Class III+–V Rapid · Westwater Canyon
Skull Rapid
Skull Rapid is the most consequential rapid in Westwater Canyon and the crux of the run. A large boulder in the center of the channel splits the river; the preferred line runs to the right of the rock. The real hazard is just below: Room of Doom — a mega-eddy on river-right that is exceedingly difficult to exit at most water levels. Swimmers and flipped craft that wash into Room of Doom face extended retention. Skull is the narrowest point of the Colorado River within Westwater and the defining rapid of the run.
River Mile: 117.4