The Colorado River: Take-Out Beach to Potash

Memorial Day | Monday, May 29, 2023 | Average CFS: 32,620

Let’s try something different this time around. I’m going to give the Artificial Intelligence from ChatGPT a whirl to see how well it can write an introduction for this Trip Report where Jackson, Amy and I floated the Colorado River near Moab from Take-Out Beach to Potash. Let’s see how well it does…

In the realm of outdoor exploration, the allure of embarking on a new adventure is a constant driving force. Such was the case when Jackson and I found ourselves at a crossroads, our original plan to conquer The Chute of Muddy Creek in the San Rafael Swell thwarted by insufficient water levels. Undeterred, we sought an alternative that would satiate our thirst for exploration. And so it was, fueled by a shared sense of curiosity, that we set our sights on a stretch of the mighty Colorado River between Take-Out Beach and Potash. For Jackson, this particular section held a special significance, as it was the sole uncharted territory between picturesque Palisade and the vast expanse of Lake Powell. To make this adventure even more memorable, Jackson’s wife, Amy, joined us, bringing her own sense of excitement and camaraderie to our expedition. With the sun-drenched waters beckoning us, we embarked on a journey that promised to immerse us in the wonders of the Colorado River and create memories that would last a lifetime.

Yeah, that sounds absolutely nothing like me and is way too exaggerated and over-the-top for a description of a simple day-trip on a flat water section of the Colorado River. I think I’ll just stick to writing the blog myself in the future, but I did get some good laughs at the overly hyperbolic language used! Anyway, on to the photos and the rest of the Trip Report which was written by me!

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On Monday morning I was up early and headed to the Potash Boat Ramp where I had planned to meet up with Jackson and Amy ay 8:00am. When I arrived we loaded up my Jeep and then drove back upstream to Take-Out Beach so we could rig our boats and get on the river.

Here are our inflatable kayaks ready to put-in at Take-Out Beach. We had the ramp to ourselves this morning since most people take-out here after doing the popular Moab Daily trip.

We were on the water by 9:15am and the river was moving swiftly in this part of the canyon. There were even a couple little waves and riffles as we made our way around Big Bend.

Although I drive up and down this road dozens of times each year, it was nice to take things at a slower pace and enjoy the views along the way.

We knew were were getting close to the wide-open Moab Valley when we started seeing the paved bike trail along the river.

Jackson and Amy taking in the canyon views. They were probably looking at a bird?

As we left the first canyon, we made a quick stop at the Moab Boat Ramp to stretch our legs and then continued more slowly across the valley until we entered The Portal. We thought the river might speed up again once we were through The Portal, but it remained pretty slow for the remainder of the float.

We had a good view of Little Arch high above the river.

Little Arch

Paddling past Wall Street.

Poison Spider Mesa Cliffs

Looking back through The Portal over the flat water of the Colorado River.

Amy took a little nap as we slowly drifted around Poison Spider Mesa.

Soon we reached Amasa Back, which we would have to float all the way around.

We made one more quick stop at the Gold Bar Recreation Site before we continued on past The Jug Handle at the mouth of Long Canyon.

The canyon opened up as we neared Potash and Jackson Bottom.

Jackson and Amy paddling below point PT 5100, which I had climbed up to earlier this year.

The view into Jackson Hole as we neared the end of the float.

We reached the Potash Boat Ramp after about 6.5 hours on the water, which was a bit longer than we were expecting it to take us. We loaded up our gear and headed back home. It was a nice but long day on the Colorado River!

>> Take-Out Beach to Potash Photo Gallery