noob places to start...

I'm in salt lake, and would like to know of some good places to start doing a little whitewater. I have a canoe, it is a coleman... probably not the best boat for whitewater, but I figure it would be fun to try it. I would like to get into river running possibly building up to a day trip or even a several day trip. I would prefer a place in the salt lake area to practice (the closer the better). I know up the provo river by the damn is a good place but I would like there to be a little closer place if possible. Thanks.

Henefer to Taggarts, Weber River
89 to Riverdale Wave, Weber River
Riverdale to OPP, Weber River
Spanish Fork, Spanish Fork River
Rainbow Gardens, Ogden River
Loren Farr Bridge Wave, Ogden River

These are mostly class two with few hazards. If the water is
warm it is even safer because a swim is not going to freeze you
to death.

May I add to never boat without others that know the river, and safety.

im suprised jeff the local canoeist isnt all over this one. he'll have you demoing a whitewater canoe and running hen-tag in no time!

Ref the original poster- You're going to have fun in that Coleman, up until the point that the center keel catches on a rock and flips you, then pins against a rock and the weak aluminum gunwales fold nicely around said rock. The Coleman isn't a whitewater boat, due to the keel it can't turn fast enough to avoid trouble and the keel is trouble as it catches on everything in moving water. Every year there are a few wrapped canoes (mostly Colemans) in the rock garden on the Hentag section of the Weber River. Hentag is the most popular run in Utah, forget what others say about it as they are simply trying to puff their chest up and look cool to others. Not working. If you are going to do it anyway, put in below Croyden bridge and remove the hardest part and the portage around the low bridge out of the picture.

If you're really interested in whitewater canoeing, hit me up by PM.

Puff their chest up? By what down grading hen tag? I think overrating things is more of a chest puffing situation. Anyway hen tag can be fun, and I have swam many times through the rock garden when I was starting, and while trying a C-1 that belonged to Jeff. I would say ditch the open boat, and go for a kayak. There are moves to make in the boulder garden, but at summer flows it is an easy swim. I mean geez it is only the largest tubed river in the state.

Speaking of hen-tag, Anyone up for a run tomorrow, say...noon? (Sunday) Still nice flows before it's full-on inflatable aligator season. And for those curious, Hen-Tag is always entertaining, to me, because you always have the option to turn this simple Class II+ run into something more by picking different lines throught the boulder garden, trying to weave around every pillar through the bridge slolom, going sideways through the minor drops, or trying it in different watercraft; among other things. Text or reply...

To clarify, laminac, 89 to Riverdale and Rainbow Gardens are not class II.

to double clarify spanish fork is a class 48.9423 when swimming under logs. the potential for stubbing your toe climbing up the rocks at the take out might even bump it up to a 48.9424. if you actually inhale the coal dust as the coal train goes by your talking long-term black lung which really puts the river over the top. Id leave it to the sponsored boaters. jesus....

Flying_Spaghetti_Monster wrote:Puff their chest up? By what down grading hen tag? I think overrating things is more of a chest puffing situation. Anyway hen tag can be fun, and I have swam many times through the rock garden when I was starting, and while trying a C-1 that belonged to Jeff. I would say ditch the open boat, and go for a kayak. There are moves to make in the boulder garden, but at summer flows it is an easy swim. I mean geez it is only the largest tubed river in the state.

Daniel, I found our new logo, ill get stickers sent out immediately