by Julie Trevelyan

Spring Time Wildflowers

Where can you find the funnest, most rapid-y whitewater rafting in the springtime? Or the most classic views of southwestern canyon country scenery? How about water that begs to be played on in inflatable kayaks? On one of these four river trips, with Holiday! Each trip offers something unique and not-to-be-missed.

Yampa River

The last undammed river in Colorado River system, the Yampa is one heck of a wild ride. Springtime trips are virtually guaranteed to see plenty of big water as the snowmelt roars downstream. What does this mean for you, the intrepid river rafter of the Yampa? Way more fun than you can shake a stick at!

Yampa River Rafting

Cataract Canyon

During springtime flows, the waters of Cataract Canyon are big, bold, and bodacious. Winding directly through the heart of sublime Canyonlands National Park, this river raft adventure is what rafting trip memories are made from. Hop aboard and see for yourself why this famous canyon echoes with exhilarated hollering on its thrill ride whitewater sections.

Cataract Canyon River Rafting

San Juan River

Rafts and kayaks both offer lively entertainment on the San Juan. With the water dropping eight feet for every mile, this is the fastest-moving river Holiday runs. Ancient Puebloan petroglyph panels adorn some of the canyon walls, and crumbling ruin sites prod the imagination to wonder what life was like here a thousand years ago or more.

San Juan River Rafting

Desolation Canyon

In search of big, roller coaster style rapids? Deso, as it is affectionately called, has those in spades. Although more than 60 rapids grace the waters of Desolation Canyon, they are more moderate, which means this is a great family trip. This part of the Green River is also notable for its burst of springtime wildflowers, which add great bits of color to the already stunning red canyon walls.

Desolation Canyon River Rafting

Written by Julie Trevelyan.

Julie is a freelance writer and wilderness guide in southern Utah. She especially enjoys books, coffee, yoga, wild country, horses, and dark chocolate.

By Joe Ballent

Dave, Joe, Noel, Malia, Sandy & Jesse

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 stunning Desolation Canyon with an extraordinary group of kids.  Although these kids come from many places, the unifying element in their past is that they’ve all been treated for severe burn injuries at some point in their lives through the University of Utah Hospital Burn Unit.  There are varying degrees of injury; some of the kids have a single skin graft on an arm or leg, while others have significant scarring over much of their bodies.  Counselors on the trip range from local SLC firefighters to Burn Unit nurses and psychiatrists to volunteers.  Holiday guides serve as para-counselors, gaining the cherished experience of getting to build individual relationships with these kids that have become, out of necessity, much more aware than the average teen about things like pain, life, and death.

Brad Wiggins ~ Photo from Burn Camp

For six days, the kids get to enjoy long days on the water, trading stories and going on side-hikes.  Water fights are something of a legend at Burn Camp, and have been known to reach near-apocalyptic levels at times; particularly when the firefighters get involved.  After all, these guys know how to aim a fire hose, so maximizing efficiency in blasting others with water buckets is second nature to them.

The campers are involved in the trip process itself, fostering a sense of ownership and pride.  It isn’t a luxury cruise; kids fire-line literal tons of heavy gear on and off of the boats, help cook extravagantly delicious meals, and tend to camp logistics.  Late nights find the campers trading stories and jokes around a fire.  Burn Camp staff dedicate at least one night to a therapeautic sharing circle centered around burn stories, the emotional ramifications, and a general atmosphere of deep sharing.

Nothing requiring so much coordination as this spectacular adventure can be done without a tremendous investment of time and self.  The man behind it all is Brad Wiggins, lead nurse in the Burn Unit in Salt Lake City.  Brad’s charisma, passion, and energy are contagious.  From the moment he sets foot onto the mosquito-riddled shore of Sand Wash at the trip put-in, he gushes enthusiasm and joy.  Joy to be with kids he and others have seen recover from and defeat the crushing lows of life-threatening and life-altering burn injury… joy to be on the river, navigating rushing rapids… and joy just to be around people he loves.  Brad’s commitment to Burn Camp spans over two decades, and manifests year-round in the numerous and intimidating fundraising and logistical undertakings of his that make the Burn Camp wheels turn.

Brad on the Oars

For seven years now, the chief fundraiser has been the Burn Camp auction and dinner event. As a co-sponsor, Holiday River Expeditions has the privilege of sending representatives to the event (usually our Operations Manager, Tim Gaylord, and guides or other folks that have been involved with the program in some way over the years.  A Holiday River Expeditions trip is also auctioned off, along with impressive items that span a wide range of interests; a drum head autographed by seminal punk rock band Blink 182, a day of paragliding, a kayak, a guitar signed by Megadeth, numerous spa packages, romantic weekend getaways, ski weekend vacations, beauty and health care products, all the way down to simpler tastes like candy or restaurant deals and coupons.  There’s something for everyone; and the fun is in seeing how great of a deal you can get while knowing every dollar goes to a worthy cause.

I was lucky enough to guide on the Burn Camp trip for three years; three years that changed my life.  It gives me great pride to be involved with a company that is integral to such a morally praiseworthy and admirable cause, powered by compassionate people and their tireless energy.  This ongoing nature and its strength speak to the personal nature of small business and whitewater adventure.  It’s our hope that this has given you another snapshot of the spirit of the company that is, above all, dedicated to giving you a special and unforgettable experience on the river.

Joe Ballent found the river- or it found him –when he was only 16.  He began guiding with Holiday in 2008 and has enjoyed the unique privilege of getting involved with Holiday’s youth trips, including the University of Utah Hospital Burn Camp program.  His writing has been featured on various outdoor online communities including mountaintechs.com and backcountrybeacon.com.  Joe works with troubled teens full-time but manages to find trouble around the country and world in his freetime.  He is an outdoorsman by trade, a romantic by choice, a guitarist in a band, and an outlaw in Europe.

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 others seek accommodations in the town of Green River itself.  A staff-recommended location is the locally known and respected River Terrace Inn.  It’s hard to beat for convenience and proximity; the Inn is located directly across the street from the Holiday River Expeditions warehouse, where you’ll meet your guides, get your gear, and prepare to journey down the river.

In addition to boasting river-front property along a tranquil and scenic section of our town’s namesake, the River Terrace Inn is closely tied to the local economy thanks to local ownership.  None of what you spend on a delicious dinner at the Inn’s restaurant circulates back to a corporate giant; it stays behind to feed this small, hidden community that supports and facilitates whitewater adventure.

Did we mention the food is delicious?  And your room comes with an extensive and inclusive breakfast (though frankly, you may still be full from your last expertly cooked meal on the river if you’re staying at the inn post-trip).

This gem of the deep desert reflects an obvious pride in ownership that functions on a personalized, individual level to help make your connection with the desert a more intimate one.  Such pride is also readily apparent in Holiday’s workings, and unfortunately rare in circles of big business.  Part of the reward of your river trip is an escape from the franchised; an embrace of the unique.

Even if you find you overpacked for your river trip, fear not; The River Terrace Inn features oversized rooms that beg you to sprawl, roll, snooze, and generally spread out.  If you still have antsy river legs and need to move about, try exploring the Inn’s beautiful gardens, or hopping on the nearby I-70 to head next door to Moab.  A quick and scenic 45-minute drive pays off with shopping, petroglyphs, stunning sandstone vistas, and more.

A whole-hearted endorsement still can’t substitute for your own gut instinct.  We encourage you to check out the River Terrace Inn yourselves, even if it’s just for dinner next to a sleepy section of the river.  You may find yourself as drawn as we are to this locally owned and cherished oasis in our vast desert, where adventure awaits you at every bend of the river.

Joe Ballent found the river- or it found him –when he was only 16.  He began guiding with Holiday in 2008 and has enjoyed the unique privilege of getting involved with Holiday’s youth trips, including the University of Utah Hospital Burn Camp program.  His writing has been featured on various outdoor online communities including mountaintechs.com and backcountrybeacon.com.  Joe works with troubled teens full-time but manages to find trouble around the country and world in his freetime.  He is an outdoorsman by trade, a romantic by choice, a guitarist in a band, and an outlaw in Europe.

I feel I have to drop a quick line to express our thanks to Holiday River Expeditions for the wonderful work your people did to make our trip truly exceptional. It is rare these days that things exceed expectations but and we had a fantastic time. I would especially like to thank Sean and Julian as these guys are consummate pros. They blended the right mix of knowledge of their craft, technical skills, communication skills and out right effort to make our trip the special long weekend that it was. I truly believe that they are tops in their field. Congratulations on finding a couple of extremely hard working guys that were really easy to get along with. Please let their boss know that I’ll be recommending to my network of friends and colleagues that they call you guys up to book their next vacation, and that I’ll be advising them to request Sean and Julian as their guides if they can.

4-day Moab Westwater Bike/Raft Combination trip
G. Poole ~ Ontario, Canada

By Noel Gugliotta

I had the incredible opportunity to be a guide for a touching trip that Holiday helps sponsor every year called Burn Camp. In partnership with the University of Utah Burn Center, Holiday River Expeditions escorts a group of teenagers that have experienced severe burns to their bodies on a 6- day trip down Desolation Canyon.
The Green River is a force. It is powerful beyond imagination. I thought I understood the might of the Green River after my first trip down the river with Holiday River Expeditions. In many canyons throughout Utah, like Lodore and Grey Canyons, it is easy to visually see how the constant flow of river has affected the landscape. Scrapes and shrubs on various horizontal heights in many places give clues to the rivers daunting and impressive past. While the Green River may deviate in an occasional bend or meander it only flows in one direction, down towards the ocean. I am sure we have all had points in our lives when we felt that our lives were going in a similar direction, minus the magnificent ending in the Gulf of Mexico.

For 6 days I got to watch and listen to the kids that participated in Burn Camp become engulfed in the non-visible, nearly spiritual force of the river. Each one of their lives had undoubtedly been challenging as a result of their burns. I would not doubt that they thought that their everyday scenarios, such as going to school and attending to their wounds, would ever change direction to something slightly less physically and mentally draining. But for those 6 days every single one of those kids, within the confines of the endless blue sky that seemingly shoots out of the canyon openings, opened themselves up. They experienced their burns with each other and seemingly came to the realization that they weren’t alone. Instead of watching the river from the safety of the boat, they jumped on in and felt HOW FREEZING IT WAS!! (…and wanted back in immediately!!!) Instead of listening to their group leaders wishes to not get wet, they all secretly conspired together and attacked communally to get them DRENCHED instead of wet. They got together in group every night and shared their stories; laughing unanimously at the humorous parts. In rapids they held onto each other in excitement all while having the biggest smiles I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

River Guide ~ Noel Gugliotta

They, with the canyons, animals, and plants, let the river take control for those 6 days of their lives and the outcome was truly magical.

By Noel Gugliotta

“If there is magic on this earth,
then surely it is contained in water.”

- Loren Eiseley
The Immense Journey, 1957

by Joe Ballent ~ Holiday River Expeditions Guide

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” Edward Abbey, champion of the American Southwest, conveyed this and many other thoughts through his evocative writing. This quote embodies the heart and soul of Holiday River Expeditions. Every time I hear the words of Abbey, or just walk across the boatyard at the Holiday base, I am reminded of this simple, inherent truth, the vitality and rejuvenation offered by a day on the river, and how it all started for me: with a simple youth group trip.

At the age of 17 I happened upon a unique opportunity to do a youth rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. I loved every minute of it… from rapids, to wildlife, to relaxing lunches in the sun, and returned each of the following two summers. At 20 I began working for Holiday River Expeditions in the gorgeous south Utah desert and haven’t wanted to be anywhere else since. It’s been an incredible experience to come full circle and go on several youth trips myself, now as a guide, whether it be a daily trip on the Green River with Boy Scouts or a Church group on the playful Colorado River Daily, or a multi-day trip with families or high schoolers through spectacular Desolation Canyon. It has been a unique privilege to pass on this special experience, and to be able to work for a well-established outfitter, operating since 1966 with an outstanding record of safety and customer service, not to mention high-caliber guides.

Not everyone who goes on a youth rafting adventure is overwhelmed with wanderlust and becomes a rafting bum, but in my humble opinion everyone should at least experience a day on the river. It’s so much more than a time and place, it’s a mindset. Who knows? It could change the course of your life forever. At the very least, you’ll be left with spectacular memories…

Will fits right in on the "kid boat"

The guides were amazing! Jessica, Will, Julian, and Brian made the trip FUN while keeping us safe at the same time! KUDOS to them!!!   Holiday River Expeditions put on an amazing river adventure for our group of 21! The guides were friendly, FUN, experienced, knowledgeable, and most importantly, they kept us safe on the river. The food was tasty. The campsites were well maintained. The kids had a blast. We can’t wait to go again next year!!!

The Van Alsburgs ~ Arvada, CO

Autism Mom's River Trip

I was very late getting my information in and Tammy was amazing at helping me out!  Best trip I have ever been on.  Lauren and Lexi were my guides and I was in awe that skinny girls like that could be so tough!  I am so glad they were with us, a great team and very fun to be around, and also very serious about safety.   I felt at ease with them and smiled with them a lot. Hilarious.   The hikes were outstanding.   I am not much of a hiker but I was so excited to see petroglyphs because I haven’t seen them for over a decade.   The food was absolutely outstanding!   I don’t even know how you guys pull it off.   Avacado and asparagus and frittatas?   Totally insane!   Delicious and so nutritious at the same time.   Transportation was a bit tight.   We had every single seat filled and bags up to the brim.   But it was a n ice van for sure.   I loved my trip so much.   Changed my life!   I have never experienced something so awesome in all of my travels!   My guides were so fun to be with,  and so knowledgeable at the same time.   Lauren and Lexi, you made my entire year and made my few days with you completely stress free.   I don’t know how you both pulled it off but I will never forget how great my trip was for the rest of my life.   The river changes you.   I can’t wait to come back down the river with you guys.   I am itchin’ for the river and that red rock.   ~ D. Powell  Erda, UT

The line-up

From the Thompsons  Midvale, UT   -  3-day Westwater Canyon   “40 odd years of experience really shows with your fine-tuned outfit! Nothing was over looked which led to a perfect 3 day experience on Westwater. “

From the Alexanders  Sunnyvale, CA -  4-day White Rim Trail  “Canyonlands and the White Rim Trail is an adventure we consider repeating because of the awesome beauty and great mountain bike riding.”

From G. Fisher  Arvada, CO  – 5-day Desolation Canyon  ” Phenominal everything!   One of the best 5 days of my life! Great food prepared by 4 great people who steered us like true pros down a wonderful river to see beautiful flora and fauna. What could be better!“

River Guide Alex Jahp

From the Aldrich Family   Claremont, CA   – 4-day Lodore Canyon  “Jordan and Peter were excellent guides, cooks, interpreters, and fun. The food was excellent and all transportation was timely and efficient.   The Gates of Lodore trip was fantastic and was better than we had anticipated thanks in large measure to Jordan and Peter our guides as well as Tammy back at the office. The Green River itself was just the right mix of fun rapids and slow beautiful scenery and geology.”

Hansler-Texter Group

From D. Hansler   Eugene, OR  – 6-day Cataract Canyon  “I want to compliment you and Holiday and all our wonderful guides for your knowledge and expertise and commitment to oar-powered trips through Cataract.  I do not think we would have been happy with any other outfitter–Holiday was perfect for our group of accomplished river rats and fishermen.“

Green River through Desolation Canyon

Originally posted in 2008, now June 2012 and the Green River has been listed as one of the top 10 Endangered rivers, #2 in fact.

Please join us, Utah Rivers Council and America Rivers to help protect the Green River

If you have taken a trip with us in the last four years on the Green River then you were most likely petitioned to fill out a card and express why you think the Green River should be added to the Wild and Scenic River status. Easy to do when you have just come off a trip on this magnificent river. We then gather and send them off to our Governor in hopes that someone is listening! Our founder, Dee Holladay is the force behind our continued activism towards the protection of the resources we share with our guests. It is his passion, our company’s mission and a vision we hope to share with all of you.

In a statement by the Utah Rivers Council:

Support Utah’s Wild and Scenic Rivers, especially the entire Green River!

Green River through Lodore Canyon

Wild and Scenic Rivers status protects rivers from new dams and diversions…forever. In addition, the outstanding values for which Wild and Scenic Rivers are designated – from historical sites to recreational activities to wildlife habitat – are protected. Despite the fact that Utah has amazing rivers, ranging from serene flat water to raging rapids and from high mountain streams to rivers passing through a red rock world, Utah has absolutely zero Wild and Scenic Rivers.

By the end of this year the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service will be making their final recommendations about which of Utah’s outstanding rivers should become Wild and Scenic Rivers, including the Green River, Colorado River, San Juan River, and Logan River.

The BLM recently released a plan that proposes a 40 mile stretch of the Green River just north and south of the town of Green River should not become a Wild and Scenic River. Please speak out against this travesty and encourage our decision makers to urge the BLM to recommend the entire Green River and the rest of Utah’s outstanding rivers becoming Wild and Scenic Rivers.

For the most recent information and press releases check out:
Utah Rivers Council protect – restore – explore

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 noticed by groups like the The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, Cloud Ridge Naturalists and Audubon. Every year we take these groups’ members and supporters down the rivers of Colorado, Utah, and Idaho to truly understand the precious resources that are cradled in the river ecosystems.

Dee and Sue Holladay

Desolation Canyon on the Green River in Utah is the kind of place you read about in great literature. Spectacularly deep–deeper than the Grand Canyon in some places– and surrounded by more than a million acres of wilderness, “Deso” is isolated, but not desolate. For centuries, many cultures like the Ute Indians and Fremont Culture called it home. The area is rich in the most amazing flora and fauna you may ever see. From lush green forests to pristine rivers that flow through deep gorges and canyons, this region sings. It is a breath of fresh air from the mundane 9 to 5 city world that most of us live in these days.

Come and run the river with us this year on one of the thrilling whitewater rafting trips like Desolation Canyon. This particular trip is 5 or 6 days and is safe enough for children ages 5 and up. A few of the highlights are a 30 minute downhill hike from the canyon rim to the whitewater rafts located at the river bottom. This fun and exciting white water rafting trip will include unforgettable rapids like Steer Ridge Rapids, as well as canyon camping along white sandy beaches.

As we continue through spectacular Desolation Canyon, we discover petroglyphs left by ancient civilizations. Here we can also view Rock Creek and McPherson Ranch where legendary Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stayed while hiding out from the law.

Each meal the guides prepare delicious meals for all, and the food is always top notch. Our seasoned guides are experienced and Holiday River Expeditions is known on the river for its safety record. Our gear is clean, new and kept in excellent working condition so that your river and wilderness experience can be memorable for all the right reasons.

Memories are waiting to be made on one of our amazing whitewater rafting trips this year and we don’t want you and your family to miss out. Holiday River Expeditions has trips for everyone, so be sure to check out our mountain biking trips, bird watching trips and multi-sport trips. There is so much fun waiting for you and your family this year so sign up early before your favorite trip is full.