They don’t call it the Dirty Devil for nothing. It is a turbid flow, thick as a coffee milkshake, and shallow sandbars lurk below the impenetrable current to snag your boat. We took a couple of inflatable canoes and kayaks. The first day and a half we picked our way through sandbars, often getting out to wade to deeper channels, stopping to explore side canyons, being pulled under sandstone rims. After that we hardly had to get out again.
Take warm gear, because March snow squalls are entirely possible. You can manage it in four days, but if you have a week, it’s nice to dawdle and explore. Tributaries like Happy Canyon are amazing side hikes, worth a layover day. At the end, blast down the final 15 miles, because you enter the zone of old bottom deposits from Lake Powell and camping gets scarce.
BEST WINDOW: March 15-30 (after April 1, upstream irrigation robs the flow).
MINIMUM FLOW: 150 cfs at Poison Springs. LENGTH: 84 miles from Hanksville, Utah, to Hite Marina on Lake Powell.
LENGTH: 84 miles from Hanksville, Utah, to Hite Marina on Lake Powell.
DIFFICULTY: Class I-II.
FLOAT TIME: 4-7 days.
CONTACT: Hanksville BLM (435-542-3461).
BACKUP: San Juan River, Utah. Bluff to Mexican Hat, or Mexican Hat to Clay Hills Crossing (depending on your date, a permit may be required).
— AK
| ← Smith River, Montana | Upper Gila River Wilderness Run, New Mexico → |
The article was originally published on Canoe & Kayak
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
