Desolation Gray Family Trip - Trip Report From Andrea
Date of Trip: July 20-29th 2026
Names of Participants: Andrea, Jessica, Marvin, Eli, Iliana, Hazel, Adeline, Fiona, David.
Location/Section: We rafted the permitted section from Sand Island Boat Launch to Swasey’s Boat Ramp—96 miles over nine days.
Along the way, we made some incredible stops that aren’t marked on the map, including:
- An old miner’s trunk tucked away in a wedge of rocks
- An impressive turtle-shell fossil
- A hidden granary
- A hike up the Rincon, where we got to see the arch
- The beautiful bluff overlooking Three Canyon
There’s always something special about exploring beyond the map and discovering the hidden history and treasures tucked throughout the canyon.
It was super hot, but what a treat to be on the river! We had three boats and nine people for nine days on Desolation Canyon.
We couldn’t carry enough water for the entire trip because it was so hot. Instead, we settled our water with a Water Wizard. It worked great!
We saw lots of desert bighorn sheep, including ewes and babies, as well as quite a few beavers. We even spotted one small bear cooling off on the beach as we floated by.
We leapfrogged with a ranger who had two close encounters with large bears. He said they were so hot that they barely gave him the time of day!
Along the way, we visited many of the classic sights, as well as some less commonly seen treasures. We stopped to see some very old tools and a trunk hidden beneath a boulder. We also saw the turtle-shell fossil, which is always impressive. Of course, there were plenty of petroglyphs and pictographs, and we even found a small granary tucked away beneath an overhang.
One of the most memorable moments came with an important reminder about desert flash floods. A group had camped in the drainage of Cedar Ridge when the canyon flashed. I’m not sure of the whole story, but they passed us later and told us how frighteningly fast the water came rushing out of the dry wash and how powerful it was. There was nothing they could do but watch as their gear was tossed around in the floodwaters.
Thankfully, everyone was okay and they didn’t lose any gear, but they learned an important lesson: Don’t park your boats in a dry wash, and never set up your kitchen or camp in one! They were very lucky.
One of the best parts of the trip for me, was watching my two daughters row the entire canyon for the first time. They were amazing and had super-good lines through every rapid!
The next best part was sharing the trip with four of my grandkids. One of them even turned six during the trip, so we had a little birthday celebration on the river!
Deso is such a wonderful river for taking your family and sharing a love of rivers, adventure, and the great outdoors. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip!