# San Juan River Beta, Please



## gapers (Feb 14, 2004)

WHy go for just 3 nights? Might as well do 5. The best viewing and terrain comes after mexican hat. GOOSENECKS!!! That place is the shit. But the whole trip is stellar. Do the whole 84miles


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## gapers (Feb 14, 2004)

Oh and we did it at the end of june,almost july. It was easily 100 everyday with no clouds. It still kicked ass. Just a very red ass. Bring shade if ya go in the dead of summer


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## Mut (Dec 2, 2004)

Thanks for the input. I'm taking the little kids and just don't ahve time for the whole trip. 

Do you recomend Mexican Hat down over Sand Island to Mexican Hat?

Thanks


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## El quapo (Apr 14, 2006)

Mexican Hat to Clay Hills is definitely the better stretch. Great camping in the canyon.


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## watahwatah (Jul 5, 2006)

If you're only doing 3 nites, and with kids, I'd suggest the upper 1/3. Take out at Mexihat. Shuttle is a little easier too that way. The kids will have fun and never know the difference.

Say hi to Juan for me.


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## slickhorn (Dec 15, 2005)

it really depends on what you wnat out of the run. The section down to mexican hat is home to some fantastic ruins and petroglyph panels, but it's much more open that the goosenecks. 

I believe a permit is needed to hike on river left. 

below mexican hat, the goosenecks are indeed a more impressive canyon, though I don't remember much slickrock until down in oljito wash area. 

There's still good hiking, but it's more work for sure. good hikes at honniker, slickhorn, and oljeto. is there a grand wash as well? can't quite remember. 

al low flows, in a gear raft, the trickiest part of the run is navigating the silted riverbed below oljito wash. class I consequences, but class IV difficulty -- very easy to miss the channels.


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## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

Hey Mut-

I would consider hitting either stretch at close to peak flow because there's zero difficulty at just about any level; plus the time on the water is a lot shorter, which leaves more time for the incredible side hikes. We put on in the beginning of June at about 7000cfs, and it had dropped below 5K by or last day....and we were kinda missing the extra water. The first two days I barely had to put an oar in the water, while the last day required 'puttin' to' the oars to make it out before the winds got heavy. 

Either leg has its own merits, but the one minor hassle about the lower (goosenecks) section is that you have to sign up for campgrounds below a certain point. That means you'll likely have a pretty long day (mileage-wise) on either day two or three, depending where you camp. IMO the scenery is better Mex-CH, but they're both great and the River House makes the upper section way worth it. I've done the Upper once, the Lower once, and the whole trip back in '96, and they've all been fantastic.

If you do the Lower, try to get a Grand Gulch campsite- some of the best hikes are here, plus some fresh pools to swim in. 

I don't know the ages of your kids, but that factor might steer me towards the SI -Mexi section because of logistics, and they would dig the River House.

Enjoy your trip-


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## bth (Oct 31, 2005)

would there NOT be enough water for this trip in early august?


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## rock_ski_cowboy (Aug 11, 2006)

Lower part is more scenic and better camps. Slickhorn gulch is awesome as is Grand gulch. Top half is nice too. Easier shuttle. 

DO NOT do lower half in early august. Sand bars on the last day will make your life hell for rafts if you're not running on runoff. Unless you're in kayaks or canoes, then go for it, but it will be slow and tough or impossible to do in 3.


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## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Lower part is more scenic and better camps. Slickhorn gulch is awesome as is Grand gulch. Top half is nice too. Easier shuttle.
> 
> DO NOT do lower half in early august. Sand bars on the last day will make your life hell for rafts if you're not running on runoff. Unless you're in kayaks or canoes, then go for it, but it will be slow and tough or impossible to do in 3.


That's _almost_ always true for that time of year, although the first time I did it in '97 we lanched July 31st, and were lucky enough to catch a couple of far upstream rainstorms that brought the river level up to over 5k during the whole trip. (Mut- you'll remember the rainy summer that we could paddle the Animas above 1000 through the middle of September) The only downside was a flash flood on the last night that took a garbage cooler down to Lake Powell. Oops. 

So, you can get lucky with the monsoons, but don't count on it. I've also spent an hour puching my 16' cat off a sandbar in March- would've been a better canoe / sea kayak trip.


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## gapers (Feb 14, 2004)

In my opinion I would def go below mexican hat. The goosenecks are sooooo badass! We launched on June 23 last year and it was only about 500CFS,went down everyday. Still has a good current to it though. Wouldn't do it below that though. We also left early that last morning to beat winds leavin the canyon. The monster sandbar dodging was toughest though. Its the crux of the whole 84mile trip.


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## gapers (Feb 14, 2004)

Another thing that surprised us was that we were expecting a brown,muddy river. It was actually a cool greenish color. Very cool


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## tango (Feb 1, 2006)

i hiked into the goosenecks through slickhorn gulch and met a river trip at very low flow. the hike was great. very early spring, march i think. drove through a snowstorm to get there. the rafting was highly technical class 1 gearboat manuevering over sand. slickhorn is dope.


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## farp (Nov 4, 2003)

If you have kids, Sand Island to Mex Hat would be my choice. While it is a fantastic float below MH, the silted part of the river is horrific at low waters. Plus the shuttle is much easier to MH and I would imagine that you want to spend as little time as possible in the car.


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## yojimbo (Oct 12, 2003)

Bring a screen tent for the kids to hang in while you rig in case the skeeters are as bad as they were July 4, 1996. 6000 cfs. Biblically hot but awesome. I would say if you only had 3 nights and the kids are sub-teen, do the upper and relax. Easier shuttle, time to lounge, rig and see ruins, swim and enjoy it.


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## Tom Martin (Dec 5, 2004)

*San Juan Guide*

Hi Mut and all, here's a shameless plug for the new San Juan Guide by Tom martin and Duwain Whitis. It's 81/2X14, has waterproof plastic pages, has all the camps named, located, and mileage listed, with hikes, topo maps, permit info, the whole deal for $22.95. You can check it out at:

www.vishnutemplepress.com
www.rivermaps.net
Buy it at www.rrfw.org if you want your $ to help a river advocacy group. 

Have a great trip, yours, Tom


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