White River

Vernal, UT U.S.A.

The White River is the perfect setting for a calm river ride in the high desert region of Utah.

The river passes high canyon walls and natural arches and a wide variety of wildlife. The most paddled section of the river is the 26 miles between the Bonanza Highway Bridge and four miles upstream from Mountain Fuel Bridge at the take-out on River Right.

There are fossils embedded in the riverbed and cottonwoods cling to the river's banks.

The little-traveled river makes a perfect paddling trip in spring, but only experienced paddlers should tackle it during the heightened water flow periods in May and June.

The best hiking months are during autumn and winter, when water levels are low and the river is easy to cross.

While there are no official launch sites on the White River, there are several launch points that allow a river trip ranging from 24 to 80 miles long. Launch points begin in Colorado just below Kenny Reservoir and continue downstream to the most popular launch site just west of the Bonanza Bridge off Utah State Hwy. 45. This launch site is on Uintah County property.

There are no BLM launch facilities in Utah. The shuttle between the Bonanza Bridge and the Enron location is only 20 miles on graded dirt roads. Caution should be used while traveling the roads because of the sharp corners, abrupt rises, wash cuts and vehicular traffic.

You will see a variety of rodents, songbirds, raptors, bats, lizards, bobcats, and coyotes along the river. Mule deer, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and black bear can also be seen. Ducks and geese nest along the river.

White River gets its name from clays in the Tertiary lake sediments. Born from snowmelt in mountain headwaters above Trapper Lake in western Colorado, the White River flows due west in a serpentine search for its confluence with the Green River.

Near the Utah­Colorado border, the river course turns spectacular­canyon style. Near the highway, the river swings in looping meanders inherited from a time before canyon­cutting began, when it wound lazily across a nearly flat surface.

For 100 miles between the town of Rangely, Colo., and the river's confluence with the Green River, the White River cuts a rugged scenic trough into the ernal high desert plains of the Uintah Basin.