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Editorial

Stories

Field notes, trip reports, and hard-won lessons from the desert.

  • 4x4 Expedition Routes — What makes a route a true 4x4 expedition — remoteness, technical terrain, and self-sufficiency. Utah's best runs including White Rim, the Maze, and Lockhart Basin.
  • Backcountry Permits Utah — How Utah backcountry permits work — NPS, BLM, USFS, lottery vs first-come, deadlines, and tips for actually winning the permits you want.
  • Backcountry Trip Planning — A full backcountry trip planning framework for Utah desert trips — permits, shuttles, food, gear, water, and safety. Start planning months before you go.
  • Beginner Overland Routes Utah — The best Utah overland routes for beginners — Burr Trail, Shafer Trail, Monitor and Merrimac, and Onion Creek. Vehicle requirements and what to bring on your first trip.
  • Best Camps in Desolation Canyon — Not every Desolation Canyon camp is the same. Some work better for layovers, some for kitchens, some for the kind of evening you'll remember years later. Here's how to choose.
  • Best Coolers for River Trips — Best coolers for multi-day river trips — YETI Tundra, Pelican 70QT, RTIC 65, and Igloo BMX compared. Ice retention, raft frame fit, and group sizing guide.
  • Best Dry Bags for Multi-Day River Trips — A field-tested dry bag guide built around use, not brand. Personal duffel, day bag, electronics, kitchen, repair. Sized and chosen for sand, sun, and a six-day desert trip.
  • Best First Aid Kit for Desert River Trips — A river-specific first aid kit guide for desert multi-day trips. Heat illness, wound care, burns, blisters, stomach issues, allergies, splints. Trip-leader doctrine and when to use the satellite communicator.
  • Best Kid Friendly Hikes Near Moab — Top kid-friendly hikes near Moab — Corona Arch, Grandstaff Canyon, Gemini Bridges, Courthouse Wash — with trail lengths, difficulty, and what to bring.
  • Best Lightweight Outboard for Raft Support — A decision guide for choosing a small outboard for raft support, river transit, and reservoir take-outs. The 2-3 hp, 4-6 hp, and 8-10 hp classes — and the tradeoffs that decide between them.
  • Best Maps for Overland Routes — Nat Geo Trails Illustrated, Caltopo, Gaia GPS, and BLM Motor Vehicle Use Maps compared. How to choose the right map for Utah overland routes and set up offline navigation.
  • Best Packrafting Rivers Utah — The top packrafting rivers in Utah — Escalante, Green River, Coyote Gulch, Dirty Devil — with skill levels, permits, and what makes each route packraft-friendly.
  • Best Rafting Companies on the Colorado River — How to choose a Colorado River rafting outfitter in Utah — what to look for, questions to ask, price ranges, trip types, and DIY vs guided tradeoffs. Honest guide.
  • Best River Camp Kitchen Setup — A practical river camp kitchen system — stove, table, dish system, water, cooler, shade. Built around 4–8 person crews on Cataract, Desolation, and the San Juan.
  • Best River Repair Kit — A practical river repair kit guide for rafts, frames, oars, pumps, valves, and camp gear. The day-access kit that fixes problems in 5 minutes, and the deep-repair kit that handles everything else.
  • Best River Sandals — Best river sandals for rafting and canyon hiking — Chaco Z/1, Teva Original, Bedrock Cairn, and Keen Newport compared. Grip, security, and camp comfort tested.
  • Best River Tent for Sand — Best tents for sandy river camping — Big Agnes Copper Spur, MSR Hubba Hubba, and REI Half Dome compared. Ventilation, stakes, and footprint picks for desert trips.
  • Best Satellite Communicator for River Trips — A field-tested guide to satellite communicators for remote desert river trips. Garmin inReach picks, phone-based satellite messaging, group protocols, battery, subscription, and where the device actually fails.
  • Best Vehicle for Utah Overlanding — What Utah's terrain actually demands from an overland vehicle. Toyota Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Tacoma, Bronco, and Jeep Wrangler compared honestly for desert travel.
  • How to Book a Green River Float Trip — Book a Green River float trip in Utah — permits, outfitter vs DIY costs, what's included in a guided trip, when to book, and BLM permit fees for Labyrinth Canyon.
  • Cam Straps — A Boater's Best Friend — Cam straps are the backbone of raft rigging. Learn which sizes to buy, how to cinch without overtightening, and how many straps to bring on a multi-day trip.
  • Cataract Canyon Packing List — A field-tested packing list for Cataract Canyon. Heat planning, Big Drop rigging, the flatwater approach, Lake Powell takeout reality. Built on what fails when you get it wrong.
  • Cataract Canyon Rafting Guide — Plan your Cataract Canyon rafting trip — permits, Big Drop rapids, trip length, flow levels, and guided vs self-guided options on the Colorado River in Utah.
  • Colorado River Rafting Guide Utah — Compare every Colorado River rafting section in Utah — Westwater, Cataract, and Stillwater. Permits, difficulty, seasons, and trip length covered in full.
  • Colorado River Rafting Permits — Colorado River permit requirements by section — Westwater BLM first-come, Cataract NPS seasonal release, Stillwater NPS first-come. How to apply, timing, and cancellation strategy.
  • Desert Expedition Planning — How to plan a multi-day desert expedition in Utah — water caching, vehicle recovery, communication, heat logistics, and what makes desert planning different from mountain trips.
  • Desert Overlanding Routes — Best desert overlanding routes in Utah — Escalante, San Rafael Swell, Canyonlands, and Kanab Creek area. What distinguishes desert travel and seasonal planning advice.
  • Desert River Navigation Guide — How to navigate desert rivers where canyon walls look identical — using GPS, counting miles, identifying campsites from the water, and avoiding common flatwater mistakes.
  • Desert River Trips Guide — An overview of desert river travel in the Southwest — what sets it apart, the best multi-day rivers (Green, San Juan, Colorado, Escalante), and how to choose your first trip.
  • Desolation Canyon Packing List — A field-tested packing list for Desolation Canyon. 66 miles, 6–7 days, family-capable but serious. Built on bug strategy, camp organization, and the long-trip discipline Deso rewards.
  • Dispersed Camping Rules Utah — Utah dispersed camping rules across BLM, USFS, and state lands. Fire restrictions by season, LNT in desert environments, and popular dispersed areas near Moab and San Rafael Swell.
  • Do You Need a Permit for White Rim Trail — Yes — the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands requires a backcountry permit. Here's how to get it, how far out to book, campsite details, and what happens if you go without.
  • Expedition Planning Guide — Comprehensive expedition planning guide for Utah river and overland trips — timeline, permits, logistics, gear, food, safety, and contingency planning.
  • Green River Utah Float Trip — Everything you need to plan a Green River float trip in Utah — permits, shuttles, campsites, water levels, and gear. Covers Labyrinth Canyon and Ruby-Horsethief.
  • Honda 2.3 Outboard Review for River Use — An honest, field-tested review of the Honda 2.3 outboard for raft support. Where the lightweight 4-stroke wins, where it falls short, and how it compares to heavier 8–10 hp motors.
  • How Difficult Is Cataract Canyon Rafting — Cataract Canyon difficulty explained — Class III to V depending on flow, Big Drop rapids, experience requirements, and whether you need a guide. Honest assessment.
  • How Many Days for Westwater Canyon Trip — Deciding between a 1-day or 2-day Westwater Canyon trip? This guide covers the 17-mile run, shuttle logistics, camping, pacing, and what to do with extra time.
  • How Much Water for Desert Overlanding — Per-person water requirements for desert overlanding in Utah heat. Vehicle water storage systems, field sourcing, and what to do when you run short.
  • How to Rig a Cooler to Your Raft Frame — Rig your cooler so it stays put through rapids. Covers stern vs center placement, D-ring attachment, X-strap vs parallel patterns, and lid security on multi-day trips.
  • How to Rig a Gear Raft — Learn how to set up a gear raft for expedition trips — frame layout, weight distribution, dry bag placement, oar setup, and how rigging changes from Class III to Class IV water.
  • How to Rig a Raft Frame — Mount and rig a raft frame correctly — covers frame types, D-ring placement, alignment, securing before launch, and the mistakes that cause frames to shift in rapids.
  • How to Rig the Ultimate Raft — The complete raft rigging guide for multi-day expeditions — frame, oars, dry bags, cooler, kitchen box, shade systems, safety gear, and how to balance access with security.
  • How to Strap Down a Rowing Frame on a Raft — Secure a rowing frame correctly using D-ring attachment points, proper strap routing, and tension testing. Learn what happens if the frame shifts in a rapid and how to prevent it.
  • Master River Trip Checklist — A field-tested doctrine for a multi-day desert river trip — permits, flows, rigging, camp, repair, first aid. Built on what fails when you get it wrong.
  • Maze District Overlanding — Overlanding the Maze District of Canyonlands — Flint Trail, Doll House access, Hans Flat Ranger Station, permit requirements, and what to expect in Utah's most remote 4x4 country.
  • NRS Raft Review — An honest review of NRS rafts — what they do well, where they fall short against SOTAR and AIRE, and which NRS model fits your use case. New vs used buying advice included.
  • Packrafting in Escalante Utah — How to packraft the Escalante River in Utah — route options, access points, water levels, permits, gear, and the best time of year for spring snowmelt flows.
  • Packrafting in Utah — An intro to packrafting in Utah — what it is, why Utah's canyons are ideal, best starter rivers, gear from Alpacka to Kokopelli, and how it differs from kayaking.
  • Packrafting Utah Green River — How to packraft the Green River in Utah through Labyrinth Canyon — permits, put-in and take-out, solo logistics, water and food planning, and what to expect solo.
  • Raft Frame Setup — Set up your raft frame from scratch — choosing the right frame for your raft size, assembly steps, height and oar mount adjustment, and a comparison of NRS, Alumacraft, and Hyside.
  • Raft Trailer and Outboard Transport System — A practical system for trailering a raft with an outboard secured. Why outboards fail in transport, how to brace the transom, the pre-shuttle field check that catches every common failure.
  • San Juan River Packing List — A field-tested packing list for the San Juan. Hot, silty, low-water, culturally significant, family-capable. Built on sun discipline, silt strategy, and Leave No Trace at scale.
  • San Juan River Rafting Guide — Plan a San Juan River rafting trip in Utah — permits, flow levels, campsites, canyon scenery, and Goosenecks. Mexican Hat to Clay Hills, 4–5 days.
  • Westwater Canyon Rafting Guide — Raft Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River — 17 miles of Class III–IV whitewater near Moab. Covers permits, Skull Rapid, trip logistics, and best seasons.
  • Yampa River Rafting Guide — Plan a Yampa River rafting trip through Dinosaur National Monument — permits, Class III–IV rapids, spring season, and 5–7 day itinerary from Deerlodge Park.