Gunnison River Itinerary 1-Day Trip Escalante Bridge Put-In

Gunnison River Itinerary 1-day Trip Escalante Bridge Put-In (general itinerary)

• Day 1: Meet your guide staff at the designated put-in at Escalante Canyon Bridge, located 35 miles south of Grand Junction, CO and start packing your dry bags and loading the gear in the canoes.

• Run a car shuttle to the Bridgeport takeout & return to the put-in for the safety talk and paddling instructions before launching. Shortly after launching, you will begin paddling past the towering red sandstone walls of Escalante Canyon.

• Enjoy the thrill of paddling through Hail Mary’s Rapid (or you can choose to skirt around the side). Paddle downriver until approximately noon and enjoy lunch on the river’s edge, maybe catching a glimpse of an eagle or a desert sheep.

• After lunch & numerous water fights (optional), river barging, joke telling, & just having good fun, you will paddle past Undertaker Rock and enter the majestic Dominguez Canyon, a Wilderness Study Area. You will stop for a short hike in Dominguez Canyon where you may see ancient Indian petroglyphs, waterfalls, pools, & wildlife. 

• You will paddle 1 more mile down stream & takeout at Bridgeport between 4-5 p.m., allowing time to return home.