Moab Women's Adventure: Hike and Raft in Southeast Utah

The Trip

Moab’s unique combination of beautiful red rock scenery, two national parks, and the allure of the Colorado River has made it one of the top adventure destinations in the West. We put our favorite activities and SE Utah highlights into one amazing week and want to share them with other adventurous women. This is summer camp for grownups, only with better food and no tents.

With two national parks within easy distance of our house, the hikers in our group will be in heaven. Arches and Canyonlands are filled with geological eye candy, giant sandstone formations, and stunning trails. The iconic Delicate Arch Trail will be a highlight of our time together. Standing 65 feet tall, this natural arch always inspires.

Rafting the Green and Colorado rivers will take up two days. We’ll run the Colorado first to get a taste of river time and easy rapids. Later in the week, we’ll try the larger rapids of the Green. We’ll plan to visit the John Wesley Powell River Museum and learn about 19th-century exploration of the West and river-running history. 

The views from Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky district will have everyone wishing they had a better camera! Each turn of the trail affords a different perspective on this spectacular mesa and its sheer cliffs. On our way out to Canyonlands, we’ll take a brief detour to Dead Horse Point State Park. We’ll explore the ecology of the high desert while admiring the gooseneck of the Colorado River 2,000 feet below the trail.

With views of the red cliffs surrounding Moab, our cozy lodge on the outskirts of town will be home base for the week. Everyone will help pitch in with kitchen duty. Generally, breakfasts and dinners will be at the lodge. We’ll pack picnic lunches some days, and try out a few of the local restaurants. 

While we have a busy itinerary, this is a great trip for adventurous beginners. Each activity is optional, and many have components with varying degrees of difficulty. For instance, when we’re on the river, you’ll have a choice of kicking back on the oar boat and birdwatching or trying a stand-up paddleboard. 

Our days will vary considerably, and there will be time for relaxing, reading, checking out the works of local artists, and browsing Back of Beyond Books and Moab’s famous Rock Shop. In the evenings, we’ll enjoy casual conversation, games, and some short videos. After time spent exploring, we’ll learn about threats to Utah’s wilderness and efforts to protect it.

This is a perfect trip for moms and grown daughters, college friends who haven’t vacationed together in years, or a week out with the new friends you’ll meet.

Day 1: If you’re flying in, we can pick you up from the Grand Junction airport. The group meets in Moab by late afternoon, giving us ample time to settle in, meet everyone, and prepare dinner.

Day 2: We’ll visit Arches National Park and hike to Delicate Arch as well as other arches and geological oddities. During our time here, we’ll discuss the history of the park and the challenges facing the National Park Service.

Day 3: River time! We’ll spend the day rafting the Colorado through Castle Valley. With such distracting scenery and geology, it’s a good thing the rapids are easy. Everyone can try the kayaks and stand-up paddleboard. Depending on the weather, some of us may go for a swim. Lunch will be picnic-style on a beach. 

Day 4: The group will journey to Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park where we’ll explore the trails and learn more about the Colorado Plateau and its water issues. In Canyonlands, we may split into two hiking groups so that the eager hikers can get a good workout.

Day 5: Today our group heads to the Green River. Here we’ll visit the John Wesley Powell River History Museum and relive the exciting journey of this early explorer. Not too far from the museum, we’ll put in on the Green River and run eight miles of fun Class II+ rapids through Gray Canyon. Bighorn sheep and birds of prey are fairly common here.

Day 6: This day the group will have the chance to return to Arches and do some hiking at Devil’s Garden. Folks will have an opportunity to pick a short or longer hike ranging from 2.1 miles (Pinetree and Landscape arches), 4.2 miles (Arch to Double Arch), or up to 7.3 miles if folks want a round-trip adventure back the primitive trail. Although it's more challenging than our other hikes, the out-and-back hike to Double O Arch is popular and offers incredible views.

Day 7: Everyone packs up and enjoys one last breakfast together. Staff will provide transportation to the Grand Junction airport. 

This itinerary may be modified, depending on the weather, guest speaker availability, and group inclination, etc.

The hiking and rafting activities are easy to moderate. Many of the hikes involve uneven, rocky terrain, and moderate elevation gain. The pace can be adjusted to suit group preferences.

Getting There

The trip is based in Moab, Utah. We will provide transportation from the airport in Grand Junction, Colorado to our lodge and to all daily activities on the trip. 

By air: Grand Junction Regional Airport, located 113 miles from Moab, offers non-stop flights to five different cities and hundreds of connecting destinations. 

By car: Moab is located 233 miles from Salt Lake City, 353 miles from Denver, and 467 miles from Phoenix. 

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

A variety of room configurations in the lodge offer flexibility to accommodate individuals, couples, and friends who are sharing our adventure. Bathrooms will be shared. 

We will try to accommodate dietary restrictions if possible. Please let the leaders know of any restrictions, aversions, or allergies. Meals will generally include breakfast and dinner at the lodge, with lunch and snacks fixed "to go" each day. Participants will assist with cooking and kitchen clean up on a rotating basis.

Trip Difficulty

The hiking, rafting, and kayaking activities are easy to moderate, and the pace can be adjusted to suit the group. Many of the hikes involve some elevation gain and steep, rocky trails. Each person needs to be in basic good health, so we can all enjoy our hikes and paddling time. Participants are encouraged to walk, hike, and exercise in preparation for the trip. Professional guides lead the Green and Colorado whitewater trips, which include rapids up to Class III. Separate liability waivers are required for the rafting trips.

Equipment and Clothing

No special equipment is required for this trip. All gear for the river trips, including personal flotation devices (PFDs), will be provided. The weather at this time of year can be unpredictable. Most likely we will experience warm days and chilly nights. Layers and good rain gear are essential. Binoculars are recommended for bird and wildlife viewing. A list of appropriate clothing and personal gear will be sent to all participants after acceptance on the trip.

References

• Abbey, Edward, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness.

• Grace, Stephen, Dam Nation: How Water Shaped the West and Will Determine Its Future.
• Williams, Terry Tempest, Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert.
• Stegner, Wallace, Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West.
• Zwinger, Ann, Run, River, Run: A Naturalist’s Journey Down One of the Great Rivers of the West.

Conservation

The Colorado Plateau and southeast Utah face many conservation challenges in the 21st century. During the course of our trip, we’ll talk about such issues as the (mis)management of public lands, industrial tourism, water shortages on the Plateau, the Colorado River Compact, ORV impacts, oil and gas development, invasive species, and efforts to protect Utah’s remaining wilderness.

We will also discuss the work that the Sierra Club and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance are engaged in. Since 1983, SUWA has been the only independent organization working full-time to defend America’s redrock wilderness from oil and gas development, unnecessary road construction, rampant off-road vehicle use, and other threats to Utah’s wilderness-quality lands.

In 2016 America celebrated the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. During our trip, we’ll visit Arches and Canyonlands national parks. We’ll discuss how the NPS has changed over the last century and the difficulties it faces as it seeks to protect the parks, while rendering them accessible to a growing human population.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.