If you’re looking for a fun and thrilling activity while you’re in town, take advantage of the nearby rivers and go white water rafting!

Go White Water Rafting In Vernal

Take your pick of the Green River or the Yampa River and spend a day in the sun white water rafting!

Green River Rafting

Start in Dinosaur National Monument and raft through Split River Canyon.  A midday break is planned at Hatch Beach, giving you the chance to eat a sandwich and relax in the sun, before finishing the 9 mile trek.  You’ll see some petroglyphs, birds, and possibly other wildlife as you sail down the Class III rapids.

OARS

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Fun, but almost fatal! This stretch of the Green River right below the Flaming Gorge Dam is spectacular. The tall red walls are filled with trees that are bright and green this time of year. On our second run just after this video was taken, our group was calling us to the shore. By divine providence they saw two bodies, one face down, the other with hardly any life left in him lifting his arms. We came upon a couple, man in his 70’s and a woman semi-conscious in her 60’s suffering from hypothermia. We had a ski patrolmen and an EMT in our group and immediately started first aid. They had been in the water (46F) for over 30 minutes and had limited cognitive ability. Once we got them to the take out at Little Hole, I left my kids with the group and sped them to the ER in Vernal. After an hour in the truck they started talking a little and said they never gave up hope and we’re praying hard for help. We were the last group pulling out of the river that night. The rest of the group stayed at Little Hole for an hour and no one was behind them pulling boats out of the water. If we had not helped them, they would have spent the night on the shore and probably died of exposure. Pro-Tip: Always pack a Mylar Blanket! Story Update See Picture 2: Coming back to camp the next night our survivors were there waiting for us. They looked great and had excellent color in their faces. When I dropped them off the woman’s internal temperature was 90 degrees. That was after 1 hour in a hot truck, so who knows what it was when we picked them up on the shore. Full recovery for both and headed out for more adventures. Thank heavens. . . . . . . . . . #utah #rapids #whitewater #flaminggorge #lifeelevated #yesvisitutah #adventure #outside #beatenpathco #utahunlocked #utahisrad #365utah #utahisbeautiful #weliveelevated #utgram #greenriver #rafting #southwest #outdoors #summer #sunshine #uintas #wander #wanderlust #wilderness #wildernessculture #mountain #gopro #wowutah #wild

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OARS also offers a white water rafting trip on the Green River, through Flaming Gorge.  With Class II rapids, this is an excellent trip to do if you have young kids – there are slow and easy parts where you can watch the shoreline for animals, and simple rapids that won’t send a toddler overboard.  You may even want to bring a fishing pole – there’s lots of trout in the area, so you could bring home your dinner!

Dinosaur River Expeditions

If you’re up for a multi-day trip, the Yampa River is a good choice.  Take the bare minimum with you, because you have to carry it in the raft and as you camp at night.  Dinosaur River Expeditions offers a 4 day trip from Deer Lodge to Split Mountain that takes you past numerous Native American petroglyphs and old settlers’ sites.  During the day, you’ll navigate the river, fish, and enjoy the outdoors.  By night, you’ll camp in the canyons, engage in fun group activities around the campfire, and sleep under the stars.

Vernal is surrounded by beautiful and unspoiled nature, so take advantage of it while you’re in town!