The clean air and pure light found in Canyonlands National Park provide excellent conditions for day-time photography and night-time star gazing. (The International Dark- Sky Association (IDA) has granted Gold-Tier International Dark Sky Park status to Canyonlands National Park, an honor reserved for the darkest of dark skies and the most stunning of starscapes.)

To start the trip, we meet at Canyonlands Airport (Moab). Transportation is provided from the airport to the put-in at Mineral Canyon on the Green River. If weather conditions or road conditions are such that the Mineral Canyon put-in is not feasible, we will travel down the Colorado River from Moab. On either river, the first few days of the trip are on calm water winding through the twists and turns of colorful canyons capped by towers and pinnacles. Each night, we set up camp on white sand beaches. Days are filled with a variety of off-river treks that include prehistoric ruins and rock art, historic cabins and ranches, side streams and waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and geological features. Midway through the trip, we arrive at the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers, an intriguing area that includes The Land of Standing Rocks and trails into the Maze area. Beyond the confluence, the current of the combined rivers moves quickly toward Cataract Canyon and a 20-mile stretch of significant rapids. Below the last rapid in Cataract Canyon, the Colorado River once again flows smoothly to our take-out at North Canyon. Participants return to Moab, Utah (airport), via an early-afternoon scenic charter flight.