Myself and my 2 adult sons went on the 4 day Gates of Lodore rafting trip July 30-Aug 2. The trip started off with an on time pick-up from the hotel in Vernal by Mitchel. Mitchel was a pleasure to ride with- super helpful and informative. He helped us get our gear stowed and we were on our way. He was great conversation and let us know what to expect on our trip. He shared info about points of interest on the drive out to the put in point.

Once we arrived we met the guides that were in charge of our party- Annie, Jordan and Seth. We received a thorough briefing and were introduced to the rest of the crew. It turned out that we were going to be accompanied by a group of Mild to Wild guides from their other locations in Moab and Durango. They were coming along to get oriented to the route we were taking. Having this group come along turned out to be a HUGE treat!

Once the gear was stowed we were on our way! The trip started with a magnificent view of the Gates of Lodore!
On the river we were invited to row the rafts, and all participated in paddling through the rapids. Two inflatable kayaks were brought along and any time we wanted to use them the guides would prepare them.

Highlights:
The Guides- There were 12 guides on this trip, and they were all the nicest, friendliest and most helpful group you could have imagined. They were all so knowledgeable and went out of their way to spend time with us and we had great discussions. Even though the guides doing their orientation were not our official guides, they were all over the top helpful and made sure that we were taken care of.

The team leader for the guides was Annie, and she is such a remarkable person. She ran a tight ship and was constantly checking in on us. She really emphasized safety as a priority but made sure we still had fun. I enjoyed getting to learn about her experiences and I was glad to get to know her.  Jordan was one of our 3 official guides and she was terrific. She reminded me of a female Indiana Jones- just an overall bad ass. I always felt like I was in good hands with Jordan at the helm.

Our 3rd official guide was Seth. Definitely the most chill vibe and an overwhelming wealth of knowledge about the area. Seth gave me some great instruction on navigating the river, and I felt by the end of the trip I was ready to quit my day job and come work on the river!

The Food- All the meals were prepared fresh by the guides. Breakfasts were filling and varied each day. We were even surprised with French toast one morning! Lunches were simple- wraps, sandwiches etc, but were perfect for the weather and allowed us time to explore. Dinners were top notch- we even had steak the last night.

The River- So much fun paddling the rapids! It was cold and refreshing, perfect for a dip for bedtime to cool off.

The Hikes- We visited waterfalls and scenic views that were amazing. Definitely helps to have hiking shoes available for some of them. Longest one was ~ 5miles.

The Campgrounds- They were all very nice, and all had shady sites. We typically came off the river by 2PM, so there was plenty of time to set up camp and chill out.

The Scenery- Wow, just wow!

Low lights- I cannot think of any low lights. In retrospect I would have brought far fewer clothes- I ended up only needing a few swimsuits, swim shirts, a towel and one change of dry clothes.

We had a great time and enjoyed the entire trip. I cannot wait to take another trip with Mild to Wild again!