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Cataract Canyon Favorite/Needles Ancient Paths Expedition (CJ5)
Trip OverviewDetailed Itinerary
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S.E. Utah Detail

Cataract Motored Raft
Main Attraction
 Indian rock art and ruins, hiking, backcountry exploration, rugged 4-wheeling, natural arches,  wilderness camping, intense Class II-V whitewater rafting, geology, archeology, scenic flight, Canyonlands National Park, unforgettable scenery.
Who Should Go
 People looking for deep immersion in the wilderness, combining solitude with big adventure, travelers looking for both land and river excitement.


Women Only Trip also available
Adventure level



Length
 6 days/5 nights
Cost
 $1277.00 Adult
$1228.00 Youth (16 & younger) Wetsuits mandatory May and June.
 Camping gear rentals available.
The Big Picture

The Cataract Canyon Favorite is our very best Utah river rafting trip! This Moab vacation combines Utah whitewater rafting with the Ancient Paths Expedition into Canyonlands National Park, and you are seeing the park in-depth, up-close and in all of its diversity! You’ll experience whitewater rafting in Utah as intense as any found in America and 100 miles of river through Canyonlands National Park with exploration into side canyons. You blast through the rapids in our excitement boat, the powerful and maneuverable J-rig raft. You’ll also visit 1000-year old Native American ruins and rock art sites. The Needles region of the park is one of the most well-kept secrets in America. To see the really pristine areas of the park, you must either hike many miles or be an accomplished four-wheeler. Tag-A-Long removes the boundaries for you and delivers you via 4X4 trails to the most desirable campsites in the park. This is an excellent Moab Utah camping opportunity. We guide you to the archeology that few people ever see. Add to that stunning alcoves and windows carved out of rock over millions of years tucked away in one of America’s most incredible landscapes, and you are off on the adventure of your lifetime. This ultimate vacation delivers it all: Canyonlands National Park, Cataract Canyon, over 100 miles of wilderness via the Colorado River, deep exploration into pristine lands, the solitude of backcountry camping, 4X4 trails, and ancient American Indian rock art and ruins. You can’t find a better way to escape civilization!

The Details

Day 1 – Lunch & Dinner

Of all the Moab vacations, this one begins at the Tag-A-Long office at 7:00 a.m. A short, scenic drive takes you to the Colorado river where your rafting trip and guides await. After a thorough safety orientation, we launch! Today you drift upon calm waters of the Colorado River as we wind through deep, red rock canyons. Watchful eyes occasionally spot eagles, hawks, bighorn sheep, mule deer and coyote. We stop for walks at several spots with views of petrified wood, geologic wonders and historical sites from the 1920s oil prospecting days. At noon, we find the perfect lunch site along the shores of the Colorado and your guides begin showing off the culinary skills you’ll come to enjoy over the course of the journey. Late afternoon, we stop to set up our first camp in a picturesque spot where you can watch the river roll by. Self-erecting tents make it quick and easy, so you can spend time getting to know your companions, playing horseshoes, or simply digging your toes in the sand. Your guides prepare a sumptuous dinner while you relax by the river’s edge. Dinner is served with dining tables and chairs while your guide entertains and educates you about the region. After a tasty dessert, you’ll spend the evening chatting, meditating and stargazing.

Day 2 – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After coffee and breakfast around 7:00 a.m., we continue down the Colorado River through Canyonlands National Park. Few people see the park from this perspective and it’s a memorable experience. Along the way you’ll see prehistoric Indian ruins built by the Anasazi, the same culture who built the amazing structures at Mesa Verde National Park. You may choose to take a hike over the Loop for a hawk’s eye view of the Colorado River or, you may just float along on the raft. After lunch on shore we reach the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers, a magical place where two great Western rivers join forces before tumbling into Cataract Canyon. Just a few miles more downriver and we reach legendary Cataract Canyon. Today we encounter the first of 25 named rapids! Tonight you camp with the roar of the rapids in your ears!

Day 3 – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
 After breakfast, we will run the rest of the rapids of Cataract Canyon. Grand -Canyon style rapids and respected whitewater. The rapids become more intense as we travel downstream; "Ben Hurt", "Powell's Pocket Watch", "Capsize" and the three spectacular rapids of the "Big Drop" series. This is one of the steepest and most exciting sections on the Colorado River. We set up camp near Lake Powell tonight.

Day 4 – Breakfast & Lunch
After breakfast we cross stunning Lake Powell, a red rock and blue water wonderland. There will be time for swimming, relaxing, and absorbing the raw beauty of this country. By the time we arrive at Hite Marina in mid-afternoon, your charter aircraft will be waiting to fly you into the Needles of Canyonlands National Park. This unforgettable flight takes us over the rapids we’ve just run. Your land-based guide will meet you at the air field to begin your 4X4 adventure into the backcountry wilderness of the Needles. You travel over notorious and perilous Elephant Hill, one of the most challenging four-wheel drive passes in all of Canyonlands. Once we successfully negotiate the climbs and descents on narrow, rocky ledges – you can walk outside the vehicle if you feel more secure – we’ll reach our campsite and home for the night. As the sun drops, watch the change of color and play of light on the rocks as your guide prepares a delicious cowboy style dinner.

Day 5 – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast your guide takes you deeper and deeper into the wilds of Canyonlands. Depending on your interest, you may hike into a spectacular scenic area known as Chesler Park via the Joint Trail, a narrow slot in massive layers of sandstone. You cross some more highly challenging 4X4 trails throughout the day. Tonight we set up camp surrounded by the silhouettes of rock castles and spires in Devil’s Kitchen. Marvel at more stars than you have ever seen! The unimaginable quiet of the desert is interrupted only the occasional yip of coyotes.

Day 6 – Breakfast & Lunch
After breakfast your guide joins you on an easy hike to the Confluence Overlook. From high above this amazing vista, you gaze down onto the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers. You’ll see how each river carries different colors of water which remain separated for a considerable distance downstream. This is a once-in-a-lifetime view of the magical merging of two powerful western rivers! At this point in your expedition, you head back out of the park over the challenging 4X4 terrain, across Elephant Hill and return via a gorgeous highway to Moab. The road out of the park passes by many fascinating historic sites such as the Home of Truth and Dugout Ranch. We’ll make one last stop at Newspaper Rock, an amazing collection of hundreds of 1000-year old petroglyphs. At about 5:00 p.m., you’ll arrive back in civilization for the first time in six days.

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