LGBTQ+ Lodore Canyon Sober Rafting Trip 2024

Our LGBTQ+ Sober Rafting Trip

Join Holiday in partnership with The Venture Out Project (TVOP) for our third intentionally sober LGBTQ+ rafting trip. This is one of our three LGBTQIA+ affinity group offerings in Lodore Canyon this year! In our fourth year of collaboration with TVOP, we’ve got you covered – TVOP’s amazing facilitator staff help provide the perfect balance of structure and free flowing time on the river, while Holiday guides bring the river and trip experience – interpretation, trip logistics, delicious meals, and just about anything else you could dream of! Relax and unwind with other guests in a substance free wilderness setting. The LGBTQIA+ community has a long and often overlooked relationship with the natural world, and we’re here to help change this perception! Our affinity trips are a chance to reclaim a long-standing and meaningful connection to these wild places while experiencing a world-class adventure vacation. This 4-day adventure is the perfect length and pace of a trip to disconnect from the “real world” & relax into a deeper sense of yourself and the natural world around you.

Dinosaur National Monument is home to Lodore Canyon on the Green River; whether you’re already a geology fan, or new to the world of rocks, the geologic features here will stun you! You’ll find yourself constantly scanning as we make our way through Lodore Canyon where brilliant vermillion cliffs are speckled with vibrant green trees, the sky shines bluer than you’d think is possible, and the river runs crystal clear. Everywhere you look, there’s something amazing to take in! After navigating Lodore Canyon, we’ll arrive at Echo Park, once destined to be submerged underwater during the dam building frenzy of the mid 20th century. Floating down river we’ll move through Whirlpool Canyon, Island Park, and Split Mountain Gorge, each with unique character of their own; like all of us! These rivers have rich biodiversity and are are great places to spot big horn sheep, peregrine falcons, osprey, and bald eagles. And if that’s not enough, look up at night into a starry canopy evoking wonder and awe.

Whether you come as a group or come on your own, you’re sure to leave this trip with several new adventure friends! We can’t wait to meet you in this intentionally sober, safer, queer space!

Vernal, Utah: Things to Do and Places to Explore

*This trip is intended for LGBTQIA+ identifying adults 18 and over. While you do not need to live a sober lifestyle to join this trip, the trip itself is a sober & substance-free space. If this isn’t the type of trip you are looking for, please check out our other Lodore Canyon affinity trip offerings. If you have any questions regarding this or any of our affinity group trips don’t hesitate to call our administrative office & ask for Lauren!

To register for this trip, head on over to The Venture Out Project’s Trip Sign Up page to get started! We can’t wait to float with you!

We acknowledge the Indigenous inhabitants of Lodore. In an effort to end the erasure of the traditional inhabitants of the land through which we travel, Holiday acknowledges that Lodore Canyon is the homeland of the Eastern Shoshone people and the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) people. We honor and respect these people, and continue to develop our land acknowledgment initiative. Read more here.

Book This Trip

Trip Overview

Type:
Rafting
Location:
Green River - Dinosaur National Monument
Length:
4 Days
Dates:
July 23-26
Meet at:
Vernal, Utah @ 7:00 pm (night before the trip)
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Min. Age:
18
Deposit:
400

Highlights

Intimate canyons lead you through a geologic time warp
Thrilling, technical Class III & IV whitewater
Fellow queer & trans soon-to-be friends
Wilderness rafting trip with fully catered amenities
Dive into the heart of Dinosaur National Monument
Find your authentic wild side within an intentional & sober venue

Getting Here Before You Go Packing List FAQs

Rates & Dates

Itinerary

The Green River slips through the imposing Gates of Lodore, into the heart of Dinosaur National Monument in northwestern Colorado. At Echo Park, the Green meets the Yampa River before descending into Whirlpool Canyon and across the state line into Utah. It meanders through the idyllic Island Park, and then ducks into Split Mountain Canyon for eight more miles of rapids before washing up at the Split Mountain boat ramp, our take out for this adventure.

Sample Itinerary

Meet your guides, TVOP facilitators and peers at our headquarters in Vernal, Utah at 7:00 p.m., Mountain Time, the night before your trip. There, Holiday guides will issue your waterproof bags and you can buy any last minute items from our accessories store at this time (see our packing checklist for a list of items you can find at our store). TVOP will faciltate introductions before we hit the road bright and early the following morning!

Day 1:

Get to know other trip participants on the three-hour drive from Vernal to the put in at Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge. Pass through the dramatic Gates of Lodore and watch the natural world transform around you. Winnie’s and Disaster Falls are the first major rapids we’ll navigate: a fun taste of what’s to come.

Day 2:

We’re fully in the high desert country of the Colorado Plateau now! Wildlife sightings are often plentiful as we make our way through this canyon. The rapids get more exciting as the canyon walls narrow: Harp Falls, Triplet Falls, and Hell’s Half Mile will all be a treat today. Hike at Rippling Brook and discover an intimate grotto waterfall.

Day 3:

Converge at the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers at Echo Park, the canyon widens and the river circles Steamboat Rock. After looping around the ‘boat’s’ nose, the river cuts through the dramatic Mitten Park Fault and enters Whirlpool Canyon. The afternoon may be spent at Jones Hole Creek, a world-class trout hot-spot with side canyon petroglyphs and waterfalls.

Day 4:

Catch a few more rapids as you exit Whirlpool then enjoy a peaceful morning in Island and Rainbow parks before entering another massive gorge. The river’s powerful forces cut laterally through Split Mountain’s uplifted and colorful core. Run Moonshine, S.O.B., Schoolboy, and Inglesby rapids and slide into the take out between 2:00 – 3:00p.m. Our expected return to our headquarters is about 4:00 p.m.

Please remember, that this is a sample itinerary and may not be the exact trip you’ll experience. Lodore Canyon offers many options and each trip may feature different highlights. This is just one possible itinerary. Keep an open mind, go with the flow, and enjoy!

One of the best parts of a river trip is its flexibility. Weather, assigned campsites, river conditions, and countless other variables mean that every trip is different. This sample itinerary illustrates one possible four-day trip through Lodore Canyon.