Desert Maritime
Expeditions
Multi-day itineraries through canyon country and desert rivers — planned from the permit up.
What is an expedition
An expedition is a composed itinerary — river sections, overland approaches, and human-powered legs threaded into a runnable plan. Each one carries its own permit window, skill bar, and gear stance. Pick the trip; the plan follows.
Canyonlands Multi-Sport Week
- 7 days
- Intermediate
- Multi-modal expedition
- Colorado Plateau
A seven-day multi-modal sampler threading overland travel, a packraft day, slickrock riding, and side hikes into one canyon-country loop. Demonstrates the full expedition composition model — atomic routes + hikes + generic activity attachments in a single itinerary.
Best for fit generalists
Cataract Canyon Big Water Expedition
- 5 days
- Advanced
- River expedition
- Colorado Plateau
High-water Cataract run — flows above 30,000 CFS, compressed timeline, full scouting discipline at the Big Drops. For crews with Class IV+ whitewater resumes.
Best for advanced oar crews
Cataract Canyon Standard 4 Day
- 4 days
- Advanced
- River expedition
- Colorado Plateau
A standard Desert Maritime 4-day Cataract Canyon itinerary using Potash as the launch and North Wash as the planned take-out, designed for competent raft groups that want enough time for the approach miles, the Big Drops, and a realistic lower-canyon finish.
Best for experienced private raft groups
Desolation / Gray Private 6 Day
- 6 days
- Intermediate
- River expedition
- Colorado Plateau
Six-day private itinerary through Desolation and Gray Canyons — standard Desert Maritime pace with time for rock art, layovers, and the Three Fords / Coal Creek / Nefertiti rapid sequence.
Best for experienced private groups
Desolation / Gray Family Expedition
- 7 days
- Intermediate
- River expedition
- Colorado Plateau
Family-paced 7-day Desolation + Gray trip — moderate mileage, rest layovers, kid-friendly camps and hikes, Class III whitewater that builds gradually.
Best for families with school-age kids
Desolation / Gray Photo Itinerary
- 8 days
- Intermediate
- River expedition
- Colorado Plateau
Photo-focused eight-day trip through Desolation and Gray Canyons — weighted camps for morning and evening light, dedicated layovers at Rock Creek and Flat Canyon rock art.
Best for photographers
Green River + Swell Traverse
- 10 days
A longer desert traverse linking classic Green River miles with Swell backcountry routes.
Green to Cataract Full System Trip
- 14 days
- Advanced
- River expedition
- Colorado Plateau
Full-system expedition: Green River through Labyrinth + Stillwater to the Confluence, then into Cataract. Two weeks, two rivers, one canyon system — the complete Colorado Plateau river.
Best for expedition groups
White Rim + Cataract Canyon Combo
- 7 days
A signature Moab loop combining iconic overland terrain with big-water canyon rafting.