San Juan River was one of my most sought after trips that took me a long time to actually do! The section described here, from Sand Island to Mexican Hat, is a 27-mile float through both geological wonder and Native American rock art and ruins that are absolutely stunning to behold. This is one of the finest floats in Utah and very family friendly.

Permit: The trip requires a permit. The permit system is a lottery that is drawn months in advance. For details on the lottery, or to enter, see the Recreation.gov site. I am never good at planning that far ahead, so have never entered the lottery.

When: This section is generally float-able year round. Spring and fall would be my preferred seasons for more moderate temperatures. Summer will be hot, but you have the river to cool off in.

Bugs can be a problem at the put-in during spring through fall, but typically don't seem to be a problem below the put-in. I would still bring bug spray just in case.

Trip Length: Some people float this section in one day, others take 4+ days. I believe there is a lot to see, so would recommend at least 3 days. We took 4 and didn't get all the side hikes in I had hoped to.

Water: The BLM recommends bringing all the water you will need for the trip. The San Juan is both silty, and possibly contaminated from mining in the area. Be sure, especially in hotter times of the year, to bring plenty. We brought a gallon per person per day, and it was more than enough for a cool spring trip, but in the heat of summer, I probably would have brought more.

Flows: The BLM recommends 500 CFS, though I saw a few reports of people who had floated it as low as 350 CFS. Our trip was between 500 and 600 CFS in a moderately loaded 16' cataraft. I would, personally, likely not want to go below 500 CFS in that size raft. Higher flows will be a faster float, at 500-600CFS, we averaged about 2.5 MPH with little rowing.

Some canoe this section, but if canoeing, remember it is class II. I, with a fair bit of class I and some class II canoe experience, was glad we had not tried to do it in a canoe. This is not a section I would recommend for those without at least a little Class II canoe experience first. Duckies would work great and be a lot of fun.

On the other end of the spectrum, reports as high as 7,000+ CFS seem to indicate it can be fast and pushy in very high water, but still do-able. For beginning rafters, I would probably recommend 2,000 or less CFS.

Shuttle Logistics: The float requires a shuttle from Mexican Hat to Sand Island. The route is paved and about 22 miles, all but a short dirt section to the Mexican Hat Ramp on pavement.

If you want help with the shuttle, Wild Expeditions in Bluff does them, as does Val's in Mexican Hat.

River Miles and Camping: The map shows river miles, with the put-in, Sand Island boat ramp, being mile 0. Keep an eye on the map to make sure you don't miss any of the excellent side hikes, rock art, or ruins.

Camp sites shown on the map are the larger, more common sites. The ones shown on the map should all be able to hold medium groups. You can, however, camp outside these sites, anywhere that strikes your fancy. Smaller groups will have no shortage of small sites they can find that will be delightful.

We camped the first night at Upper River House Ruin, the second night at Midway, and the third at Fossil Stop, which seemed like a good mix of rafting and having time to explore along the way.