Kayaking 17 Miles and Camping on the Colorado River | Horseshoe Bend, Arizona

In April 2023, my wife Savannah and I kayaked a seventeen-mile section of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Page, Arizona. Come along as we marvel at the river's beauty and the canyon's unique geology.
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[@max.wright]

As mentioned at the very end of the video, visit DIGDEEP.org to learn about how you can help provide access to clean, running water to those who need it most. www.digdeep.org/

[@candicecullengrowcooknourish]

Great video, loved the geology information!

[@jmo32479]

I really liked your video. Beautiful scenery and very informative about the geology of Grand Canyon and about the running water crisis on the Navajo lands

[@ragingpatriot772]

Very nice video Max.

[@brakstonfarrar2045]

Love the calming vibes and beautiful scenery!

[@max.wright]

Love your calming and beautiful comment!

[@evans_swiftie_shirt1730]

I love this video. Very educational. My family is going to this region next Summer.

[@robinastein]

Your videos are so relaxing man, I'm building up the courage to try and get out into nature more and videos like this help a ton

[@max.wright]

Thank you for the kind words! Glad to hear that you're trying to get outside more often. Be safe and have fun ✌️

[@troybayliss46]

Awesome video. Thanks for making it, I hope to see more like it.

[@jessjrz303]

Thanks for sharing.

[@kennyw871]

Thanks for the interesting geology. Great all around video of the highest quality. Peace.

[@max.wright]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@kevinpereira7864]

When you started talking about geology I instantly subbed. Great video!!

[@max.wright]

Thanks for watching! Glad to hear that you like the rock talk :)

[@danielandhisswiftiebuddyev1073]

Great video!! Great content!

[@davidlaforce1855]

Emily and I have done the same float/paddle trip. It is indeed over the top for scenery, and the water is so clear and cold, feels great on a sunny day. Life is good.

[@max.wright]

There really is nothing more refreshing than that water!

[@BBBFactor]

Great video! Next time some trout fishing is highly recommended! World class location

[@max.wright]

Absolutely! I was definitely missing my rod this trip. Thanks for watching!

[@wayfaringoverlander]

Very nice video. Well done and I enjoyed the scenery and the information about the area. Would love to see every second of the 17 mile trip! Can’t get enough of that scenery. Could you tell me the requirements to kayak here? Is there a permit process? Thank you.!

[@max.wright]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching! At the time of our trip, there were no permits required for paddling or camping. I recommend looking into a backhaul service like Kayak the Colorado if you're ever interested in visiting. They have a FAQs page on their website that helps with trip planning. www.kayakthecolorado.com/

[@wayfaringoverlander]

@@max.wright thank you for the info

[@MountainsRiverSea]

Nice scenery and beautiful shots! Can’t believe you went swimming! I’ve jumped in that river twice and it is the coldest water I’ve ever been in! Thanks too for the geology break-down. How did y’all like those liquid logic kayaks?

[@max.wright]

Glad you enjoyed the vid! The water was indeed cold but I couldn't resist jumping in! Truthfully, I'm not a very knowledgeable paddler but the liquid logic kayaks served their purpose well! Lightweight and plenty of room for gear storage.

[@JaketheGreat93]

Do you, by chance, have a list of supplies as well as gear and things you prepared to take or wish you took on this trip? I'm planning a kayak trip myself and would love to know through your experience thank you!

[@WinteryMix84]

Yes, it is absolutely out of this world. I did this trip with some friends several years ago. I’d do it again and again!

[@Climb_Big_Rocks]

That looks like a great place to camp and kayak. What's the average price for an outfiiter in that area if you don't mind me asking? I've never been out on the Colorado. I usually camp and kayak in the great smoky mountain range. Id love to head west for a few days and shoot some content. You got me sold on it. Cool video man!

[@max.wright]

Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video! If I remember correctly, I believe it was around $225. That includes two kayaks for two days and a drop-off upstream. You can save a lot of money by bringing your own kayaks. That said, it was 100% worth the price.

[@Climb_Big_Rocks]

@@max.wright that is definitely worth the price!

[@user-pr6kd8gd3e]

@max.wright which backhaul service/kayak rental did you use?

[@max.wright]

Hi! We used Kayak the Colorado and they were great to work with. www.kayakthecolorado.com/

[@armortodd5162]

Beautiful video. Just saying though, if you do more kayaking you should make sure you have your paddle blades correctly oriented. In most of the footage, the blades were reversed.

[@max.wright]

Oops, that's embarrassing! Thanks for the tip!

[@ZacTexC]

She handled those waves like a champ!

[@pruiz3564]

When you say you were dropped off by your outfitter what does that mean

[@max.wright]

Good question! There are various outfitters nearby where you can rent kayaks, canoes, etc. They'll give you and your kayak a ride upstream so that you can just float back down the river to Lee's Ferry (where we parked our car)

[@user-ru3jr3vi7m]

Thanks for sharing.. You lost me at the 180 million years ago..

[@max.wright]

Here's my reply to a similar comment: Pretty amazing that we can see and interact with rocks that old, isn't it? I was actually a bit off in my video for the dates. Some more recent work on the Navajo Sandstone indicates a bit older age at about 200 million years old. The Navajo has been dated using two different techniques that, for our purposes here, generally agree with each other. The first method is by dating zircon grains within the sand itself and the second method is by uranium-lead dating of carbonate "lenses" that are occasionally found in the unit (I'm even standing in front of one of those localized carbonate layers during my little lecture part of this video). If you would like to learn more, I've linked some great resources on the subject below. Here's a great video from a professor that summarizes the Navajo, including the zircon dating. He begins talking about the ages at about 15 minutes in: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3-VmauqhNWWoNk And here's a great paper about the carbonate dating: pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/47/11/1015/573442/Earliest-Jurassic-U-Pb-ages-from-carbonate Thanks for watching!

[@markf296]

Just a suggestion but your to young to pull off a mustache it just looks silly wait a little longer

[@max.wright]

What's life without a little silliness? 😄

[@davidlundy5007]

You lost me at the 180 million years ago.

[@max.wright]

Hi David! Pretty amazing that we can see and interact with rocks that old, isn't it? I was actually a bit off in my video for the dates. Some more recent work on the Navajo Sandstone indicates a bit older age at about 200 million years old. The Navajo has been dated using two different techniques that, for our purposes here, generally agree with each other. The first method is by dating zircon grains within the sand itself and the second method is by uranium-lead dating of carbonate "lenses" that are occasionally found in the unit (I'm even standing in front of one of those localized carbonate layers during my little lecture part of this video). If you would like to learn more, I've linked some great resources on the subject below. Here's a great video from a professor that summarizes the Navajo, including the zircon dating. He begins talking about the ages at about 15 minutes in: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3-VmauqhNWWoNk And here's a great paper about the carbonate dating: pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/47/11/1015/573442/Earliest-Jurassic-U-Pb-ages-from-carbonate Thanks for watching!