Weber
04. Henefer to Taggarts
| Difficulty | II(III) |
| Length | 5 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 18 fpm |
| Gauge | Weber River at Echo, Ut |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 285 cfslow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | July 20, 2024 |
River Description
The Henefer to Taggarts run begins at the western Henefer exit. This class 2+ to 3- section offers good eddylines and a couple of play features. Flows around [600-700?] it may not be possible to paddle under the [new] Croyden bridge. The last rapid is Taggarts and can safely be run down the left side at all flows.
There are a couple put-ins along the dirt frontage road. Groups usually meet at the largest parking area, upstream of the others.
In 2024 there is now a $10 fee per car for the main parking area, on holidays, Fridays and weekends.
Below the Henefer put-in is the Henefer rock garden with good eddy turns and rock slalom practice. Beginners without a solid brace or roll often swim in this section (III-). Flatwater canoes have been seen wrapped around rocks in the rock garden.
A more forgiving first time run is to put in below the Croyden bridge.
When the Taggart takeout is crowded, kayakers may opt for the shorter Henefer to Croyden section.
2024: The new Croyden Bridge is somewhat lower than the old bridge, and needs to be portaged (left) at high flows. Just below the Croyden bridge on the right is a popular tubing putin, and is a better putin for first time kayakers. After some flat water comes another rapid before going under the road and past Devil's Slide. Croyden wave provides the best surfing on the run. A crane/rope swing may be set up on the left on weekends.
Below there are a couple more class II rapids that break up the flat water then you navigate under the highway again, between concrete pillars. Crossing under a railroad bridge there is a nice stern squirt spot on the right. Then comes 'Taggart Falls' the final crux, with a good line on the left, and some right lines dependin
...River Features
Put In
Big dirt parking lot. Some years there are porta potties on site and trash containers. These are donated by the local rafting companies.
Rock Garden
The Rock Garden, this is just a boulder garden with the easiest line starting Right and moving left under the first tree. Mostly read and run. At higher flows 1400+ there are a couple large holes that form on the right side.
Croyden Bridge
The Croyden Bridge is a low bridge (currently being replaced 2023) Train Bridge is also low. Most can duck under it at low to medimum flows. At higher flows a river left portage is best. walking across the bridge and putting back in on River right.
Elbow Rock
This is a fun spot to practice stern squirts, cart wheels and bow stalls.
Croyden Wave
Croyden wave is a fun surf wave at certain flows. If you are upsde down it gets shallow quickly. There is no parking on I-84, so park and play is not really an option here.
Rope Swing
Rope swing is another practice area for stern squirts and some surfing. There used to be a large tree with a rope swing here, that was then replaced with a truck boom. Both have been gone for several years now. This is private property so please be respectful of thier property. They have provided trash cans in the past.
Taggarts Falls
Taggarts Falls, a boulder garden best ran on the left side. At high flows a large hole (pour over) forms from the right extending to center left of river.
Take Out
The take out is on the river right side shortly after Taggarts falls. Just past the take out and on the left side is private property.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPretty much had the whole place to ourselves outside of a few fishermen along the banks, temps were in the 60s and cloudy, was a great time till the wind picked up. Great spot to practice river skills, The rock garden was a great time but can be a little spicy for true beginners. Can be done on a paddle board but much more enjoyable in an kayak or packraft.
A little low at 205CFS for packrafts, hardboat would be better. Wait for 250CFS if you want it perfect because some of the drops had very narrow specific slots to point through with exposed rocks that scrape your boat. The benefit are very few people on a saturday around noon. Some scraping on the bottom on some rock bars so be weary packrafters. Extremely fun still with lots of rocks exposed for practicing eddying out. Stay left on Tagarts Rapid but avoid the submerged rock also on your left at these flows. Tagarts and one other rapid midway through are perfect for surfing and practicing as it is easy to peel off river right and paddle up stream over and over again.
Fun day out! 5-minute drive from the takeout to the put in. An hour float if that. Tons of parking on both ends this time of year. Mid-May is PRE-tubing season which was awesome. Water temp around upper 48°. Air temp around 70°. One other boat on the water we saw. Stay left for the low bridge portage, very short walk. This section was full of thrilling and fun for beginner kayakers. We had 4 packrafts and one double ducky. The rock garden section was not hard. Just fun at 644cfs. Engaging flows all the way down to Taggarts. The last rapid before the pullout caught us off guard and flipped 3 out of the 6 of us. Really really fun in a packraft. Stay left to make it easy. Stay right to make it harder. Wood branch on the right right after the rock drop off could cause and issue. Stay center or only just right of center to avoid the tree on the right, or all the way left for easy-safest line. Make sure you keep your boat going pointed straight down to avoid a flip. At this flow, the runout was easy to swim/self rescue. Great practice and shallow enought to stand up without many hazards felt below but still beware and try not to stand up here to avoid entrapment. We walked the rapid two more times and had a really great time.
There is a new bridge being installed on this section of reiver. The Old bridge has been removed and a temporary bridge has been installed. This is a Mandatory Portage !!!!
Great section of river for beginners and those who like the SUP challenge. There are also tons of tubers, but they don't get in the way.
Taggarts Grill has now become a more upscale establishment, but the food is still good and the beer cold. They also have a pay phone. Just behind the grill, is a hut for Park City Rafting. I bummed a ride from them back to exit 112. There are about 3 rafting services running this stretch, though they put-in at places upstream from exit 112.
The Cow Wave described in the River Description is in Hennifer, which is exit 115. This is not part of the exit 112 to exit 108 run. To run this, you need to put in just above Hennifer off an access road and over a fence with a fishing access ladder. There is no access in Hennifer at the bridge where you can see the wave.