The Green River (The Gates of Lodore)

John Wesley Powell first encountered the imposing canyon corridors of Lodore Canyon on his first expedition in 1869. "Lodore" is the name of an imaginary place that was the subject of a popular children's book of the day - but Powell's trip through Lodore was anything but child's play. Overturned and wrecked boats, lost provisions and several near-drownings characterized his float through these remarkable canyons. Many of the rapids still bear the names that Powell and his exhausted, waterlogged crew gave them, such as "Disaster Falls" and Hell's Half Mile".  

Today, the entire run, about 50 miles, is enclosed within Dinosaur National Monument, and almost entirely within the state of Colorado. It is one of the true gems of western whitewater, although it is a tough permit to get because of the severe limitations the National Park Service imposes on launches.  Since the land is National Park, camping restrictions are typically more stringent than on the BLM or Forest Service rivers. Still, it is an essential whitewater experience - breathtaking canyons, good camping, deep solitude (most of the time) and, depending on flow (which is dependent on snow pack runoff and release policy of Flaming Gorge Dam, 30 miles upstream) the river ranges anywhere from Class 3 to Class 5 at its most difficult. The pictures here were shot on a fall trip at about 1750 cfs, low water, and the rating at that flow is about Class 4- . 

The river is managed by the National Park Service, and a permit is required to run the river all year.

Dropping into Triplet Falls. At lower flows like this, Triplet isn't too tough, but it does require some quick and active maneuvering to avoid rocks on either side. Boats occasionally lodge in the narrow channel between the large rock right of center and the sloped rock at the far right - that's usually a major hassle, so staying well left here is recommended.

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