Colorado River: Moab Bridge Boat Launch to Potash Ramp
May 10-13, 2026. Enjoy three nights of camping at Gold Bar Group A site and two days of paddling down beautiful Colorado Class 1 waters. Trip Coordinator is Karen A assisted by Janet Mallory, a local expert who knows hikes, petroglyph sites and the river quite well. Hard-sided boats preferred. Talk with Karen if you paddle a duckie or other inflatable.
Sunday May 10 – Be at Gold Bar Group A site at noon or later. There is a shelter and room for tents and campers. No water provided at camp. Bring your own water.
Monday May 11 – Drive to the Moab Bridge Boat Launch and paddle 10.4 miles to land on the big sand bar next to our Gold Bar camp. Along the way we plan to stop near Kings Bottom camp and hike up Moonflower Canyon to a pond for lunch. After the paddle we will shuttle to retrieve the Moab Bridge cars and move them to the Potash Ramp. In mid to late afternoon hikers may want to explore arches and rock art. If there is enough interest, we will look at doing group appetizers and/or Dutch Oven dinners Monday and Tuesday nights.
Tuesday May 12 – Launch the nearby staked boats and paddle for 6.6 miles to the Potash Boat Ramp. We plan to land near the Jug Handle and hike to some nice petroglyphs. Then we will cross the river to find The Billboard with its goat head rock art — probably done by a cowboy settler and not by Indians. See: https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p16003coll5/id/5116/
Wednesday May 13 – Pack up and leave Gold Bar group camp by 11:59 a.m. as that is when our reservation ends. If a few people want to organize a pre- or post-trip 12 mile paddle from Sandy Beach to the Moab Bridge Boat Launch, that can be done independently. Be aware that the 4.5 miles of straight river (in the last half) can get VERY high winds.
How to sign up: Contact Karen A by email to: canoekarena@msn.com. Limit is 16 people.
Cost: Camping fees will be split and based on the number of people on the trip. Expect to pay between $31 and $65 per person for three nights. This is an ACA trip. If you are not an ACA member with a current ACA Annual waiver, you must pay a $10 event fee and sign an event waiver.
Gear: Hard sided boats with floatation preferred. Painters for all. PFDs required at all times on the water. Dress for the swim. No cotton while paddling. Bring rain gear just in case. May temperatures range from 51.8 to 72.3 degrees F, or so says the Moab tourist bureau.
ACA Waivers
If you a current ACA member, you are all set.
The ACA has a new system for online waivers. When doing the on-line waiver use the event name: Moab Bridge. Use the date: May 11-12, 2026
If you are not an ACA member and want to pay at the put in, you can sign an Event Waiver online using this link: https://aca.sport80.com/
If you want to create an Event Waiver and pay the fee directly to the ACA, use this link: https://aca.sport80.com/
Safe Paddling
To keep our events both fun and safe for everyone, each participant needs to have the skills and the equipment appropriate to the waters and the weather. Each participant is the first judge of whether they have the skills and equipment necessary, but trip coordinators have the final say. Please read the RMCC Requirements and Recommendations for ACA-Sanctioned Events