SAN JUAN RIVER, UTAH

Utah’s San Juan River is born as snow on southern Colorado’s Continental Divide. Bending into Utah, it meanders through sculpted, painted canyons, eventually joining the Colorado River.

It flows through desert ‘slickrock’ canyonlands. The southern bank borders Navajo land and boasts superb Indian rock art left from the Anasazi civilization. The San Juan is noted for its geologic features and ‘sand waves’ which appear to rise from nowhere due to the shifting sand on the bottom of the fast flowing stream. The lower San Juan meanders through a deep set of ‘goosenecks’, offering beautiful, deep canyon walls, excellent hiking and swimming.

Our 137 km trip will paddle through an ever-changing landscape of canyons and flood plains. We’ll pass through the famous Butler Wash petroglyph panel, which features one of the largest concentrations of rock art in the Southwest. Cliff dwellings are accessible by short hikes from the river. We may find dinosaur fossils and see wildlife. We’ll stop at Slickhorn Gulch, one of the premier side canyons along the river, with fern grottos and abundant swimming pools. The San Juan is an easy paddling trip, with current and few rapids.

Trip run in cooperation with Wild Adventures, BLM Permitee.