scenic with towering canyon partitions on both facet.
This 25-mile stretch flows between Loma, Colorado and Westwater, Utah (sure, you get to cross the Utah border on watercraft!).
It is pretty flat with class I/II rapids, excellent for first-time rafters, households, or these on the lookout for a calming and enjoyable journey.
It is a very talked-about float space, so you’ll possible run into different teams, however campsites are unfold out so it is best to have loads of area.
We made the journey one night time, however some folks stretch it to a number of nights or do it in at some point.
Permits should not required if finishing the 25-mile stretch in at some point, however I extremely advocate soaking within the sights and making it an overnighter. There is an abundance of wildlife together with bald eagles, bighorn sheep, mule deer, nice blue herons, and extra to not point out the unbelievable surroundings!
Best Time of Year to Float Ruby-Horsethief Canyon
The greatest time to drift Ruby-Horsethief Canyon is from May by means of October for optimum water ranges and temperatures. Permits are required all yr lengthy.
Fall
Fall supplies probably the most constantly heat days, cool nights, much less probability of thunderstorms, and decrease flows for mellower rapids.
We floated Ruby-Horsethief Canyon in early September which offered the proper climate. The highs had been within the higher 80F and nights had been within the 70s F.
However, even in September, we encountered cool mornings, sizzling days, bugs, and robust headwinds at occasions.
In the morning we wore light-weight long-sleeve shirts to heat up. When it warmed up all through the day we jumped out and in of the water to remain cool.
In the afternoon we hit horrible headwinds that slowed the tempo significantly.
Lastly, at camp, the bugs had been very dangerous and had been consistently buzzing us, in order that’s one thing to be ready for.
Spring
Spring climate can fluctuate vastly with sizzling days, chilly nights, snow, and rain.
Summer
Because of the dearth of shade, summer time days might be extremely popular and buggy and liable to thunderstorms. However, summertime is kind of in style for floating this part.
Winter
It just isn’t ultimate to drift this part within the winter or early spring as chilly climate and excessive runoff are harmful elements.
No matter if you go, it’s important to be ready and conscious of the climate and pure components. This part of the river is distant with very restricted cell service and no takeout factors till Westwater.
Types of Watercraft to Use on Your Ruby-Horsethief Canyon Float
There are many several types of watercraft you may tackle this part of the Colorado River. Here’s a breakdown of the professionals/cons of every:
Stand-Up Paddleboard
I floated the two-day journey on an inflatable stand-up paddleboard. In the rapids, I’d drop all the way down to my knees as my stability was compromised at seven months pregnant. The others in my group not often needed to drop to their knees and will navigate the rapids on their SUPs simply.
The inflatable paddleboards had been nice for transporting to the put-in and from the take-out. Being capable of deflate the paddleboards allowed us to all squeeze into a big SUV on the shuttle again to the Loma boat launch.
The paddleboards had been handy for journey, however they left minimal room for storage for our in a single day provides. Anything saved on the paddleboards needed to be waterproofed as all the things was consistently getting moist.
Kayak or Canoe
Two folks in our group had been in a tandem inflatable kayak rented from Rimrock Adventures. The kayak was dropped off by Rimrock Adventures and picked up for us on the Westwater take-out ramp.
Kayaks and canoes present a way more laidback journey and a whole lot of storage. The kayak passengers weren’t uncovered to as a lot water splashing. However, there have been fewer alternatives to casually soar out and in when attempting to chill off than these of us on paddleboards.
Hardshell kayaks would work properly and supply storage that isn’t consistently uncovered to water versus a SUP. Hardshell kayaks are additionally simpler to manage, particularly within the afternoon wind.
Canoes should not beneficial for streamflow above 20,000 CFS. Between 10,000-20,000 CFS is just beneficial for extremely skilled canoeists. Canoes are greatest used when water is beneath 5,000 CFS.
Canoes can be arduous to manage, particularly with the afternoon winds. They present ample storage however make certain all the things is waterproofed in case of tipping!
Rafts
By and huge, rafts are the preferred type of watercraft to drift Ruby-Horsethief. Rafts present room for giant teams and plenty of provides. Rafts can be rented from a number of retailers in Grand Junction, CO, or Fruita, CO, with supply and choose up.
Rafts will permit the area to carry luxurious tenting gadgets like coolers, umbrellas, yard video games, and extra. However, rafts are massive and make shuttling and not using a industrial rental firm a lot tougher. Additionally, most rafts require just one paddler, which leaves others to lounge and never get the full-paddling expertise.
BFT crew member Linda rafted Ruby-Horsethief Canyon and liked the area and rest the raft offered. Her group introduced their very own rafts and had two automobiles and a trailer so that they had been capable of self-shuttle.
What to Pack for a Ruby-Horsethief Canyon Float
Below are a number of gear suggestions particular to an in a single day journey on the Ruby-Horsethief part of the Colorado River:
- Drinking water: This portion of the Colorado River is just too silty to filter, so it’s essential to pack in all your consuming water. Bring loads of water as there may be little shade and the summer time days are sizzling!
Tip: If bringing a cooler for meals, freeze water in plastic gallon jugs to make use of as ice, then drink the water because it melts.
- Toilet system: You should have a hard-sided rest room system that’s large enough to accommodate everybody within the group. Wag baggage alone should not permitted. You can discover detailed rest room rules on the allow web site. Several outfitters hire out rest room methods.
- Repair kits: The sort of watercraft your group has will decide the restore kits you want. Make certain to have sufficient to accommodate all the journey. In addition to the restore package, be sure to have an air pump to inflate the watercraft after repairs.
- Metal hearth pan: A hearth pan is required to be carried on all journeys, even when stoves are getting used for cooking. The pan must be not less than 12” in diameter with a 2-inch lip across the periphery.
- Personal Floatation Device (PFD): The rental firm ought to present an acceptable life jacket when you hire a watercraft. If not, you might be required by legislation to have a PFD accepted for whitewater sort I, III, or V. Children beneath 13 have to be carrying a PFD always.
- Spare paddle: Your group wants one spare paddle for each three low-capacity vessels, together with kayaks or inflatable kayaks.
- Throw rope: Each boat 12 toes or longer should have a throwable machine or commercially made rescue rope with not less than 40 toes of line and a horn or whistle for emergencies
- Bug spray: The bugs on the campsite throughout our journey in September had been horrible! This will fluctuate by time of yr, nevertheless it’s greatest to be ready.
For a complete information on what to pack for an in a single day river journey, try our information to kayak tenting.
4-Steps to Planning an Overnight Ruby-Horsethief Canyon Float Trip
1. Reserve a tenting allow
The entry level for this river journey is in Loma, CO, and the endpoint is Westwater, UT. Beyond the takeout is the Westwater Canyon, which requires a further allow and superior ability.
Permits are required for in a single day journeys in Ruby-Horsethief year-round. Permit reservations might be made two months upfront on a day by day rolling window. Reservations open at 8 am MST.
2. Choose a campsite
All the campsites alongside the 25-mile stretch are implausible. They every provide one thing distinctive.
At mile 13, Mee Corner is the primary of a number of campsites that may entry Mee Canyon trailhead, which presents mountain climbing and exploring alternatives.
The hottest campsites are Dog Island for a non-public island really feel and websites within the superb Vishnu schist Black Rocks part.
Your allow is restricted to the campsite you select, so you may’t simply determine if you’re on the river.
3. Reserve a rental
There are a number of locations to hire watercraft from in Grand Junction, CO, and Fruita, CO when you don’t have your individual.
Some of the rental corporations will present drop off to the Loma boat launch and choose up on the finish of the journey along with shuttle providers.
4. Book a shuttle
This is a very talked-about float journey with straightforward point-to-point logistics. We had two vehicles and dropped one at Westwater the morning of the beginning of our float.
Loma boat ramp and Westwater boat ramp are roughly 40 minutes from one another.
Local shuttles can be found when you don’t have two vehicles obtainable.
My Ruby-Horsethief Canyon Trip Report
Day 0: Drive to Fruita, CO
After driving 4 hours from Denver and attending to Fruita, CO we ate dinner on the well-known Hot Tomato Pizza and fueled up for the subsequent day’s journey.
Day 1: Loma put-in to Fault Line 2 Campsite
In the morning, we set off at 6 am to drop off one of many vehicles on the Westwater takeout boat ramp. Luckily the drive between put-in and take-out areas is just about 40 minutes one-way.
We drove to Loma put-in boat ramp and met Rimrock Adventures, who dropped the inflatable kayak and bathroom system our group rented. Many teams had been getting their boats prepared, so it was good to talk with folks in regards to the journey forward!
We loaded up our SUPs and kayak with our gear and began the journey. The views are implausible proper from the beginning!
The journey was very informal. The river stays good and extensive, and everybody can take the journey at their very own pace. Since it was sizzling, we jumped out and in of the river to remain cool. Just a few hours in, we determined to cease for lunch on one of many sandy shores. We introduced dehydrated meals since they had been the best and lightest for us to pack.
After lunch, we returned to our boats and loved the leisurely float to our campsite. At about 2 pm, the wind picked up considerably, which made the SUPs arduous to steer and transfer ahead. By then, we had been glad we had been virtually to our campsite, Fault Line 2.
I like to recommend getting an early begin and being ready for robust afternoon winds most days.
The campsites are well-marked and simple to tug into. We received on shore and had been capable of arrange tents, eat, lounge, and chill out earlier than dusk.
While Fault Line 2 didn’t have any established trails, lots of the campsites provide facet hikes and exploration. We camped on the sandy seashore and there have been a number of cottonwood timber that offered shade in the course of the afternoon.
The bugs had been horrible – make sure to carry bug spray!
Day 2: Fault Line 2 Campsite to Takeout
The subsequent morning we set off moderately early, which offered solitude on the river. It was nonetheless a bit chilly within the shade however warmed up shortly.
We pulled onto the shore to discover black rocks, which was superb to see. There had been lots of people exploring, cliff diving, and packing up campsites. Shortly after the black rocks part (mile 18.1), on river proper, is a hike to petroglyphs. I want we might have saved sufficient time to see them!
Because we explored, ate lunch, and took our time on the second day, we hit the afternoon wind once more. We all discovered it arduous to repeatedly paddle and steer our light-weight watercraft within the headwind.
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than we had been awaiting the Westwater takeout. It was very crowded, so we needed to be strategic in the place we pulled up. Everyone was unloading their watercraft and getting issues packed up and into vehicles or vans for the shuttle again to Loma.
Final Thoughts
The Ruby-Horsethief Canyon float is a implausible journey for households or these on the lookout for a calming few days out on the river. If you may, I like to recommend doing a 3-day / 2-night float so you may spend a while exploring the paths, petroglyphs, and different cool sights alongside the canyon.
Have an amazing float!
Interested in additional floating and paddling adventures? Check out these associated weblog posts:
Have you floated the Ruby-Horsethief River? What was your journey like? Is this a visit you’d be eager about doing? Leave a remark beneath!
You can see extra of Leah’s work at https://www.leahmontera.com/
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