San Juan River 2024

We put in at Sand Wash near Bluff, UT, and floated to Clay Hills.

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20240516

Steve Levinger picked me up at my home in Longmont. We loaded the rafts of his trailer then drove to east Golden to pick up Chris. We drove into a traffic jam just east of the I-70 hogback due to a fatile accident. It took over an hour before we found free road to continue traveling west. Reaching Grand Junction we picked up Neil. Just west on I-70 we encountered a single car accident but passed it quickly. We reached Bluff, Utah, about 7:30PM enjoying a good meal at the Comb Ridge Cafe.

Steve and I shared a room at the Recapture Lodge in Bluff.

20240517

Up at 6AM, I have a breakfast and coffee at the Recapture Lodge. We picked up Neil at 7:30AM and made our way out to Sand Island. The next several hours was spent setting up boats and loading gear. Brad and K. too over an hour longer than the rest of us. At noon we set off down the river.

There are 13 boats all of which are rafts except for two kayaks and one pack raft. Somebody joked about the fact that we're an independent bunch since there are only 14 of us on the 13 boats! I took my 13 foot NRS oar frame raft.

Our first stop was at the 'Moki' steps near river mile 2.5. It turns out there are a number of steps cut into the rock face in this area. One theory is that there is a nice place to camp/live near the top.

Brad and Kevan. found themselves stuck in the shallows. I held back waiting for Brad and in one case tried pushing with my boat to help free him. Claire had jumped out of her kayak to explore briefly up Brush Creek. Brad and I pulled over just as Claire emerged, so we headed on downstream to join the rest of the group at the Brush Creek Petroglyph panel.

Sadly for me, the group consensus was to skip the Desecration Panel. We stopped and hiked over to the River House ruins for a quick look as Chris had not seen them. Then it was the last push to the Chinle Wash campsite on the Navajo side of the river.

Claire, Dave and I took a short walk to some collapsed cabin above the Chinle Wash campsite in the process stumbling across some wild turkeys. They turkeys later landed at the top of a cottonwood tree near where Claire and Dave were camping.

Turns out that the people responsible for the goovers didn't bring toilet paper. A quick talley of people that had brought some suggests there is enough for the group. We may purchase some at Mexican Hat.

20240518

Fortunately this morning there were enough people interested in taking the hike up Chinle Wash that it happened. I'd never been before. I would say it's one of the highlights of the upper section of the San Juan. It's worth obtaining a Navajo permit to explore this area.

We came across many donkeys including a couple of young ones. Right after the barely flowing creek turns from the south, there is what are thought to be a series of granaries high on the Wash wall. Some have wood with mud chinking. Slightly further up the wash and almost under the granaries are some unusual petroglyphs (baseball man). We crossed the shallow wash scaring a frog in the process and then climbed up onto a flat area. It was hard not to step on pottery shards as we crossed this area to reach some possible dwelling regions in stone alcoves. I'd like to return to this area to explore the dwellings and head further up the Chinle Wash.

Once back at camp, we climbed into our boats. Along the way we stopped briefly at Lime Creek. This the infamous (for me) campsite with the late night flash flood from several years prior with Roger Faaborg's trip. We rounded the corner and soon found ourselves at the Mexican Hat campsite on the Navajo side.

I took a short hike before dinner. Cresting one of the ridges formed by the dipping beds, I startled about 6 white tailed deer who quickly bounded down river and out of site.

20240519

The Mexican Hat campsite on the Navajo side has no redeeming qualities other than affording terrific views of the Mexican Hat formation across the river. It's small with very limited tent sites. The BLM side has dirt road access. So several vehicles came and went. One couple spent the night.

On our way to the town of Mexican Hat, Steve encouraged us to look back up river to see the Mexican Hat formation. I was glad for that as I've never thought to look over my shoulder here before.

Five river miles later and a short rapid at Mexican hat brought us to a pullout on river right just after passing underneath the highway bridge. A 200 meter hike up a steep dirt ramp and through a latched gate brought us to a hotel and small shop. We filled up water at a spigot of the hotel with the sign "private water use only". Steve purchased toilet paper at the shop and others purchased an assortment of food and ice cream before we climbed back in our boats to continue. This stop location is much more convenient for topping off water than using the normal boat ramp and hiking up to the convenience store on the highway.

We wound our way back and forth through the Goosenecks. The wind alternated at our backs and in our faces. We became very spread out at one point. Steve had us pullover to discuss whether to proceed and we all agreed to press onward to Honaker.

Once at the campsite with my tent pitched, Claire as me to join her to hike up the Honaker trail. By now it was 6:30 (It'd had been a long rowing day!) and dinner was going to be served soon. But we headed off anyway getting almost to the lookout. In fact, just below it we got off the trail walking a short distance to what turned out to be the cliff overlooking out camp. Everyone looked so small. The wind was howling, but we shouted and waved and a couple folks waved back. It had taken us 1-1/2 hours to make the round trip. Looking up at where we'd yelled down appeared shockingly close.

20240520

The first Honaker campsite is large with plenty of tent sites. The morning view through the tent (without the rainfly) of the canyon wall across the river greeted me as I awoke at 6 AM. I broke camp and packed it as every morning first thing. Then it was to look for Bob and Julie's abundant coffee.

The groover is filling up. While enjoying the view of the river from the throne I spotted a beaver working it's way up the farside slipping out to chew of things.

A short distance downriver several of us spotted a waterspout. I concluded it must be merging of air flowing downriver and and air flowing upriver. It spun feriously to a height of a few feet above the water for almost a minute before moving onto the river bank and dispersing.

We floated a number of short rapids today with some more enticing drops. I managed to surf three times with the raft. Davel Neff was surfing one and invited me to join him saying it was big enough for the two of us. The raft stuck nicely about 3 meters down river from him.

The InReach weather report forecast 18mph winds starting around 1PM. We arrived the the Ross campsite about 11:30 and decided to stay for the night.

Dave, Claire, Julie, Bob, and I with Steve leading scampered up the Ross ravine as far as we could. We reach a point with a dry pourover pool and a cliff face to steep to pass. Just above the first pouroff of the ravine on the left side is a plack to Mr. Ross. He's is known for the many years he spent in the San Juan valley. I was told he started a rafting expedition company.

The Ross campsite has plenty of sandy tent sites. Today it was on the hot side and very very winding with dust blowing dramatically.

I found a nice place 150 meters downriver to take a proper bath.

20240521

This was my morning to prepare breakfast. Chris helped immeasurably. Turns out he as a short order cook the Packard Diner in the MSC at CU while attending college there.

The wind blew from the moment of our launch onto the river continuing most of the day. We stopped to scout Government Rapid; the only class III rapid. Everyone completed the run successfully. This group demonstrates good river skills.

We arrived at the Silkhorn C campsite a short while later. Tonight Steve set up a the fire pit and Jack and Chris entertained us with the guitar and singing. For those that made it till the moon rose, they howled at it like a pack of wild dogs.

20240522

This morning we enjoyed another unique and delicious breakfast along with coffee. Then most of us headed up Silkhorn canyon for a short walk and exploration. There were a couple of deep pools where a couple folks jumped in.

Upon launching the water level had risen submerging a sandbar just downstream and the wind was at our back - a great start to the rowing day. We traveled into the early afternoon before stopping at Castle Wash. We ate lunch in the shade of a dry undercut 200 meters up Castle Wash. A small group of us walked a little over a mile up the wash to a confluence with another wash from the east before stopping to turn around.

One member of the group had pushed rapidly ahead and was not seen at the turn around point. Two of us, myself being one, continued up the wash to find him. We met him after about a quarter mile and returned to the San Juan river and our boats where the others were waiting.

A mile and half rowing the San Juan brought us to our last campsite at Steer Gulch for the night of the trip and the last campsite before the Clay Hills takeout. Steer Gulch is a small takeout and campsite. It was difficult to wedge the ten rafts into the available space. Campsites were limited so we became either packed into close proximity or scattered down river.

Two members played guitar and sang songs again to the delight of the rest of us. Chris strung some lights and we chatted until the moon rose.

There was a slight altercation between a couple of the members. Maybe some folks are reaching their tolerance limit for others.

20240523

This is our last day on the San Juan. We mustered an earlier than usual start which turned out to be good because the wind definitely whipped up on the push the Clay Hills. The river level was mercifully high keeping us floating over any hidden sandbars.

I found the trip most enjoyable. Geez there is mud and sand throughout everything, but that's the San Juan river for you! The company was terrific and everybody worked together wonderfully. We were gifted with great weather, no bugs, and an abundant rising water level. The timing for this trip was perfect!