canoe trip stillwater canyon/green river

I'm considering trying a canoe trip on the green river, and I'm curious if any of you have experience doing a photography trip out of a canoe/kayak? Maybe some of you have gone into this area before?

I'm looking for any advice I can get, from equipment needs to time of year for that area. I'm thinking about late spring, before the bugs get too bad and the light gets harsher.

I've never done a canoe trip like that before, but I'm pretty on the idea of it.

Thanks for any advice/suggestions you may have.
Kevin

I've never done Stillwater, but I've lived out of a raft for a substantial percentage of my life. As far as equipment goes, Pelican cases are the standard recommendation for camera gear. They're a little pricy, but you might well be able to rent one in Moab or Green River. Personally, I just keep mine in a 50-cal ammo can, readily available at army surplus stores. My camera bag drops right in and fits snug. But I have a small setup, one body, two small lenses, a couple filters, not much else. Other people might need something bigger.

If you want to baby your tripod, I'd recommend getting a tall, skinny dry bag, like the XL here. You don't have too much to worry about on mellow water like the Green, but it is very silty down there. In general, you should worry about protection from silt and sand at least as much as from water.

Late spring is good. Upstream in Desolation Canyon, where I've boated a lot, mid to late May is usually great: lots of water, no bugs. June is good some years, but if it's a dry winter, the water can already be dropping out by then. On the other hand, the monsoon weather is spectacular down in the canyons; more paddling, though.

I'm sure you know this, but you're aware that you need a jet boat shuttle from the confluence up to Moab, right?

I love shooting on river trips. It's a terrific way to spend a lot of time out in the wilderness and weather, stumbling on the unexpected. Lab and Stillwater are definitely on my list. One of these days...

I've rafted a very small portion of Labyrinth and my cousin's done a larger portion of this section of the Green and I can say it's called Stillwater for a reason. It's like a lake and if the wind is blowing upstream, you'll be paddling really hard and the going will be slow. But a canoe should be good for this and you could take pictures from the canoe if necessary. I've seen several portions of this river and it does seem like a very scenic place...good for photography. And the still water allows for lots of reflections. I was in Labyrinth in the summer once and the mosquitoes were everywhere. I stayed for all of one minute. So late sping is probably good advice.

While I've never been to that particular area, I've done many canoe/photography trips back in the BWCA (in Minnesota) where I utilized Lowepro's Dryzone backpack bag for camera storage. The inner part of the bag is waterproof and the bag supposedly will float should you capsize (as long as the weight of your equipment doesn't exceed maximum load specifications). Fortunately, I haven't had to test their claims yet! The disavantage of the bag is that access to your equipment can be a bit slow. You need to get through two zippered sections and the watertight zipper is difficult to open quickly. Still it's worthy of consideration, especially if you plan to mix your canoeing with some hiking.

Thanks for the tips guys.

I don't mind working some (I'm a bit of a fitness enthusiast), and actually prefer the idea of stillwater over trying to navigate in some turbulent conditions.

This is the outfitter I'm looking at for the shuttle and equipment rentals, I spoke with them some earlier this year and they seemed really friendly.
http://www.texsriverways.com/stillwater.cfm

I'm thinking I will limit myself to one body, probably two lenses, a couple of filters, tripod, release, the essentials like batteries, etc.

From the way it sounds my thoughts of spring sound pretty good. I really dont want to get stuck in a mosquitoe frenzy.

I've done Labyrinth twice and Stillwater once. Great canoe trips. My first trip was through Labyrinth on a Labor Day weekend in 1995 and we only saw one other party over the entire 4 day trip. I guess all that calm water scares people away.

Spring and Fall are great times. However, be prepared for the possibility of low water levels. In early April, we had to walk the canoe downstream during the last morning. Also, allow for a little extra time to reach the Confluence in case of wind. We made it with only an hour to spare, after being blown upstream most of the last day. The only time I ever came close to tipping the canoe was when we hit the white caps at the Confluence, a great wind tunnel. Good place to have your lifejacket on.

You might want to consider adding a day or two for climbing to the Doll House at the Confluence. This would also give you flexibility, if the wind is an issue. I've never made the climb, but I've heard it is worth the effort.

I definitely vote for a Pelican case for your gear. Take along a day pack if you plan to hike far from the river. I have had major problems with the zipper on a DryZone bag - worked great for the first day, after that it would not mesh & I used all the lubricating goop provided. I'm glad I had a few large garbage bags along for the rest of trip.

You might want to get a river guide for the trip:
"Labyrinth Canyon River Guide", Thomas Rampton
"Canyonlands River Guide", Belkamp - waterproof edition

Is this a solo trip? Considering the remoteness, I'd recommend at least one other person for safety.

I've done my trips in 4 days. I think 5-6 days, including the Doll House, would be ideal for photography.

Another waterproof camera bag that hasn't been mentioned and is favored by whitewater kayakers over Pelicans and Dryzones is Watershed. The Watershed bag is lighter in weight and you would have to pad it either with the thick polypro type liner bag they sell or with clothing or your own makeshift foam liner. The bag is very easy and quick to get into and to seal back up again (much faster than the Dryzone and a little faster than the Pelicans. I've used Pelicans and Watersheds, and prefer the Watersheds. Pelicans do offer better impact protection, but I have had one leak a small amount after being a few inches underwater for about 20 minutes.

Thanks guys.

At this point looks like I will have a partner on the trip. I'm leaning towards 6 days for the trip, maybe 7. I would like to have time to do some day hiking along the way if possible.

I'm hoping I can rent one of these dry bags, not sure how much they cost to buy.

I'm pretty excited to try it out, I love Utah and I think this would be a great way to see some of the more remote areas. I just hope I don't tip the canoe over...