Dinosaur Green And Yampa River Permits
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Welcome to the river permit lottery application site for Dinosaur National Monument-home to the Green and Yampa Rivers, two of the west's premier whitewater rivers.
Green River: Gates of Lodore
The Green River flows south out of Browns Park into Dinosaur National Monument and cuts through the Uinta Mountains, the largest east-west extending mountain range in the lower 48 states. Within the monument and along this stretch of the Green River lies the imposing Canyon of Lodore, which received its name from John Wesley Powell's expedition in 1869. Three of the rapids so impressed Powell that he named them Disaster Falls, Triplet Falls and Hell's Half Mile.
The 19-mile run down the Green River from the Gates of Lodore to Echo Park is different today than in Powell's time, largely because of the dam at Flaming Gorge which regulates the water flow. This allows for a longer rafting season, but one that is not greatly affected by spring run-off. There are many named and unnamed rapids, well-spaced as in most pool-drop rivers and plenty of beautiful river side campsites and hikes, dominated by the almost 2,000 feet high red cliffs.
Yampa River: Deerlodge
The Yampa River begins at Deerlodge Park and rushes downstream 44-miles to join the Green River at Echo Park. Boaters continue downstream on the Green River to the take-out at the Split Mountain boat ramp. The Yampa is the largest free-flowing tributary within the Colorado River system. As such, it has a shorter season marked by fluctuations in water level resulting from snow received in the winter. It is characterized by famous rapids such as Teepee, Big Joe and Warm Springs.
Below the Confluence of the Yampa River and the Green River: Echo Park
All trips continue downstream on the Green River from Echo Park through the 17-mile Whirlpool Canyon. It was named by Powell because of the squirrelly and unpredictable water the explorers experienced here. The last section of the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument is the nine mile Split Mountain Canyon. This canyon begins at the Rainbow Park boat ramp and flows swiftly downstream, punctuated by four named rapids and assorted riffles before reaching the take-out at the Split Mountain boat ramp.
Camping facilities exist at the Lodore and Deerlodge launch sites. Each has campsites, water available seasonally, an information station, staffed ranger station, and vault toilets. These remote sites do not provide trash receptacles because of bear storage issues. Due to the remoteness of the area and long drive times, many groups camp at their launch site the night before their river launch.
The Split Mountain take-out offers reservable group campsites (flush toilets seasonally, no showers), vault toilets and a seasonally operational groover dump site. Nearby is the world famous Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall where you can see 149 million year old dinosaur bones in the rock.
Permit & Season Information
Boating within Dinosaur National Monument is by permit only. This permit allows the permit holder to float the Green or Yampa rivers. Permits are non-transferable and are for one launch only.
Important Dates
Dates | Information |
---|---|
December 1, 2024 | Permit Lottery Opens at 8:00 a.m. MT. |
January 31, 2025 | Permit Lottery Closes at 11:59 p.m. MT. |
March 1, 2025 | Permit acceptance date. |
March 6, 2025 | All Low Use permits from March 7th 2025 - March 6th 2026, as well as any unclaimed high use permits. Available at 8:00 a.m. MT. |
May 12, 2025 - September 12, 2025 | High Use Season for the Green River. |
May 12, 2025 - July 12, 2025 | High Use Season for the Yampa River. |
February 12, 2025 | Lottery results announced. |
Lottery Information
The application period for this lottery is December 1 through January 31. Successful applicants will be notified on February 12th and must confirm their reservation no later than March 1st. There is no wait list for unconfirmed reservations.
How Does the Quota Work for this Permit?
Individuals can have only one application in the high use lottery system and can be listed no more than once within each lottery.
The quota for permits is measured in launches per day.
During High Use Season only 300 permits for launches are issued.
- May 12th – May 21st: Two permits issued per day.
- May 22nd – July 12th: three permits issued per day not to exceed two launches per river
- July 13th – September 12th: two permits issued per day
During Low Use Season only one permit is issued per day within the Monument.