Ruby–Horsethief
Twenty-five miles of Wingate walls from Loma to the Westwater ranger station — Class I–II, big camps, the first-desert-trip classic.
Ruby–Horsethief is the introduction: twenty-five miles of the Colorado from the Loma ramp west of Grand Junction to the Westwater Ranger Station, through Wingate sandstone walls, Black Rocks, the petroglyphs at Mee Canyon, and dozens of named camps under cottonwoods. Class I–II with minor riffles, which puts canoes, inflatable kayaks, and children on it. Two days is the comfortable pace, one night in the canyon; it can be pushed into a long single day.
The BLM requires an overnight camping permit year-round, reserved in advance; day trips need none. Groups top out at twenty-five, dogs counted. The shuttle is paved, about thirty road miles: I-70 to exit 227, then nine miles south to the ranger station. The take-out is the Westwater put-in, and parties linking the two run Westwater on its own permit as a second trip.
Loma to Westwater
From the Loma ramp, just west of Grand Junction, through 25 miles of sandstone canyon to the Westwater Ranger Station. An overnight trip on a BLM camping permit, with good camps, mellow current and few rapids. The take-out is the Westwater put-in; parties continuing through Westwater Canyon need the Westwater permit as a separate trip.
- Distance
- 25 miles
- Typical days
- 2
The journey
What the water is doing
Bands keyed to Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State Line
Minimum comfortable flow. River slows considerably; potential dragging over shallow gravel bars.
Best conditions for most groups. Good downstream current, minor wave trains, easy navigation.
Elevated flows. Current becomes fast and pushy; flatwater character maintained but maneuvering requires attentiveness.
Fast current with pronounced wave trains at all riffles. Beginners benefit from experienced leadership.
Flow knowledge is owned by the Ruby–Horsethief Canyon section record — full flow spectrum and history there.
Permit
- Ruby-Horsethief Overnight Camping Permit — Bureau of Land Management — Grand Junction Field Office
Access
- Put-in
- Loma Boat Ramp
- Take-out
- Westwater Ranger Station Boat Ramp
The cooler sets the menu. Fresh food goes first and the last nights come from the pantry, so plan the meals backward from the final dinner.
Ribeye with Grilled Peppers
Night one. Fresh cooler. Cast iron over charcoal. The best steak you'll eat all week.
Green Chile Chicken Tacos
Marinated at home, grilled in camp. The best taco night on the river.
Ribeye with Grilled Peppers
The night-one showstopper. Thick-cut ribeyes seared in a screaming-hot cast iron over charcoal, with halved bell peppers and onions charring on the grate alongside. This is the meal you cook while the cooler is still cold and the group is still clean. Finish with flaky salt and a squeeze of lime. It takes ten minutes and sets the tone for the whole trip.
- Night
- 1
- Cooler
- Fresh
- Time
- 25 min
- Serves
- 6–10
- Heat
- Charcoal
- Difficulty
- Simple
Ingredients
- 8 steaks, 12-14 oz each ribeye steaks, patted dry, salted 30 minutes before cooking
- 6 large, mixed colors bell peppers, halved and seeded
- 4 large yellow onions, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- to taste flaky salt
- to taste black pepper
- 4 limes, halved
- 1 head garlic, whole cloves, smashed
- 4 tbsp butter
Method
- Light charcoal in the fire pan 30 minutes before cooking. Let it ash over to medium-high heat. While it heats, pull steaks from the cooler and salt generously on both sides.
- Set the grill grate over the coals. Toss pepper halves and onion rounds with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place cut-side down on the grate. They'll need 10-12 minutes total, turning once.
- Heat the cast iron skillet directly on the coals or grate until it's smoking. Add a thin film of oil.
- Sear steaks 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on thickness. In the last minute, add butter and smashed garlic to the pan and baste the steaks.
- Rest steaks on cutting board for 5 minutes. Finish peppers and onions — they should be soft and charred at the edges.
- Serve steaks whole or sliced against the grain. Pile peppers and onions alongside. Finish with flaky salt and a squeeze of lime.
Field notes
Salt the steaks before you set up camp — by the time you've rigged the kitchen, they've had their 30 minutes. The cast iron needs to be genuinely smoking before the first steak goes in. If it's windy, position the fire pan so you're shielded and the coals stay hot. In desert heat above 100F, pull steaks from the cooler only 10 minutes ahead — they'll come to temp fast. Keep a spray bottle of water nearby for flare-ups from the dripping fat.
Green Chile Chicken Tacos
Pre-marinated chicken thighs grilled over charcoal, sliced thin, and piled into warm flour tortillas with crunchy cabbage slaw and crumbled cotija. The marinade does all the work at home — lime, cumin, garlic, and green chile — so in camp you just grill and assemble. This is the meal that makes people stop what they're doing and walk over to the kitchen.
- Night
- 2
- Cooler
- Fresh
- Time
- 35 min
- Serves
- 6–10
- Heat
- Charcoal
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Ingredients
- 5 lbs (about 20 thighs) boneless skinless chicken thighs, pre-marinated and frozen flat in bags
- 1/2 cup (about 6 limes) lime juice, juiced at home for marinade
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 8 cloves garlic, minced into marinade at home
- 2 cans (7 oz each) roasted green chiles, one can in marinade, one for topping
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 24 large (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 small head green cabbage, shredded thin at home, bagged
- 8 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
- 4 limes, quartered for serving
- 1 bottle hot sauce
- 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Method
- Light charcoal in the fire pan 25 minutes before cooking. Pull the marinated chicken bags from the cooler — they should be thawed and cold, not frozen.
- When coals are ashed over, set the grill grate and oil it lightly. Lay chicken thighs flat on the grate. Grill 5-6 minutes per side until charred and cooked through (165F internal, but thighs are forgiving).
- While chicken grills, warm tortillas directly on the grate edge — 20 seconds per side, just enough to get them pliable and lightly charred. Stack and wrap in a clean towel to keep warm.
- Rest grilled chicken for 3 minutes, then slice against the grain into strips.
- Set up the assembly line: sliced chicken, warm tortillas, shredded cabbage, cotija, green chiles, lime wedges, and hot sauce. Let people build their own.
- For the slaw, toss shredded cabbage with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt right before serving.
Field notes
The key to this recipe is the frozen marinade bags. They keep the cooler cold on day 1 and produce perfectly thawed, deeply marinated chicken by day 2. If it's extremely hot (105F+), check the bags on the morning of day 2 — they may thaw faster than expected. Don't skip the towel for the tortillas; they go from warm and pliable to stiff and cracked in two minutes of desert air. If it's windy, the charcoal will burn hot and fast — watch for flare-ups from the marinade dripping.
Feeding a Crew on the River
Ice management strategy
Two coolers, sorted by how often they open: one for drinks and the day's food, one kept shut for later in the trip.
Kitchen setup
Folding table, two-burner propane stove, cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, and a large pot. The Dutch oven is the single most versatile piece.