Moab Rafting Trips

Most first-timers on a day trip book the Colorado River Full Day or A.M. Half Day. Both run Class II–III rapids on the upper Colorado and are designed for families, couples, and groups with mixed experience levels. Choose your level of involvement in a paddle raft or inflatable kayak.

For a multi-day first trip, the 5 Day Desolation Canyon is the most family-friendly option on our schedule. Rapids are fun without being intimidating, camps are comfortable, and the beaches are sandy.

Our day trips and the 5 Day Desolation Canyon work for guests across a wide range of fitness levels, including younger kids and older adults. The multi-day trips do involve some walking on sand, helping with the "fireline" (unloading boats) if you choose to, and getting in and out of the boats. We cover what to expect in the trip's physical requirements before you book. The 4 Day Cataract Classic and the 2 Day Cataract Express run bigger whitewater and are a better fit for guests comfortable with bigger whitewater.

The Colorado River day trips in Moab run a series of named rapids on the upper Colorado: Onion Creek Rapid, Professor Rapid, Rocky Rapid, Whites Rapid, Salt Wash Rapid, and Cloudburst. All are Class II–III, fun, splashy, and well within the range of first-time rafters. The morning trip launches at Hittle Bottom below the Fisher Towers and finishes above Rocky Rapid. The full-day trip runs the entire stretch, including Whites Rapid in the afternoon.

During higher spring runoff in May and early June, some of the rapids on this stretch can reach class III.

Westwater Canyon will have more intense class III-IV whitewater and varies with water levels.

Most departures run on Western River's high-speed Snout-Rig, our custom motorized raft purpose-built for Cataract Canyon. As river flows drop later in the season, your trip may run in an alternate format, a jetboat ride into Canyonlands followed by paddle and oar rafts through the whitewater. Same canyon, same Big Drops, more hands-on. The transition timing depends on water levels and isn't fixed in advance. Western River will confirm your trip's format closer to departure once river conditions are known.

For day trips, a few weeks is usually enough outside of peak summer weekends. Many dates will sell out months in advance. Multi-day trips run on a fixed seasonal schedule (roughly May through September, varying by trip) and the popular departures, family-friendly Desolation dates, holiday weekends, and the 4 Day Cataract Classic in prime water, sell out 4 to 12 months ahead. If you're planning around specific dates, book as soon as you have them locked in.

Not the way we run it. Guides teach you how to set up your cot and tent so you are able to be your own happy little campers throughout the rest of the trip. Guides set up bathroom facilities in camp on arrival, and prepare the kitchen for some great meals prepared by your guides. You carry your personal dry bag from the boat to your tent or cot each night and that's it. 

Bathrooms are portable and private. Bathing in the river is encouraged and a memorable part of the river experience. If camping has been a hesitation, the 5 Day Desolation Canyon is an excellent introduction, low water class, sandy beaches, and comfortable camps.

The Southwest Sampler trip offers a single night of camping on the Fisher Towers section of the Colorado River through Castle Valley.

Everything once you arrive in Moab and the trip begins. Guides, logistics for getting to and from the river, all meals on-river, camping equipment including tents and cots, life jackets and rafting gear, scenic flights where applicable (4 Day Cataract Classic return flight to Moab, and 5 Day Desolation Canyon access flight to Sand Wash). You cover travel to Moab, your hotel, meals in town before and after, and gratuity for your guide crew.

No. The Moab rafting season is roughly April through October, with the exact window depending on the trip. Day trips on the upper Colorado run the longest season. Multi-day trips are tied to runoff timing and permit windows; the 5 Day Desolation Canyon runs June through early August, and Cataract Canyon trips run May through September, with the biggest water typically in late May and June. See each trip page for current departure dates.