CFI women’s trips provide a time and place for deepening connections to the wild and trying out new skills. You will have the opportunity to be physical, relax, and play outdoors!

Women of all ages and backgrounds enjoy this trip; youth 16 and older are welcome too... it can be a memorable time with mom, grandmother or that special "aunt" or mentor. Our group will be congenial and small, limited to 12, plus guides. We often have a nice mix of loyal returnees and first timers.

Short sessions and hikes offer natural and cultural history, river stories, and time for nature walks and journaling. We share readings from Ellen Meloy, Ann Zwinger, Terry Tempest Williams and others who write creatively and passionately about the canyon country.

Join us in optional morning stretching and greeting the day. We will consider "reciprocity"—ways of giving back to Mother Earth and restoring beauty and balance in our everyday lives.

You may choose to delve into our trip library and read, or just relax too!

Our trip is led by women guides from Canyonlands Field Institute. CFI Cofounder and Director, Karla VanderZanden leads this trip. She has over 35 years river running and naturalist experience.

We provide all boating gear including row rafts that are 14-18ft. Long and a few, very stable, inflatable kayaks ("Duckies") for those who would like a bit more adventure and a chance to use river reading and basic kayaking skills.

Ours is a "participatory" journey; you'll take a turn in the kitchen, learn to bake in a dutch over, help with boat care and camp routines but still have time to relax and explore on your own.

We serve healthy meals, featuring many locally grown foods and dutch oven cookery; participants are asked to help with light camp chores. There is a portable toilet set up in camps.

Weather is usually clear with temperatures in the 70'-90's; an occasional short but dramatic thunderstorm may delight desert travelers this time of year.

First Timers Welcome, a perfect introduction to rafting that will be a gentle interaction with the outdoors. Time will be set aside for those who need to learn camping basics—how to pitch a tent, attend to sanitary needs, etc.

You do need to be reasonably physically fit and be able to carry your own river bag (sleeping bag and clothing for the trip) to and from the boat to your camp each day. After a demonstration, you are expected to set up and take down your tent and help with group packing too. Hikes are optional and usually 1-2 miles round trip. Call or email us if you are not sure about your fitness suitability.

For 2008, we are looking at a good snowpack and so are hopeful our women's trip can return to the Dolores once again. We have an alternate plan to run the Colorado River (see below for details) in case of low water/no release from McPhee Reservoir on the Dolores.

One of the most remarkable river trips in the West. The Dolores River with headwaters in the San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado, flows for over two hundred river miles before it joins the Colorado River near Dewey Bridge above Moab, UT. In 1776, a Franciscan, Silvestre Velez de Escalante christened the river "Rio de Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores" - River of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Our trip begins with an important orientation at 7.p.m. and overnight stay at Hampton Inn, Grand Junction, CO. Your lodging and breakfast the next day are included; we would then travel to our launch site that morning (an hour and half for the Dolores or just half hour if the Colorado. After safety orientation, basic skills training and lunch, we would launch that afternoon. We would camp 4 nights on wonderful sandy beaches and tree benches in tents or out under the stars if you choose.

Our Dolores trip is planned for the class I-III stretch, Slickrock Canyon (Slickrock to Bedrock, CO). On the Dolores, we would use kayaks and rafts through out the trip.

If we run the Colorado, we would launch at Loma, Colorado, run through Westwater Canyon and continue on down through a wildlife rich and mild stretch into Professor Valley. On the Colorado trip we would the inflatable kayaks and just run rafts through the exciting whitewater of Westwater Canyon then get them out again for the scenic stretch below.

We take out the last day after lunch and return to motel (where you may leave your car) by 6 p.m. Lodging and dinner this last night is on your own. We strongly advise that you do not plan to fly this last night to due unknowns of river travel on the take out day.

Current Trip Dates & Fees - Call for info