Stand-Up Paddle Boarding & Yoga in Labyrinth Canyon

Labyrinth Canyon – one of the most serene places on the planet. What’s better than a day of hiking through the glorious side canyons peppering this stretch of the Green River? How about five days of floating, stand up paddle boarding, practicing yoga, and exploring this magical place? Labyrinth Canyon boasts one of the calmest sections of the Green River, making it a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Recently, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) took additional steps to protect the cultural sites, riparian zones, and tranquility that comes from non-motorized travel surrounding Labyrinth Canyon. Find out for yourself what makes this section one of the most appealing river floats in the area!

While the gentle flow of the Green River puts you at ease, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to work up an appetite and let out energy with daily hikes, paddling inflatable kayaks or stand up paddle boards, and of course, daily yoga sessions! The scenery will take your breath away. Shades of red and orange rock appear to erupt out of the river and climb vertically to tower above you. A lush riparian zone with large cottonwoods and willows offers shade along the many side canyons you may explore. And then there’s the river history you’ll see as well! Ranchers and homesteaders called these canyons home for several years while early river runners etched their markings into these canyon walls, too.

Autumn is a special time to visit Labyrinth Canyon with perfect temperatures and large, sandy beaches for nights around the camp circle. Spend your days learning to stand up paddle board, paddle an inflatable kayak, or simply kick back and lounge on a raft in between hikes. When we make camp, yogi extraordinaire, Jennifer, “Fur,” Gilmore will guide you in gentle, beach front yoga sessions each day!

What makes Labyrinth so special? Check out our Insider’s Guide.

Green River, Utah: Things to Do and Places to Explore

Featured Review:

“This was my first commercial raft trip. It was well-planned, and yet spontaneous! The philosophy of being in the moment seemed to be at the heart of everything we did. Our guides offered a morning “quiet float” where we just sat on the rafts and pondered our experience. This was one of my favorite moments. Each evening we were provided an educational moment about the night sky (which was incredible because of the lack of light pollution) and I learned more on those five nights than my previous 35 years of sky watching. The amount of work the guides put into our adventure was astonishing. This company truly gets what it means to have a river “experience,” not just a vacation. Oh, and the food was great!” (Forest Jordan)

Holiday appreciates that Southern Utah’s canyon country was home to Indigenous people and cultures long before our modern society existed. With respect for these people, Holiday acknowledges that the Green River and Labyrinth Canyon area are the traditional homeland of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) people. Read more about our land acknowledgements here.

Book This Trip

Trip Overview

Type:
Wellness
Location:
Canyonlands National Park
Length:
5 Days
Dates:
September 23-27, 2024
Meet at:
Green River, UT @ 7:00 pm (night before the trip)
Difficulty:
Beginner
Min. Age:
12
Deposit:
400

Highlights

Flat water ideal for stand up paddle boarding and inflatable kayaking
Stunning red and orange canyon country
Daily hiking opportunities showcasing grand vistas and river runner history
Brilliant dark skies showcasing the Milky Way and summer constellations
A hidden treasure in the heart of the Colorado Plateau

Getting Here Before You Go Packing List FAQs

Rates & Dates

Itinerary

Just north of Canyonlands National Park, Labyrinth Canyon guides the Green River gently south, winding through Navajo and Wingate sandstone. Float past the confluence with the San Rafael River and deeper into designated wilderness. This is a calm float through abundant, arid beauty and wide open spaces for night sky viewing. The take out point for Labyrinth is at Mineral Bottom, just a few miles upstream of Stillwater Canyon and the national park boundary.

Sample Itinerary

Please arrive at our headquarters in Green River, Utah the night before your trip to attend a 7:00 p.m. pre-trip orientation meeting. We’ll get you set up with your dry bags, and collect any personal beverages you’d like to bring. Your guides will review trip details and answer any questions you have. Our warehouse store will be open for any last minute purchases (see our packing checklist for items you can pick up in Green River).

Day 1:

Meet back at our warehouse bright and early (meeting time will be set at the meeting the night before). Depending on the river’s flow and other factors, we may start our trip just across the bridge at the Green River State Park, or we may travel a bit farther south to put in at the iconic Ruby Ranch. Our trip will start out with a leisurely float as we get to know each other and learn the ways of the river. We’ll likely camp on a sandy beach with a pre-dinner yoga session!

Days 2–4:

Mornings start with hot coffee and breakfast. Indulge in a gentle wake up meditative yoga session before floating downstream. With each mile the surrounding cliffs become more dramatic. Hikes include wandering along the ephemeral stream that flows at the bottom of Three Canyon, and climbing to the saddle of Bowknot Bend, where the river travels in an eight-mile loop only to return to within 100 yards of where it started. Check out historic inscriptions in several places. Find markings left by Norm Nevills, Buzz Holmstrom, the Kolb brothers, and the elusive French-Canadian fur trapper, Denis Julien. From camp, relax by the river’s edge, participate in another gentle yoga session, or take an exploratory hike before dinner.

Day 5:

Enjoy one last morning of coffee and breakfast on the river. We’ll float the last handful of miles to the take out at Mineral Bottom, with one more stop for a short hike at Hell Roaring Canyon. The drive out of the canyon from Mineral Bottom is absolutely spectacular, as we climb up a series of steep switchbacks that were literally carved out of the canyon wall! We’ll aim to be back at our Green River warehouse between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Please keep in mind that this is a sample itinerary and may not be the exact trip you will experience. You may go on different hikes and explore slightly different parts of the canyon. This is just meant to give an idea of what the trip will be like. It could also be exactly what you do. Keep an open mind, be flexible, go with the flow, and enjoy!

One of the advantages of a river trip is the flexibility of the daily itinerary. It can vary widely from one trip to the next based on group desires, campsite availability, Mother Nature, and courtesy for other groups on the river. This sample itinerary illustrates a trip through Labyrinth Canyon on the Green River: one of the most spectacular canyons within the Colorado Plateau!