Packraft Essentials: An Expedition Course on the Dolores River
Course & Dolores River Overview
Turn the blue lines on maps into trails and acquire the packrafting skills you need to embark on bigger and better adventures on your own! And do all this one of Colorado’s most stunning rivers. The scenery on the different sections of this river range widely from mountain forests to desert canyons. And the quality of the boating matches the scenery, with everything from wide and languorous Class I paddles to rowdy Class III+ and harder excitement (we only paddle up to Class III+ at FCG, and that depends on which sections we run and the abilities of our clients).
You’ll very likely see bald eagles, otters, bears and other wildlife, and generally not so many human beings. Sometimes, when the sections below McPhee Reservoir flow (which only happens when we have a big snowpack), you’ll have more company on the river. But the River of Sorrows never disappoints.
Four Days of Heaven
Join us for this 4-day, Novice Expedition Planning and Paddling Course! We’ll spend one day training in the kayak play park on the Animas River, followed by three days in the backcountry on the Dolores River.
To do this course, you should be comfortable in Class II at a minimum. As well, you should be able to self rescue (aka “wet re-entry”) most of the time. You’ll be paddling a lot of Class III in this course.
The section of the Dolores we do is TBA depending on river levels. Please note, the Dolores River does not run below the dam every year (i.e. from Bradfield to Bedrock). It only runs when we have a big snow year, such as in 2019 and 2023. However, we are permitted to run the entire length of the river in Colorado. Thus, if we cannot run below the dam, we have other options.
These are the possible sections of rivers we will run:
- ✔️Rico to Big Rock (West Fork): 27.6 miles, Class II-III
- ✔️West Fork to McPhee Reservoir: 14.6 miles, Class II-III
- ✔️Bradfield Launch to Dove Creek Pump Station: 18.5 miles, Class II-III+
- ✔️Dove Creek to Slick Rock 28 miles, Class II-III
- ✔️Slickrock to Bedrock 49 miles Class II+
- ✔️Bedrock to Gateway 45 mile, Class II+
Regardless of which section we do, you must be a beginner/intermediate to intermediate boater to take this course. This is NOT a course for beginner boaters or people on the cusp of beginner/intermediate.
If you’re not sure you are experienced enough for this course, please visit our blog post, “What Level Packrafter Are You?“
Price: $1775
A 50% deposit is required to secure your space. You’ll need to provide the remaining balance 30 days prior to your course. The remaining balance is due immediately if you are registering inside of the 30 day window.
Additionally, please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page.
Transportation Options
We do not provide transportation on our courses. We expect you to meet us at the put-in on the night before or the first morning of the course and participate in the shuttling. Depending on how many people are on the course, we may need to shuttle multiple vehicles.
What's Included
Most people who take this course rent or own whitewater packrafts. We do offer open Alpacka Classic packrafts, but you’ll be at a disadvatage using an open, non-whitewater boat. We also have PFDs, paddles, and helmets you may borrow.
As well, we provide two nights at Scullbinder Ranch (which includes dinner and breakfast), plus permits, camping, backcountry sanitation kit, all backcountry meals for the duration of the trip (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks).
What's Not Included
Adult beverages, transportation, drysuits, river knives, whistles or throw bags.
You will need a drysuit for the duration of the course. You may rent one locally at 4Corners Riversports for a discount, or at Backcountrypackrafts.com. We will provide you with the 15% discount code once you register for the course.
Though we do not provide transportation, we will work together on the shuttle logistics.
Instructors
Steve Fassbinder
Steve, aka “Doom,” is one of the country’s first Level 4 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructors. And he is a certified International Rescue 3 Whitewater Rescue Technician Professional (WRT-PRO) and IRF Whitewater Packraft Guide. Steve is also certified in Advanced Swiftwater Safety and Wilderness First Responder. An early adopter of packrafting, he has guided or instructed bike-packrafting to kids and adults for over a decade. And he has done remote packrafting expeditions around the world for over a dozen years.
Thad Ferrell
Thad is a Level 4 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor. He additionally has advanced Swiftwater Safety training and he is a certified Wilderness First Responder. An early adopter of packrafting and life-long cyclist and bikepacker, Thad has accomplished some ground-breaking, multi-week climb-bike-packraft adventures in the desert Southwest. He is also an expert fly fishing guide.
What You Will Learn
We designed this trip for adventurers looking to hone their backcountry packrafting skills. Although we do teach many of the standard techniques from our other packrafting courses, we spend less time on self-rescue and aggressive swimming skills and drills. Instead we focus more on what it takes to accomplish a multi-day packraft adventure in the backcountry. Checklist of things we cover in this course:
Paddling & River Running Skills
- ✔️Equipment (use and care + boat rigging, fit, and release of thigh straps)
- ✔️Posture, safety, comfort, rocking and balance
- ✔️Swimming and general water confidence
- ✔️Self-rescue & buddy assistance
- ✔️Dealing with currents
- ✔️Aggressive & defensive swimming position
- ✔️River hydrology/dynamics, features & hazards
- ✔️Beginner to Intermediate Paddle strokes: Forward; Back (stopping); Draw; Sculling draw/brace; Sweep (including stern draw); Reverse sweep; Rudder; Bracing
- ✔️Maneuvers: J-lean / heeling the boat; Spin: boat pivots in place; Abeam: boat moves sideways without headway; Forward: boat goes forward in a reasonably straight line; Stopping: boat stops within a reasonable distance; Turns: boat turns in a broad arc while underway; Veering, carving, and paddling the “inside circle”
- ✔️Ferries: Facing downstream (to stop in current and move laterally to avoid hazards); Facing upstream to move laterally with control
- ✔️Using eddies: Eddy turns; Deep into eddy vs. near eddy line Peel outs; Deep into current vs. pivot near eddy line ; C-turns (eddy turn and peel out from the same side of an eddy); S-turns (eddy turn on one side of an eddy, peeling out from the other side)
- ✔️Surfing
- ✔️River communication: Paddle, hand, and whistle signals
- ✔️Trip planning – 6Ps: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance: Review elements of a float plan (who, what, when, where); Sourcing local beta such as river sections, flows, weather conditions, forecasts, etc. (i.e., online groups, guidebooks, websites, apps, businesses, gauges, etc.); Local rules, regulations, and permitting requirements; Shuttle logistics
- ✔️Evaluate current weather conditions, forecasts, and other environmental hazards
- ✔️Field repair-tips & tricks
- ✔️Strategies in running rivers: Spacing, Avoid tunnel vision, Paddle your own route Scouting, Portaging, Group organization on the river, Cohesiveness (lead, sweep boats, etc.), Safety boats (group members with repair kits, first aid kits, and first aid and CPR training), Communication and signaling
- ✔️Discuss danger vs. difficulty
Expedition Planning Skills
- ✔️Expedition/multi-day trip planning & logistics
- ✔️Expedition pack lists
- ✔️Where to pack your gear (zippers, weight distribution, securing packs/gear to or inside the boat
- ✔️How to pack light (i.e. what to leave behind and why + how to share gear)
- ✔️Expedition food planning and prep
- ✔️Leave No Trace practices in the backcountry
- ✔️Navigation in the field, finding camp, etc
- ✔️Overview of use of online resources: GIS, USGS water gauges, Google Earth, etc
- ✔️Expedition mentality
Follow us @fourcornersguides on Instagram to see photos from our Advanced Expedition Packrafting course. Visit our Dark Canyon photo album on Facebook.
