double clickWestern River Expeditions Stories
divider

Western River Stories

the Man

The Legend of Buckskin Bill on the Main Salmon River

April 23, 2024
Sylvan Ambrose Hart, better known as "Buckskin Bill", was the stuff of legends. An eccentric recluse, a skilled hunter, a storyteller with a flair...
Read This
Screenshot 2024 04 22 at 11.09.21 Am

Digital Detox in a Place Where Only Canyons Call

April 22, 2024
Hey adventurers, We need your help to spread the word about a new problem (with an age-old solution). We are talking about endlessly scrolling on...
Read This
Redwood State Park Copy

Southern Oregon Road Trip

March 25, 2024
The Rogue River is the centerpiece of many Southern Oregon adventures, but this diverse region has a lot to offer. It would be a shame to miss your...
Read This
Buzz1

Buzz Holmstrom - A Rogue Boatman with a Grand Story

March 22, 2024
Rowing More Than a Thousand Miles... Solo In the annals of whitewater rafting history, Buzz Holmstrom stands tall. A gas station attendant turned...
Read This
Canyonlands Island Sky

Celebrate 60 Years of Canyonlands National Park

February 28, 2024
As we step into 2024, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Canyonlands National Park, an awe-inspiring testament to the power and beauty of nature....
Read This
Canyonlands Reflection

Canyonlands: The Soul of the American Southwest

February 27, 2024
Desert landscapes are forbidding and alluring all at once. You may get a sense of it on Route 66 somewhere between Winslow Arizona and that left...
Read This
Desolation Canyon Utah Rafting Whitewater Smiles

Building Stronger Bonds on a Family Whitewater Rafting Trip

February 26, 2024
The roar of the rapids fills the air, adrenaline pumping through your veins as you navigate the churning water. Whitewater rafting trips can bring...
Read This
Gift Ideas 360

Unwrap the Adventure: Expedition Worthy Christmas Shopping Ideas

December 14, 2023
The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by giving the gift of adventure? We've curated a list of Christmas shopping...
Read This
Cataract Blue Boat

2023 High Water in Cataract Canyon

May 23, 2023
Most likely, you have heard or seen the news reports that have shifted from dire predictions about a drought in the Western United States to...
Read This
Claire Blog Post

Half a Century of Dreams and the Willie Holdman Grand Canyon Workshop

April 27, 2023
I told Claire, when I called to thank her for her words, that her review had struck all of us Western River computer-bound office staff like a...
Read This
Grand Canyon Upper Nankoweap Reflection

2023 Update on Colorado River Water Shortage

March 22, 2023
Water and drought in the Southwest, especially the Colorado River have gotten a lot of attention lately, and deservedly so. Millions of people live...
Read This
Cataract Canyon Paddlers Smile Rapids 24 Copy

Q&A with Western River Guides about Cataract Canyon

July 13, 2022
We did a little Q&A with our guides about Cataract Canyon. Here is a compilation of what they said:
Read This
Grand Canyon River Books 2

Ten Books to Read Before and After You Visit the Grand Canyon

July 4, 2022
As I started my guiding career in the Grand Canyon, I was given a piece of great advice from a longtime boatman (thanks Joe) to pick up a book...
Read This
Drought

Is the Colorado River Drying Up and is Drought Affecting Grand Canyon River Tours?

April 21, 2022
"There is still a river flowing despite the drought. There are still fish swimming in the river. There are still river guides hooping and hollering...
Read This
Mcpherson Camp

Highlights of Desolation Canyon

March 30, 2022
Desolation Canyon holds a special place in my heart. As a river guide, I’ve been extremely lucky to spend the past few summers floating the languid...
Read This
Shoodie Example

5 things I wish I knew before my first river trip

March 9, 2022
One of the greatest ironies of my life is this: my parents met while working as river guides, and I had NEVER rafted before training to be a river...
Read This
Senses Connection

Feel the Connection on the River

May 11, 2021
Desolation Canyon, Utah 5 Day Expedition: "It's a rare thing, in modern life, to reconnect with nature... to spend time with a group of people...
Read This
Senses Tranquility

Come to Your Senses in the Canyons and Rivers of the West

March 11, 2021
Like a wave on the river, life can hit us all with some stronger-than-expected impacts, and sometimes the hits just keep on comin'. But some wise...
Read This
Grand Canyon Upper Happycampers

Planning for the Unexpected: A Guide to Travel Insurance

December 28, 2020
Guest blog provided By Susan Doktor Since its onset, the coronavirus has shaken the very bedrock of our lives: who we see, where we go, how we...
Read This
Grand Canyon Upper Jrig Rapids

Better and best: Thoughts on our last day rafting the Grand Canyon

November 10, 2020
By Eileen Ogintz DID YOU KNOW: Only about 100 people had traveled by boat through the Grand Canyon by 1949–eighty years after John Wesley Powell’s...
Read This
Everyone Pitches in to Set up Our First Campsite

Weather can’t spoil a trip to remember down the Grand Canyon

November 10, 2020
By Eileen Ogintz DID YOU KNOW: Desert Big Horn Sheep are seen more frequently in the Grand Canyon now that their major food source...
Read This