# San Juan sand island to Mexican hat at LOW flow



## superpuma (Oct 24, 2003)

Go for it. Low and slow but fun!


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## Rhays (Mar 29, 2017)

So it’s still worth going?.....I haven’t run it below 600 before. 

We’re taking our dads (68-71yrs old) down the river for their first multi-day river trip......just want to make sure we can still make it a good time for everyone. 

Any other tips, tricks, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks in advance!


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## portermoab (Sep 20, 2017)

Definitely worth going. Just took my folks down for their first trip as well. The only suggestions I have are to make sure everyone has long sleeve sun shirts and big hats, and understands it's going to be roasting. Umbrellas or biminis on the boats will make the trip much more enjoyable. You absolutely need a shade tent/wing for camp. Think about evening shade when choosing camps...some of them roast until very late in the day. Encourage dads to get in the water every once in awhile and soak (stop so they don't have to climb back in the boat)...even though, if they're like my dad, they'll tell you they're fine/not too hot. Make sure everyone is drinking plenty of water. 



You'll have a great time.


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

We just got off, take out @ Mexican Hat 6/16. We launched at 500 cfs and it dropped to 380 cfs by Saturday. It was boney but float able. Overall a good trip.

The rapids were tight and required maneuvering, lots of rock gardens and sleepers. We had to get out of rafts a few times each day to drag off unseen rocks or to walk the boat through tight rock gardens. No Z-drag needed but we were close a few times.

Water depth was averaging about 24" overall. You could wade across almost anywhere. Many sections with less than 10" of water on the last day, my boat dragged bottom a lot but made it though. Flows are low enough on the last day to need constant rowing. Averaged about 2 miles per hour.

Pack light, keep everyone within site and be ready to do some pushing and you should be OK. Take extra rope, the beach is a long way from the trees.

Ditto on the long sleeve, frequent swims and shade. 120 degrees on the ramp made loading hard work. A damp terry cloth towel worn like a cape will do a good job of cooling. Get up early and row as much as you can before Noon. Set up chairs and umbrellas in the water for breaks.


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## moeburton (Jul 13, 2007)

I will be interested to hear how it was. I have a 4th of July with at least 1 16" and 4 passengers, two adults, and two small kids. I have been down a number of times, although not at this low of a flow. I think we should be fine from my experience and what I am hearing from others.


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## Rhays (Mar 29, 2017)

Thanks for all the feedback. 

We’re goin’ for it! 

I really appreciate all the details (and encouragement). Will definitely pack light, bring Bimini’s, and pleanty of water. Thanks for the tips on long sleeve shirts, sombrero hats 😉 etc. 

Any recommended campsites for low water?.....or sites to avoid?

Any other tips or suggestions?

Kengore.....how were the bugs?

Thanks again.


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

We had no problems with bugs on our trip. I slept in the open most nights without a tent.


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## sparcaspen (Jun 6, 2010)

*San Juan*

Pulled off on Saturday... under 500 a couple of days.

Easy to read the sandbars the last couple of days, which minimized boat dragging. We had 16 people in total.

We had 9 kids, and it was great - very safe. The downside, was the "slow" flows prevented us from getting to camp early and exploring.... we kind of felt like we needed to get a move on to make it to the next camp.

No bugs anywhere. Slept outside 4 of 5 nights. 

We had a great trip.


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## BlueRiverKarenSue (Jun 24, 2011)

You can run it! We had similar flows in April. It's just a little bony....  Have fun!!!!!


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## CBow (Aug 26, 2007)

Ran it from Mex hat to clay hills at 380 cfs in late April. Government rapids is not runnable at this level. We and everyone else had to line our boats down. The river below Grand Gulch was tricky to avoid the numerous sand bars. Lots of getting out to push off the slightly submerged sand bars. The channel to the boat ramp at Clay hills had like 2 inches of water in it and we could only float to within 100 feet of the ramp, then carry everything from there. Lot of work. I personally would not do it at that level again. But hey, thats just me. Have fun.


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## Hunderman (Dec 27, 2013)

FYI, low water isn't anything to be worried about, especially on the upper. Also, Navajo started releasing an additional 100 cfs at 1AM on Sunday (6/25/2018 )


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## sjnovak3 (Jun 17, 2004)

FYI I'm also increasing another 200 cfs tonight, which will hopefully get there by Thursday or Friday. It's hot and dry, diversions are higher than expected. Trying to get flows at Bluff back above 400 at least.

Susan
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Susan Novak Behery, P.E.
Hydraulic Engineer
Reclamation
Western Colorado Area Office
Durango, CO
[email protected]
970-385-6560

For Navajo Reservoir Operations and information, visit
http://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/nvd.html


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