Class III–IV Rapid · Cataract Canyon
Ben Hurt
Island Rapid. Final warm-up before the Big Drops at moderate flow; folds into Mile Long at high water.
Also known as: Rapid 20, Been Hurt, Ben Hur, Island Rapid
Ben Hurt Rapid (Rapid 20) is the final warm-up before the Big Drops sequence. The river splits around an island here, and the rapid establishes the tone for what is coming downstream. Class III+ at moderate flows, pushier at high water.
Difficulty
Read-and-run Class III+ at most flows. Approach sets up the immediate run into Big Drop 1 — groups that plan to scout Big Drops usually land between Ben Hurt and Big Drop 1.
The water
Features: river splits around an island; wave train through the main channel.
