​​In The Shadow of Longs Peak

​Flaming Gorge Reservoir 

The Flaming Gorge Reservoir in South Western Wyoming / Northeastern Utah is another great paddling destination.

My first outing to Flaming Gorge was way back when I was married and my ex-husband was stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.  We took an early September road trip that included Flaming Gorge, Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon.  He had a little fishing boat which did not have a lot of power and no generator on the motor.  We did not go far or fast but I do remember going thru The Horseshoe on the Utah side, so my guess is that we camped for a couple days at the Lucerne Marina area.

Gary and I first paddled at Flaming Gorge in 2011 at the Utah end of the lake near the dam on a Rocky Mountain Sea Kayak Club outing.  At the end of that trip, we drove north on US 191 on the east side of the reservoir, and wondered if we could paddle the whole lake.

Our next outing was in 2015, putting in at the Buckboard Marina and paddling north into the Green River Arm, camping at Boat Bottom, across from Whiskey Bend.  On that trip, we met a group of canoeists who had put in at Green River, Wyoming and were taking out at the Lost Dog Access at the confluence of the Green River Arm and the Black Forks Arm.

From that time, putting in at Green River, Wyoming and paddling the length of the lake to the dam became a goal.  We paddled various segments in the ensuing years:  Green River, Wyoming to Buckboard in 2016; Green River, WY to Brinegar Crossing with a jog into the Blacks Fork Arm in 2017;  Brinegar into Blacks Fork Arm and beyond the WY 530 bridge in 2017; Brinegar to Lucene in 2019; Anvil Flats to Horseshoe Canyon and back in 2020; and another go at the Black’s Fork Arm in.

These outings left us only one unexplored area, the between King Fisher Island and the Jarvies boat-in camp.  So, in May of 2022, we did an exploratory of the south end of the reservoir, the area between King Fisher Island and the dam, staying overnight at the Hideaway boat-in camp.  Gary paddled to a point about a mile west of Jarvies and found a spit where we most likely could have a camp.

In July of 2022, we put in at Buckboard and paddled to the dam in 2022 in a seven-day outing.

And, in July 2023, we paddled the full length from Green River, WY to the dam.

From the put-in, the Green River is wide and languid as it weaves it way along the landscapes with wide curves and S-turns.  It is bounded by flat reaches of sandbars overgrown with brush and grass that, in turn, are bordered by the layered and rounded bluffs of southern Wyoming.  Many are these bluffs are topped by buff-or-red-oxide ribs of rock. 

This landscape is consistent even as we enter the reservoir.  In 2023, the transition from river to lake was not distinct, just a slowing down of the current over a mile or so until it reaches a standstill. The bluffs still run down to the benches that line the river, but the benches are not as wide and in some places are non-existent and the bluffs descend directly into the lake.   As we paddle south, it seems like the bluffd are greener with bigger brush and small trees.

There is a gas-line that that spans the lake north of the Utah border and south of the Anvil Access.  Just beyond the gas-line the lake begins to be lined with folded cliffs of red and white layered granite.  The reservoir begins to neck down and pass thru Horseshoe Canyon that is lined with high rock walls, then opens again as we head south toward King Fisher Island. 

The final stretch from King Fisher Island is again lined with high rock walls that descend into the water though eventually these give way to high tree covered bluffs that slowly lose height until we reach the dam, where we end our journey.