Dinosaur Expeditions

"Family Fun on the Weber"

My 5 year old daughter, Gaby, was a little nervous at the prospect of hurtling along a river at top speed in an inflatable dirge, but as soon as we met Michael, who picked us up from our hotel, she started to relax.  Michael and the rest of the guides at Dinosaur Expeditions are friendly and fun.  On the 20 minute drive to the put-in spot (rafting lingo for the starting point) we chatted amiably and enjoyed listening to rafting yarns and other forms of water lore.

The Weber (pronounced Wee Burr, not Weh Burr), a class 2 river, was hurtling along at 16,000 CFI’s, (Cubic Feet per Inch) the day of our trip.  The recent heavy rains and spring snowmelt caused the river to flow faster than normal.  

BUCOLIC FARM SCENERY

Our guides Tanner and Jeremy, and Jeremy’s wife Megan, soon had the raft in the water, and, after a brief safety and paddling demo, off we went.  Jeremy skillfully steered the boat along, while Tanner, Megan and I paddled according to his instructions (“Forward 3 strokes”, “backward 2 strokes” etc.) Gaby clung to my legs at first, but by the end was paddling too.

The river was mostly flat, with sections of big, fun rapids that thoroughly soaked everyone.   Class 2 rapids are suitable for kids 5+ and above 45 lbs- and I think it was about as much thrill as Gaby could handle at this age anyway.  Her favorite part of the adventure was seeing the beautiful cow and horse farms that dotted the riverbanks as we floated by.  Herons, cranes, and many other bird species call the river home, and Tanner was as knowledgeable about avian creatures as he was about rafting.

RIVERSIDE PICNIC LUNCH

After an hour and 45 minutes on the water, we reached the take-out spot and were ready for lunch.  (Normally the water is a little slower, so the average trip is about 2 hours).  Once we had the raft out of the water, Tanner served a yummy picnic lunch in a pasture adjacent to the river, with sheep and a friendly horse nearby.  Sandwich fixings, chips, fruit, and soda rounded out the meal, which we enjoyed while watching a sheep dog herding his errant flock.  

Rafting the Weber is an exciting and unique Park City summer activity for families, and the fun and friendly guides at Dinosaur Expeditions set even nervous first time rafters at ease.  I highly recommend them for Weber River raft trips.  For families eager to explore further afield, Dinosaur Expeditions also guides multi-day adventures out of both their Park City headquarters and their base near Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado.

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary raft trip from Dinosaur Expeditions.  They did not ask me to express a particular opinion and all of my review reflect  my honest opinions