You can also ride with the Ruby's Inn cowboys.

They too, were very professional and helpful with the little ones.

They too, will enforce the weight limit and I think it is the same, 250# max.

Utahtea, Could you please elaborate on the float trip on the Colorado and tubing. Also, should we lodge it or car camp it? Any campsites near-by?

To Lisariley,

The Float trip on the Colorado River is from Page, AZ (near Lake Powell). This is a half day motorized float trip on calm waters. You check in at Page, AZ and they bus you down to the base of the dam though tunnels that were built for building the dam. You board the rafts at the base of the dam and have a great float. They stop once for a pitstop and to view the petroglyphs. It's a lot of fun and very scenic. It cost $60 per person in 2003 when we went. My pictures:

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/pages...2003/float.htm

There are two good campgrounds near Page, AZ at Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. One has hook-ups and the other doesn't. Both are close to the lake. There is also a boon docking campsite in Utah just a couple miles north of the AZ campgrounds at the Lone Rock turnoff. The lake usually goes past Lone Rock but since they are in a big drough, I don't think the lake goes that far anymore.

The tubing is done on the Virgin River out of Springdale, Utah, near Zion National Park. You use to be able to tube in Zion but they banned it in the park several years ago. You can rent tubes in Springdale. You walk across the street to the set off point. They will pick you up 2 miles down the river at the pickup point and bring you back to Springdale. They have a one run rate and then another rate for mulitple trips. It's a lot of fun on a hot day!

There are two campgrounds in Zion National Park. Watchman has electrical sites and takes reservations. South Campround is a first come, first serve campground without hookups of any kind. I like both, they have great views and are both right next to the Virgin River.

Utahtea

Thanks ccrosner!

We'll skip the Narrows and do the horseback ride!

Hoping to tube down the Virgin river the day before. Is this more a gentle float downstream or the equivalent of white water rafting?! (I'm hoping for an experience that's closer to the former description). Has anyone done this with a young child? My daughter will be 8 and is a good swimmer.

thank you

My boys were tubing down the Virgin River as young as 7 years old. Depending on the rain fall and the time of the year, the river can be really low where large adults will drag on the bottom of the river or it can be high were you get a pretty good ride in spots. Most of the time the river will be no more than (adult) knee deep. There are a few sections where it's deeper, but not many. There are slow sections and some really fast sections. Even in the fast spots you have to be careful not to hit your bottom on the rocks.

Here's a picture of the Virgin River near the set off point. It was pretty low that year. You can see some of the rocks on the bottom under the water.

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/Pictu...in%20river.JPG

Utahtea

BTW, that was one of the little rapid areas, this picture show how there is a calm section before and after that rapid section:

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/Pictu...in%20river.jpg

Utahtea

ttt

Hi All,

Regarding the water level of the Virgin River -- snowpack in the southern Utah mountains is over 200% of normal. This means that from April possibly through June the water will be high. Towns near the Virgin and Santa Clara Rivers are very concerned about more serious flooding if temps warm up too fast.

Just be aware and be sure to check with the rangers before hiking the Narrows or tubing out of Springdale.

Thanks Utahtea, I see those rocks!
Hopefully,the water level will be higher this year but not too high!

Thanks Dayle we'll check it out when we get there and always remain flexible.

Hi--My husband and I are planning a trip to the GC area during last week of April or first week of May. Never having been in the area, what can we expect with weather, clothing needs?

Hey highflyer--
I didn't mean to make you steer clear of the Narrows hike. It was one of the highlights of an unbelievably memorable trip for our family. Just thought you should factor in some wear and tear on your 8 year old and, perhaps, not go all the way up to the Narrows themselves. You will get the majesty of the place by making the hike even part way up.

We couldn't do the Virgin River tubing--we were there in August.

Utahtea, your pictures of the float trip look great. Was it really that empty of other floaters? I picture a horde of boats in AUg. Please tell me I am wrong! (But be honest!)

zaksgrandma,

We went the first week of August and there were a group of 6 or 8 rafts...I never counted.

There is only one consession that is allowed to do these foat trips and since you have to ride in their buses though the tunnels built to build the dam, down to the river, you usually only see the rafts from the float trip on most of this trip. We ran into a couple of boaters towards the Lee Ferry's end.

Ours was the first raft to leave, but the raft guides take turns at having their rafts first. You usually only see the other rafts as they pass you (and the guides to funny things as they pass) and maybe see one raft infront of you and one behind you on the straight aways. There are plenty of places where I could take pictures without any other rafts in the picture, even when we weren't in first place.

All the rafts stop at the petroglyphs for the little pit stop and the very short hike to the pegroglyphs at the same time. They also pull all the rafts over to a canyon wall and rope them together and sing a couple of songs and tell some jokes. It's a lot of fun. Our raft was the last to leave after the grouping. Our guide purposely ran us into the wakes of the other rafts to get us splashed. It was a lot of fun and since it was getting hot, it felt so good. I think he did it the second time because he got such a good reaction from us on the first splash.

Utahtea

Hi ccrosner,

The real reason that we're skipping the Narrows hike is that we're on a tight schedule as the raison d'etre for the trip is to attend a friend's wedding in SLC.

We have 1night each in LV, Bryce, Boulder and Torrey before heading to SLC so this is a whirlwind tour of Southern Utah and we hope to be back!

Thanks again!