A Float Down the Colorado River!

We were boondocking at the Glen Canyon Recreation Area in Arizona and while we were taking a nice hike we saw a few kayakers floating by on the Colorado. We asked if there were any rapids between here and the Dam about 15 miles upriver. They said no rapids at all and the float was fabulous. Back at the camper we looked at our trusty Gazetteer for a point to launch our kayaks from near the dam. Did not figure that there would be no access to the river up canyon but that is what having very tall cliffs on both sides of the river will do. No access. We asked a few locals about this and they said you have to hire a backhaul boat for a ride up the river to be dropped off. $80 apiece later we were on our way for the float of a lifetime.

Turns out that Lee’s Ferry is the takeoff point for the rafting trips that head down toward and through the Grand Canyon for 2 or 3 weeks. Very interesting that this placard said once you leave this spot there is no exiting the river for many days or weeks. Also notice the pack it in, pack it out statement. To think of carrying all your “waste” in a bucket for weeks with no place to empty. Price of doing business we supposed.

This large group was just about ready to go. I am sure the guides have lots of experience in fixing any problems that arise during such a trip.

A few very excited kayakers cruising up river in a backhaul boat. The trip up the river took about 25 minutes. The guide said the river current was somewhere around 5mph this time of year.

Our guide up the river could have dropped us off at petroglyph beach but said that most boats that bring tourists up river stop there so it is usually crowded. He said he knew of a beach nearby that has petroglyphs and graffiti left by some 19th century explorers. He dropped us off there with instructions on how to find the historical rock art. It was a bit of a hike in our water shoes but kind of worth the effort.

Not the most exciting petroglyph we have ever seen but cool to know there were humans 1000s of years ago making graffiti in the area.

Laurie is champing at the bit to begin our epic 11 mile float.

You would not know it from this vantage point but we are in Horseshoe Bend floating by all the gawking tourists above. We even had a shouting match, with echoes included, with some of the tourists above. The next pic shows the view from above where the tourists are watching us.

I stole this picture from myself as we took it from the touristy area above Horseshoe Bend back in November of 2018. The caption on the photo in our blog back then stated “We actually saw a few kayaks floating by on the mighty Colorado. We could not imagine floating along through this awesome canyon” Guess we do not need to imagine floating the river here anymore. Folks we talked to about doing this float said while you are kayaking along one bend looks just like the next and they were correct. Without the screaming tourists above, we never would have known we were there.

As this was typical of our views all day long you can see why there are no access points for cars to drop off kayaks or canoes.

Check out the sheer size of the vertical cliff face as Laurie shows off her paddling skills.

We took a breather to take in the scenery and apply some sun screen. What a relaxing time to be alive!

Over the 4 hours or so it took us to float to Lee’s Ferry we did pass a number of nice looking beaches and figured one of them would scream “eat lunch on me”.

We finally found a nice sandy beach with a bit of shade for our overheating bodies.

Looks as though we might fall over a waterfall up ahead but, just an illusion of sorts. So pretty.

Found some wild horses on our float. Seems as the best place to see wild horses (The Rolling Stones would say they would drag you away) is on the remote river banks of major rivers. We saw some on the Green River in Kentucky a few years back whilst floating along.

As the day wore on and the sun exited its noontime overhead position, we found the cliffs provided us with a bit of shade if we paddled near one of the banks. We have found the jagged cliff walls or nearby mountains in the southwest create a fabulous visual effect when their peaks collide with the ultra-blue sky.

When we neared our pull out spot at Lee’s Ferry we could not believe there were already two more trucks filled with gear being unloaded for the next group of intrepid rafters ready to launch off into their Grand Canyon floating excursion.

Although it was not quite 118 degrees outside, more like 100, we had never seen our truck register such a hot temperature. Hard to believe it is mid-October and it is still this hot.