2025
May 25-29 Contact for Availability
5 Days /4 Nights
Trip Price $2299
Pair with a Lodore trip for a 9 day adventure!
Rafting guests welcome
Difficulty: big water Class II/III
Distance: 71 Miles
Raft Support: ARTA River Trips*
I can’t even express enough how amazing the whole Yampa/Ladore adventure was with you! Your energy, enthusiasm, skill, experience, professionalism, safety ethics, and contagious love of fun…all are world class. I am thrilled to see that the DAK legacy is in such perfect hands! I hope I still have the energy to try and keep up with you on another adventure some day! 😄❤️
When it comes to desert free-flowing rivers, the Yampa is at the top of almost everybody’s list. The Yampa is the last major free-flowing tributary in the entire Colorado River system. From its origins high in the Rockies the Yampa flows uninterrupted for nearly 300 miles down forested slopes and through sandstone canyons to its confluence with the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument. Our trips travel the last 46 miles of the Yampa and another 26 miles of the Green.
The striking light coloration of the Weber Sandstone cliffs dominates your surroundings and gives you a very Grand Canyon-esque vibe. Unlike its committing neighbor, however, the Yampa has the views without the consistent chaotic whitewater. The Yampa is mostly placid but occasionally erupts into chaotic stretches of whitewater, including the formidable Warm Springs. Below the confluence with the Green, the combined rivers flow through Echo Park and the beautiful Whirlpool Canyon before making a wild dash through the numerous rapids of Split Mountain Canyon.
The side canyons and hike accessibility from camps allow you to thoroughly explore the nooks and crannies of Dinosaur National Park that few have seen. On our hikes, since we arrive in late spring we see smattering colors of wildflowers at every turn. A speckled desert landscape you will want to fill your photo albums with.
Pre Trip Meeting We will meet at Dinosaur Inn the evening before our launch date to go over trip logistics and set us up for the following day. You will bring your kayaks and paddles to the pre-trip meeting to be loaded up and transported to the put-in by the guides. All rental bags or boats will be available to pack or outfit before the following morning.
Day 1 We will re-convene at the Split Mountain Boat Ramp in Dinosaur National Monument, your Lead Guide will give you directions and timing at the pre-trip meeting. We will load up and take a 2 hour bus ride into Colorado to our actual launching point at Deerlodge Park in Dinosaur National Monument. Along the way we will stop for a restroom break and a last minute drink supply at a liquor store in Colorado. After a thorough safety briefing and trip orientation, we will launch in the morning and float into the Yampa canyon.
Days 2 – 4 A typical day on the Yampa starts with coffee and a hearty breakfast before we pack our bags and suit up to go kayaking. We will float an average of 15- 18 miles each day, stopping for lunch and a possible short hike. There are rapids every day; the biggest, Warm Springs, usually comes at the end of day 3. Camp will be made in the late afternoon with early evening available for hiking, swimming or relaxing.
Day 5 An early morning prepares us for our longest day on the river as we float through Island and Rainbow Parks then run the many rapids of Split Mountain Canyon. We usually arrive at Split Mountain Boat Ramp around 3:00 on the last day.
