River Currents Blog

River Currents is a blog open to many voices that have had a connection with the river and our trips. You’ll hear the voice of veteran river-runner and Holiday founder Dee Holladay, the voice of guides whose lives have been shaped by their time on the river, and guests who bring the perspectives that remind us why we’re still making these trips happen 45 plus years later. You’ll also hear from our regular blog contributors, Peta Owens-Liston, Joe Ballent, Derek Farr & Julie Trevelyan.

Category Archives: Community Events

The magic of Burn Camp and the man behind it, Brad Wiggins

By Joe Ballent One of the most unique privileges I got as a guide for Holiday was to work the University Of Utah Burn Camp trip.  Burn Camp is an experience that is difficult to put into words, but I’m going to try. Each summer, Holiday River Expeditions sends a chartered, six-day trip down the … Read more

Please, if it’s not too late, make that a Cheeeeese Burger

Ray’s Tavern By Joe Ballent We just finished unpacking our latest trip, and I’m famished.  Well, as famished as one can be after eating gourmet steak-and-potatoes feasts, lasagna, and other of the finest culinary concoctions you’ll find on any river in the world.  Holiday’s guests eat like royalty on the river, but that doesn’t mean … Read more

The River Terrace Inn – Local Flair for Grand Adventure

By Joe Ballent Every journey has a starting point, and the river is no exception.  Once you’ve found your way to the beautiful and desolate southern Utah desert, you may need a place to stay before or after your whitewater trip with Holiday River Expeditions.  Some may drive in from neighboring Grand Junction, Colorado, while … Read more

Holiday employee founds new exchange program between the US and Chile to teach young kayakers about the value of free-flowing rivers.

Susan Munroe, company driver and blogger, spent the last off-season in Chilean Patagonia, writing about controversial hydroelectric development in the region of Aysén, Chile. A foreign multi-national corporation has proposed to build five mega-dams on two rivers and construct a 1,600-mile-long transmission line to carry the energy to the center of Chile. One of the … Read more

River Currents Blog: Profiles Sean D’Amboise

“Westwater’s back!” Sean shouts into the bunkhouse as he sprints past, rousing the warehouse staff from late afternoon naps under the swamp cooler. No one needs to be told twice; we all know the routine, and understand that unloading and cleaning up after a trip is a team effort. And on Team Holiday, Sean D’Amboise … Read more

River Currents Blog ~ Supporting Local Farmers

By Karen Johnson Crenshaw, Canary, Ogen, Israeli and Rocky Sweet are a few of the more obscure melons you’ll find in the Melon capital of the world….Green River, Utah.   Holiday River Expeditions supports and buys local from Dunham Melons and Green River Produce from the time the annual harvest begins. During the second week … Read more

Our Commitment to the Environment

Holiday River Expeditions from the beginning has been active in promoting environmentally sensitive business practices. We are constantly striving to raise the bar on what we expect from ourselves as expedition operators in the wilderness as well as in our operations at the office and in the warehouse. Our commitment to the environment has been … Read more

Your Next Adventure – Holiday River Expeditions’ Kayaking Workshop

By Kenzie Comstock In addition to its many varied white water rafting trips, Holiday River Expeditions has a six-day kayaking workshop. This kayaking workshop is spent in the canyons of the Southwest. You first meet at Green River, Utah to embark on your trip. This kayaking school is not for the faint of heart; you … Read more

Dinosaur National Monument Quarry Set To Reopen

After waiting for years the Dinosaur National Monument visitor center is now back in business!  Many of our guest visit the quarry and visitors center before or after their Yampa River or Lodore Canyon trips.   It’s a family favorite!  The Utah Tourism Board and Utah.com recently published this article in the Utah Travel Headlines. From … Read more

Holiday River Expeditions participates in the Utah MS 150

On June 25 & 26 our team rode in memory of a special river friend who dedicated a large part of his life working to help those with Multiple Sclerosis. Tim Paine worked passionately for the cause. He served on the board for the Utah MS Society and rode in 20 consecutive Utah MS 150 … Read more