Lodore Had Water - Trip Report from Andrea
Date of Trip: August 12th-16th 2026
Names of Participants: Andrea, Patty, Lee, Janet, Creed, Dan and Bob
Location/Section: Gates Of Lodore to Split Mountain
We’ve been a little behind on sharing our trip reports, but we’re thrilled to share this wonderful report from Andrea!
Andrea is always off on a spectacular adventure, and we’re so grateful she comes back to share her experiences, knowledge, and expertise with us. This time, she took us along on a memorable trip through Lodore Canyon on the Green River.
We were lucky enough to go down the river while the Flaming Gorge Dam was releasing significant water, so we had excellent levels in this otherwise low-water year!
We had a great group and some of the most beautiful camps: Pot Creek, Rippling Brook, Jones Hole, and Big Island.
This was the first time I had ever seen the water crystal clear! I’m sure it was due to the water coming out of the bottom of Flaming Gorge Dam. It was both a treat and unfortunate.
The weather was quite nice. We had light rain on the first day and rain every night except the last night. The rain made for a cooler trip than usual for this time of year.
We scouted Disaster, Triplet, and Hells Half Mile, which all have a certain pucker level, but aren’t as rowdy as they look because the water wasn’t very pushy. We all had good runs...upright and in the boat!
The group got along famously, and we enjoyed each other’s meals, company, and knowledge. There was only one person who had never been down before, and she really got the best of Lodore. Our collective knowledge made for some great exploring, sights, and discoveries.
We saw bighorn ewes and lambs daily, but only one ram the entire trip. We also saw Golden and Bald Eagles, Ospreys fishing, and Peregrine Falcons catching fish.
We hiked to Winnie’s Grotto and Ely Falls, AKA Butt Plug Falls, and we also spent some time soaking in the Warm Springs.
It was a busy trip, and we met some great commercial guides from Sherry Griffin out of Moab. We also ran into a wonderful family from Utah, and we shared some scouts with them. People on the river are just so friendly and kind. I mean of course they are; they’re on the river!
I had forgotten how absolutely beautiful that section of the river is and how the first few days have some busy water!
The best part was actually just having an invitation on this hard-to-get-on river. The permit holder had a last-minute cancellation with the best camps, and we got to go!
A huge thank-you to Andrea for sharing her trip, photos, stories, and expertise with us. There’s nothing quite like getting to experience these incredible places through the eyes of someone who knows and loves the river.