Day 1:
Meet group at Holiday River Expeditions headquarters in Green River, Utah. A two-hour van ride to the head of the Shafer Trail marks the start of the trip. The first day's ride will take the group down the switchbacks of the Shafer trail before cutting back south toward Musselman Arch. The trail continues to wind southward as it follows the meandering course of the Colorado River. Camp on this evening is made at or near Gooseberry Canyon.
Day 2:
Our ride will take us over undulating roads past the white, sandstone-capped monoliths of Monument and Twin basins. Then in the afternoon, up to Murphy's Hogback, the first of this trips' two challenging uphill stretches. After conquering the hill we will set camp for the night.
Day 3:
By the morning of this day the trail has turned back north and is following the contours of the Green River. We ride around the labyrinths of Soda Springs Basin and by Candlestick Tower before reaching Potato bottom, where we camp for the night.
Day 4:
This morning we will tackle the challenging Hardscrabble incline and visit prehistoric Indian ruins at a lookout point above Fort Bottom. After descending from Hardscrabble Ridge to river bottom, we will follow the Green River to Mineral Canyon. Our vans will meet us for a 2-hour drive back to Green River.
Mineral Bottom (enlarge)