Class II+–III Rapid · Cataract Canyon
Rapid 24
First rapid below the Big Drops. Named for a pocket watch lost during Powell's 1869 expedition.
Also known as: Rapid 24, Powells Pocket Watch, Pocket Watch, Powell's Pocket Watch
Powell's Pocket Watch (Rapid 24) is the first rapid below the Big Drops sequence — the first recovery-zone rapid after Satan's Gut. Named in reference to an incident during John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition in which a pocket watch was lost to the river at this spot. A welcome Class III- drop for crews decompressing after the Big Drops.
Difficulty
Read-and-run Class III- at moderate flows.
Scouting
Not typically scouted. Parties often land on river-right eddies here to regroup after the Big Drops.
