The Ultimate Canyonlands Adventure
March 21, 2018
For millions of years the earth has been patiently shifting, layering, and eroding to create a brilliant, wild region known as the Colorado Plateau. This region, often called “Red Rock Country,” spans 130,000 square miles of the arid west. There’s simply no better place in the world to get your adventure fix.
With so many National Parks, Monuments, and high adventure activities, it can be hard to know where to begin planning your trip to the region. That’s why we’ve created some specialty trips that pack maximum thrill and exploration into just a few days.
Our White Rim Trail-Cataract Canyon mountain biking and river rafting combo trip through Canyonlands is the epitome of high-adventure touring on the Colorado Plateau.
The Terrain
The same set of forces that have created the many visual wonders of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks have also made them perfect rock climbing, hiking, river rafting, and mountain biking terrain. Deep, winding canyons cut through layers of sandstone, carving river channels, buttes, pires, and slot canyons. The White Rim Trail and Cataract Canyon are two of the most impressive, and most famous, examples of this geography.
On our trip you get to combine these two famous adventures into one trip. Begin with a sixty-five mile ride from mesa top to river bottom, following the White Rim Road through the “Island in the Sky” district of Canyonlands. Then, get off your bike and push onto one of the most beautiful stretches of the Green, which will eventually take you to the river’s confluence with the Colorado River. Past the confluence you will experience world-class rapids that rival those in the Grand Canyon.
From the tops of cliffs to the bottom of canyons, you will see everything on this trip. That includes the stars. Canyonlands has been dubbed a “Dark Sky Park” by the International Dark Sky Association, so you can spend your nights drifting off, staring at the Milky Way or some of your favorite constellations.
In Cataract Canyon you can find the cultural remnants of Ancestral Puebloan people. If you get antsy, there are endless, epic side-canyons to explore between biking and rafting. When you’re getting worn out and the end of the day you can cool off on some of the river’s sandy beaches with your favorite beverage.
The Logistics
With Holiday’s experienced, friendly guides at your side you don’t have to worry about fixing a flat or navigating the class VI rapids.
All across the White Rim Trail Holiday will provide a support vehicle that will carry food, extra water, and all kinds of supplies for bike repair/maintenance. You can wake up to scrambling bacon and pancakes in the morning, and refuel with hearty, healthy dinners each night, all made by our culinary-expert guides.
On the river, you can learn about rowing technique and local lore from a seasoned river runner. There’s nothing quite like going down the river “the Holiday Way”. For over 50 years, we at Holiday River Expeditions have been dialing in our logistics so that we can provide a seamless, fun, and safe adventure that honors and protects the living ecosystems through which we travel.
The Wonder
It’s our mission to provide you with more than just an exciting adventure. We want to give our guests a rejuvenating, centering, and mind-expanding journey through some of the greatest wonders of the world.
During our White Rim Trail-Cataract Canyon combo trip, we give our guests an opportunity to meet their growth edge. Bike up the 1000-foot inclines, or get off and walk. Wake up early and meet the sunrise with some yoga, or sleep in a bit and wake when the coffee is ready. We believe in going with the flow, from high water rapids to trickling streams. Whatever level of challenge you want, we will help you find it.
Check out our schedule to see when you can hop into this unbeatable, multi-sport trip. It’s the best way to celebrate the warmer weather and kick off the summer adventure season!
Easton Smith is a Local Wasatch Front resident and writer. He spends his time community organizing, rock-climbing and playin’ some mean banjo. For more writing from Easton, check out his organizing collective’s blog “Brine Waves” here or stay tuned for future loggings in River Currents.