Field Notes
Dispatches from the field. Recent trip reports, articles, and the planning notes that came out of them.
What this is
A working logbook
Field Notes is the moving edge of the site — what we're running this season, what we got wrong on the last trip, and the small revisions to packing systems, flow calls, and access notes that make the next one less expensive.
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Trip Reports
Day-by-day logs from rivers, routes, and expeditions — flows, weather, camps, and what we'd change.
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Articles
Long-form pieces on river craft, desert places, and the systems that make remote travel possible.
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Stories
Narrative writing — quieter pieces from the side of the canyon where nothing is happening, and that's the point.
Recent
From the field library
A rolling sample of recent published articles. The full library lives at /articles/.
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4x4 Expedition Routes
Utah's best 4x4 expedition routes — White Rim, the Maze, Elephant Hill, and Lockhart Basin — assessed honestly for remoteness, technical terrain, and vehicle requirements.
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Backcountry Permits Utah
How Utah's three major land agencies issue backcountry permits, when lotteries vs. first-come systems apply, and practical strategies for securing the trips you want.
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Backcountry Trip Planning
A phased planning framework for Utah desert backcountry trips, from securing permits 6 months out to the pre-trip gear shake — with desert-specific guidance on water, heat, and safety.
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Beginner Overland Routes Utah
Four honest starting routes for first-time Utah overlanders — Burr Trail, Shafer Trail, Monitor and Merrimac, and Onion Creek — with vehicle requirements and what to bring.
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Best Camps in Desolation Canyon
Desolation Canyon has more than a dozen established camps along 84 miles of river. The difference between a good night and a great one comes down to landing quality, kitchen layout, shade timing, and what the canyon does with the light at the end of the day.
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Best Coolers for River Trips
Roto-molded cooler picks for multi-day river trips — YETI Tundra 65, Pelican Elite 70QT, and RTIC 65 compared for ice retention, bear certification, and raft frame fit.
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Best Dry Bags for Multi-Day River Trips
Five dry-bag jobs on a multi-day desert river trip. Each one wants a different bag. Personal duffel, day bag, electronics, kitchen organization, repair. Brand is downstream of the use case.
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Best First Aid Kit for Desert River Trips
Desert river first aid is heat first, cuts second, stomach third. This is the kit, the priorities, and the trip-leader role that turns a medical event into a manageable one.
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Best Kid Friendly Hikes Near Moab
Five hikes near Moab that actually work for kids — with honest age guidance, distances, and practical notes on water, timing, and what makes each one worth doing.
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Best Lightweight Outboard for Raft Support
More horsepower is not always better on a raft. This guide picks the right motor by use case, not by spec sheet. 2-3 hp for assist, 5-6 hp for primary, 8-10 hp for motor-trip work.
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Best Maps for Overland Routes
Gaia GPS, CalTopo, Nat Geo Trails Illustrated, and BLM MVUMs each answer different questions — here's how to use all four as a layered navigation system for Utah overland routes.
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Best Packrafting Rivers Utah
Utah's top packrafting rivers — Escalante, Green River Labyrinth Canyon, Coyote Gulch, and Dirty Devil — rated by skill level, permit complexity, and what makes each packraft-specific.