Kayaking & Camping Down the Colorado

[LVG]

I've been toying with the idea of kayaking down and camping along the Colorado. Put in at Willow Beach and take 3-4 days to reach Laughlin. I have a little kayak with enough capacity to hold all my gear (tent, sleeping bag, food, fuel). Just paddle until I'm tired, then pitch a tent along a beach until daybreak and keep going.

I think I could make Cottonwood in two days; from my experience I can typically go two to three miles an hour downstream. May have a tough row from Cottonwood to Kathrine's Cove.

Have anyone done this? Thought about doing this?

 

[BigRedRage]

sounds awesome, are you talking about going alone? I would think their are group things you could get in on for emergency purposes and lots of information online about how long it would take.

Ive never had much luxury to take long amounts of time off so while I have daydreamed about it, I have never looked seriously at it.

 

[puckhead]

I swear there was movie about this. It didn't end well.

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[LVG]

I swear there was movie about this. It didn't end well.

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Thank god Nevada is not Alabama.

 

[LVG]

sounds awesome, are you talking about going alone? I would think their are group things you could get in on for emergency purposes and lots of information online about how long it would take.

Ive never had much luxury to take long amounts of time off so while I have daydreamed about it, I have never looked seriously at it.

Alone? Maybe. I could look for a group. There's not really much that could go wrong (famous last words); if the weather picks up or if you're stupid and have to bail are about the worst two things. Otherwise, it's a pretty calm, flat, and wide river.

 

[BigRedRage]

Alone? Maybe. I could look for a group. There's not really much that could go wrong (famous last words); if the weather picks up or if you're stupid and have to bail are about the worst two things. Otherwise, it's a pretty calm, flat, and wide river.

I see, if you aren't hitting the heavy rapid areas then I agree. Have you now kayaked a lot? I have capsized a lot on the kayak so I am always about going with others but I usually did the verde river between horseshoe and Bartlett lakes which can be very intense depending on how much water they are releasing from the dam.

 

[LVG]

I see, if you aren't hitting the heavy rapid areas then I agree. Have you now kayaked a lot? I have capsized a lot on the kayak so I am always about going with others but I usually did the verde river between horseshoe and Bartlett lakes which can be very intense depending on how much water they are releasing from the dam.

I've kayaked a pretty fair amount - go out about once a month on the River when the weather permits (usually too hot keeps me from going out. I don't care if it's windy or rainy). The river is usually calm, but I do watch the scheduled releases from Hoover Dam to make sure that I'm missing them.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I did a trip like this down the Delaware back in the day. We had canoes though and went with a church group. Actually did it twice. Camped along the riverbanks and cooked what we brought.

The one bad thing that DID happen was one of the pastors got really sick on the trip. And, of course, it happened the day of a major rain storm. (Watching the rain travel up the river as we sat on the banks was super cool though.) Luckily, we were near a small town called Callicoon, NY. There was a church there and they took the pastor in and let us spend the night. It was GLORIOUS after spending a few days roughing it. They even had a movie theater and I remember us all going to see some Michael J. Fox movie that night.

Ah, memories.

In any case, if you do go it alone, LVG, make sure you plan for crazy emergencies. You never know what may happen with strangers, your health, weather, etc.

 

[Hollywood]

How did I miss this thread? That sounds like an awesome time. I wish I had the means to do something like that. In fact I have been trying to find a way to do a canoe/kayak camping trip.

LVG, have you made any decisions or plans to do this?

 

[LVG]

How did I miss this thread? That sounds like an awesome time. I wish I had the means to do something like that. In fact I have been trying to find a way to do a canoe/kayak camping trip.

LVG, have you made any decisions or plans to do this?

It's a go. I have the equipment and know about where I need to get for the halfway point (there's a rather large beach that looks ideal for camping). I need to get out and do a few test runs with the yak fully loaded first to see how she handles, but I'm planning March - April, work schedule permitting.

There is a place you can rent a yak at Willow and return it at Cottonwood. So it's doable even if you don't have a yak. Just do yourself a favor and get kayaking gloves.

 

[LVG]

In any case, if you do go it alone, LVG, make sure you plan for crazy emergencies. You never know what may happen with strangers, your health, weather, etc.

I have a deck bag that will be strapped to the yak with the Emergency 10 and an emergency bivy. Plus the standard precautions of check-ins and over-dues. And I carry a very small "oh **** that happened" bag that's strapped to my life vest. It will keep me alive for 48 hours, although I'll be miserable.

 

[Hollywood]

It's a go. I have the equipment and know about where I need to get for the halfway point (there's a rather large beach that looks ideal for camping). I need to get out and do a few test runs with the yak fully loaded first to see how she handles, but I'm planning March - April, work schedule permitting.

There is a place you can rent a yak at Willow and return it at Cottonwood. So it's doable even if you don't have a yak. Just do yourself a favor and get kayaking gloves.

Make sure you take a camera. And thanks for the info on the rental. I will have to work that out somehow.

 

[LVG]

Make sure you take a camera. And thanks for the info on the rental. I will have to work that out somehow.

I really need to get a good waterproof floating digital camera I can keep in the cockpit.

 

[BigRedRage]

I really need to get a good waterproof floating digital camera I can keep in the cockpit.

I use the Fujifilm finepix brand

example:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/fujifi...5b4&ksprof_id=3&ksaffcode=pg268373&ksdevice=c

You can find good ones on ebay under $100.

 

[LVG]

I use the Fujifilm finepix brand

example:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/fujifi...5b4&ksprof_id=3&ksaffcode=pg268373&ksdevice=c

You can find good ones on ebay under $100.

Thanks for the tip!