Dr. Alfred Runte hangs on as his raft crashes through Warm Springs Rapid on the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument/Patrick Cone

For five glorious mid-June days, a group of 25 national park travelers, and six Holiday River Expeditions crew, floated down the Yampa River as it coursed through the stunning landscape of Dinosaur National Monument.

The trip, one of two national park float trips Traveler readers are invited to sign on for, wound up squeezed perfectly between two low-pressure systems; aside from drizzle that ended a couple hours before the six rafts launched at Deerlodge Park in Dinosaur and a smattering of raindrops that fell in the predawn hours of the final day on the river, those on the trip enjoyed crisp blue skies, temperatures in the 70s and low 80s, and only a handful or two of insects.

Traveler Editor-in-Chief Kurt Repanshek and Special Projects Editor Patrick Cone were on the trip, though the main attraction come evenings in camp was Dr. Alfred Runte, the country's preeminent national park historian, who led discussions into all aspects of the parks. The National Parks Conservation Association, National Park Foundation, National Park Service Centennial, the difference between unit designations, issues of the moment, all were organizations and topics that were dissected.

Holiday's guides saw that all were fed well. Breakfasts that started with plenty of hot Cowboy coffee revolved around egg dishes, pancakes and French toast; lunches were deli sandwiches, fresh fruit and vegetables, and wraps; and dinners involved salmon, chicken fajitas, lasagna, and steak filets. Baked goods -- blueberry muffins, for instance -- also made appearances at breakfasts. 

Thanks to the generosity of gear manufacturers Osprey, Chaco, Cascade Designs, and Cocoon, as well as National Park Posters, those on the trip enjoyed nightly gear giveaways, and no one went home empty-handed.

Traveler's next float trip is scheduled for September 28-October 3, when Holiday River guides will take the party down through Canyonlands National Park on the Colorado River and through Cataract Canyon, arguably the best 100-mile river trip in the West.

After shoving off into the Green River from Mineral Bottom just upstream of the confluence with the Colorado River, the rafters will spend six days drifting through one of the most mesmerizing landscapes in America. There will be days when the boats will drift through calm pools and stretches of river, and a day of busting through some of the most renowned white-water in the Southwest. On shore, the group will explore the Doll House with its geologic oddities, and look for ancient ruins and pictographs in other side canyons in the national park. 

For more details, click here.