Trip Report: Boating-Tubing/Kayaking the Ogden River
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Boating-Tubing/Kayaking the Ogden River By Anja Wadman |
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| BOATING | 07/31/2026 | Class III |
| **Friday, July 31 - Ogden River at 244 cfs** Friday after work, five of us decided there was no better way to beat the summer heat than with an evening lap down the Ogden River. With the flow sitting at a friendly 244 cfs, it was one of those "just right" days, not too pushy, not too bony, perfect for linking together the 1.9-mile Rainbow Gardens section with the 1.3-mile Urban Section for a fun 3.2-mile adventure. Our eclectic flotilla included Anja Wadman in a packraft, Les Simmons in a hardshell kayak, Mikki Fritz in a hardshell kayak, Chris Rowins in an inflatable kayak, and Zach Heuscher proving that sometimes all you need is an inner tube and a good sense of humor. We put in at Rainbow Gardens. Watching our mixed fleet navigate the river was half the entertainment. The hardshell kayaks sliced confidently through the current, the inflatable kayak bounced happily over the waves, the packraft floated with surprising ease, and somehow Zach's tube seemed to find every splashy line possible. Whether by skill or luck (we'll let everyone decide for themselves), everyone made it through with plenty of laughs. The river has a funny way of making everyone feel like both an expert and a beginner in the same run. One minute you're carving a perfect line through a wave, and the next you're bouncing off a rock that definitely wasn't there a second ago. Fortunately, everyone stayed upright, which always feels like a victory worth celebrating. As the evening light settled over Ogden, the water glowed, the air cooled off, and the city somehow faded into the background. It's easy to forget you're paddling through the middle of town when you're laughing with friends, catching little surf waves, and floating from one rapid to the next. By the time most of us reached the take-out, we'd covered 3.2 miles of river, shared countless laughs, cooled off from the summer heat, and been reminded why this stretch of the Ogden is such a local favorite. Chris Rowins and Mikki Fritz weren't quite finished. They kept paddling beyond the Urban Section, continuing all the way to the confluence of the Ogden and Weber Rivers, squeezing a little more adventure out of an already fantastic summer evening. No lost gear. No unexpected swims. Just great friends, a variety of boats (and one tube), and another reminder that the best way to beat the heat is with cold water, good company, and a willingness to say, "Who's in after work?" Here's to 244 cfs, warm summer evenings, and making the most of a Friday on the Ogden River. |
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