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Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

13 friends on 5 boats float 71 miles down Colorado's Wild River

By Stio

THE LOTTERY:

Each year, December 1 through January 31 is permit season. For a $15 application fee, you buy the hope that you'll score a river trip permit for that season. Friends often coordinate dates and locations and synchronize their applications for improved odds of ensuring a trip permit. The winner of the lottery takes the lead, picks the crew, sets the plan, and works through the logistics. Last year, my friends Steph and Nick won the lottery, and their prize was a permit for the Yampa River in July. They tagged me to be a part of their trip—and when your friends win the river lottery, you go.

THE CREW:

Trip Leaders and Boat 1: Steph, Nick and Ryan
Boat 2: Ben and his dad Pete
Boat 3: Danny, MK and David
Boat 4: Matt and Kim
Boat 5: Bryan, Christy and Kate

The Plan:

We would start at the Deer Lodge Park put-in and finish at the Split Mountain take-out some 71 miles later. Our permit was for June 30 through July 5, a total six days with one layover day. Layover days are a rare bonus on the Yampa, so we were elated to have scored one—especially one that would align with one of the most stellar campsites on the route.

The SPIRIT OF THE Yampa:

The Yampa River gets its name from a group of Snake Indians, the Yamparika, or “yampa eaters.” Yampa refers to the roots of the Periderida plant, which is native to the region and was a staple crop for the Snake Indians. Explorer John C. Frémont was among the first to document the name “Yampha” during an expedition west in the 1840s.

In the 1960s, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation developed plans to flood both the Yampa and Green River canyons and create the Echo Park Dam. Thankfully, environmentalist opposition stopped the dam and kept the Yampa River free-flowing. Within the Colorado River system the Yampa is the last "wild" river, the only major tributary without a single dam along its course.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Rig your RAFT and Relax

After a five-hour drive from Jackson, we pulled into Deer Lodge directly behind a rainstorm. As the skies cleared we unpacked the trucks and started rigging up the boats, each boat captain applying their time-tested approach to preparing their rafts for the journey ahead. It’s amazing how much gear you can carry with five rubber vessels. With beers and an endless supply of NRS straps in hand, we played a game of boat Tetris, trying various combinations and techniques to fit everything aboard. By dark, we were prepped and ready. Dinner was served, tents went up, and we relaxed by the fire, excited to get on the river after months of preparation.

The Gear

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Day 1 - The Beginning

We woke to overcast skies, lowered our boats into the water, and pushed off around 10am. The river would be our home for the next 6 nights. We drifted through a grassy landscape and were slowly engulfed by canyon walls. After Anderson Hole, the first Class II rapid of the trip, we pulled over for lunch and explored Stubbs Cabin, an old historic building in disrepair with its original stove and cabinets. Later that afternoon, we floated toward our first campsite. The rain arrived just before we did, and we scrambled to seek refuge.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Night 1: Tepee Campsite

The skies cleared as dusk crept in, and we began to dry out and unload the boats. A few of us hiked the canyon wall above our campsite and enjoyed views of the valley and river below. The sun set as we scouted the next day's rapid, another fun and easy Class II.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Day 2: Tepee Rapid

Rapids for breakfast: a great way to start the day! We took a few swigs of whiskey and readied our rafts. Nick and Ben jumped in the ducky and led the way, targeting and treading some rocks on the river's left side. The rest of us floated through the rapid without incident, and we were off towards the Harding Hole campsite.

At lunch we ate delicious wraps and spent an hour wandering up the nearby canyon. As we explored the hidden confines of Dinosaur National Monument, the feeling of being deep within such a pure and remote environment started to sink in. Saddled between the desert borders of Colorado and Utah, Dinosaur has minimal access points and zero cell service. After a few days on the water the never-ending flow of the river and the sound of rushing of the rapids has replaced the vibration of a cellphone or the chime of a new email.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

HUNDREDS OF WATERFALLS

Another afternoon storm hit us hard right before the Harding Hole campsite. More intense than yesterday's rain, this storm rolled in with winds that at times felt like they were pushing us upstream. But in this desert environment, a rainstorm feels less like an inconvenience and more like a unique moment in nature. As the storm built, the rain formed hundreds of waterfalls off the steep canyon walls which was a spectacle to watch.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Day 3: Layover Day at Harding Hole

The best part about a layover day is once camp is set up, you have a full day to explore and relax in your surroundings. For our group that meant a later-than-normal wakeup and short day hike up Bull Canyon Trail to the Wagon Wheel Point overlook. The hike was a pleasant way to stretch the legs after many hours behind the oars, and the overlook provided a humbling reminder of the magnitude of the canyon we were traveling through.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Day By the beach

After our hike we relaxed into full vacation mode and enjoyed the kind of beach paradise you can only create with fully stocked rafts. Costumes came out, games were played, and we dined like kings and queens.

As dusk set in, a distant storm sent thunder ricocheting off the rock walls. After dark we wandered around the beach playing bocce with glow-in-the-dark balls. As a full day came to a close, some of us tiredly moved towards our tents, and others chose to sleep under the stars.

Suggested beach games:

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Day 4: Signature Cave

We packed up our camp, crossed the river, and hiked ten minutes to the Signature Cave. Etched on the cave wall are the names of many of the river’s early explorers.

In 1928, A.G. Birch was one such explorer to run this unmapped stretch of the Yampa. Along with three others, including photographer Charles E. Mace, the inexperienced team sank one boat and abandoned the other at Echo Park. Birch’s stories and Mace’s images of their disastrous trip would later go on to inspire one of Colorado's best summer tourism activities. A year after the troubled 1928 voyage, Vernal’s Bus Hatch was one of the first outfitters to guide paying clients on an adventure down the Yampa.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

GRAND OVERHANG and Tiger Wall

Day 4 would snake us through a twisting canyon that held some of the most spectacular vistas of the trip. Two such attractions were the Grand Overhang, where the river tucks boaters underneath a 1,000-foot cliff, and the Tiger Wall, which is covered in with black strips of desert varnish. It's a river tradition to kiss the Tiger Wall for good luck at the upcoming Warm Springs rapid. We leaned off our rafts and touched the striped wall with our lips.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Warm Springs Rapid

Formed after a 1965 flood, the Warm Springs rapid is the biggest and newest rapid on the Yampa. Two submerged boulders spin the current backward, making this the highest-consequence rapid of the trip. We stopped just above the rapid to scout, then one by one ran it without incident. With the most challenging water behind us, we relaxed and pulled into the sandy beach of Box Elder campsite for night four.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Day 5: Echo Park

As we merged with the Green River, the Yampa's brown silt-filled water swirled with the clear dam-controlled water of the Green. Wild rivers like the Yampa move much more than just water. Sediment carved from the canyon helps build habitats for plants and wildlife. We viewed Petroglyphs at the base of Steamboat Rock and stopped for lunch, filling our water jugs at Echo Park. Taking a short walk to Whispering Cave, we enjoyed the cool temperatures inside and shimmied between the cracks in the cave walls as far as our nerves would allow.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Jones Hole on The 4th of July

Arriving at our last camp, we decorated the trees with red, white and blue and ate burgers and brats in celebration of America's birthday. It was our 5th day of the trip, and we settled into our relaxing routine. We cooled off in the water and found a nearby stream to fish. But just as life on the river had begun to feel like the new normal, we knew it was almost time to steer back home. We cherished our trip’s last naps on the shore and nights by firelight.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Day 6: The Final Day

We arrived at Split Mountain campground and the end of our journey. We divvied up our gear, deflated our boats, and loaded up the trucks as the bittersweet feeling of our trip's end began to sink in. The life of a river runner involves work, but the views, culture and excitement fuel the fun and have an addicting aftertaste. We enjoyed another great meal, played more camp games, and did our best to finish the remaining beer.

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Trip Report: A Week On The Yampa River

Map of our River Trip

Footnotes

Words and photos by Danny Holland with support from Steph Buelow

FootNotes

Words and photos by Danny Holland with support from Steph Buelow

© 2026 Stio

STEPHEN SHELESKY

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