Westwater Canyon
Seventeen miles into black Precambrian rock — Skull, the Room of Doom, and the Colorado's most concentrated Class IV, runnable in a day on a BLM permit.
Westwater is the short permit trip of the Moab region: seventeen miles from the Westwater Ranger Station to the Cisco ramp, six of them through open red sandstone and the rest inside a gorge of 1.7-billion-year-old black granite and schist. The rapids compress as the walls close, Little Dolores, Marble Canyon, Staircase, Big Hummer, Funnel Falls, Surprise, then Skull with the Room of Doom, Sock-It-To-Me, Bowling Alley, and Last Chance.
Class III–IV, with the gorge turning expert-only at high water when the Room of Doom eddy gets very hard to exit. Most parties run it in one long day; an overnight in the gorge is worth it. A BLM Moab Field Office permit is required year-round for day use and overnight; check the current reservation window and stipulations before launch. The shuttle is paved, about 25 road miles by I-70, one of the easiest on the Plateau. Pair it with Ruby–Horsethief above for the three-to-four-day version.
Choose your route
-
Westwater to Cisco classic
Westwater Ranger Station Boat Ramp → Cisco Boat Ramp
- Miles
- 17
- Days
- 1–2
- Sections
- 1
The standard run: ranger station to Cisco Landing, seventeen miles with the black gorge and Skull in the middle, in a day or with a night in the canyon.
Permit Westwater Canyon River Permits
Spring and fall are ideal. Summer is hot but manageable.
-
Ruby–Horsethief and Westwater
Loma Boat Ramp → Cisco Boat Ramp
- Miles
- 41.6
- Days
- 3–5
- Sections
- 2
Two permits, one float: the Wingate walls and big camps of Ruby–Horsethief, then straight into Westwater's black gorge, Loma to Cisco.
Permits Ruby-Horsethief Overnight Camping Permit · Westwater Canyon River Permits
-
Westwater to Dewey Bridge
Westwater Ranger Station Boat Ramp → Dewey Bridge Boat Ramp
- Miles
- 33.3
- Days
- 2–3
- Sections
- 2
Run the gorge, then keep going: sixteen quiet flatwater miles below Cisco to the Dewey Bridge ramp instead of the usual take-out.
Westwater to Cisco
Westwater Canyon — 17 miles of Colorado River from the Westwater Ranger Station put-in down through Utah's tightest Precambrian-rock gorge to the Cisco Boat Ramp take-out. The 'short permit trip' of the Moab region: Class III-IV+ whitewater concentrated in a dramatic black-rock inner gorge, including Little Dolores, Marble Canyon, Staircase, Big Hummer, Funnel Falls, Surprise, Skull Rapid (with Room of Doom), Sock-It-To-Me, Bowling Alley, and Last Chance.
A full-day or overnight run — the canyon's combination of serious rapids, committed walls, and relatively short length make it one of the most requested permits in the West.
- Distance
- 17 miles
- Typical days
- 2
The journey
What the water is doing
Bands keyed to Colorado River Near Cisco, UT
Runnable but more technical, scraping possible on exposed ledges. Razor rock is out, the key is catching the eddy above in the correct spot, so the boat spin is timed to avoid needing to counter spin. With a large gear raft it isn't unreasonable to expect getting plugged in between razor rock and the shore boulders. On the extra low end, running right of skull rock, isn't pretty and a little rough on the gear, but might be your only option.
Best conditions for most groups. Skull is well-formed and readable.
14,400 cfs is a fabled level where expert boaters say Westwater Canyon is at its peak, most challenging. Expert paddlers and properly-rigged boats only.
Some features are flooded, others are max punishment. Because of the extra height, there is more room to get around the big stuff. Room of Doom becomes a serious, hard-to-exit eddy. Expert paddlers and properly-rigged boats only.
Flow knowledge is owned by the Westwater Canyon section record — full flow spectrum and history there.
Access
- Put-in
- Westwater Ranger Station Boat Ramp
- Take-out
- Cisco Boat Ramp
Shuttle
Westwater Ranger Station Boat Ramp to Cisco Boat Ramp
The I-70 line runs nine miles from the ranger station out to exit 227, then west on the interstate and back down to the Cisco ramp. Bike shuttle: possible for strong riders on Kokopelli's Trail between Westwater and Cisco.
Google timed this for a car on a good day. Our figure runs about 20 percent longer, because a raft trailer behind a loaded rig does not take washboard, potholes, pitted pavement, or dirt that turns to grease in the rain at Google's speed.
Ruby–Horsethief and Westwater
The combined trip: launch at Loma and float the twenty-five flatwater miles of Ruby–Horsethief past Black Rocks and Mee Canyon, pass the Westwater Ranger Station without taking out, and run the gorge to Cisco.
Two BLM permits from two field offices, Grand Junction for the Ruby–Horsethief overnight and Moab for Westwater, on the same dates. Three to five days, most often four. Class I–II water for the first day or two, then Class III–IV, so the crew and the boats have to be rigged for the second half from the start.
- Distance
- 41.6 miles
- Typical days
- 4
The geography underneath
One recognizable trip, 2 named river sections. The trip has one name; the river carries you through more geography than that name reveals.
- Ruby–Horsethief Canyon 25 mi approach
- Westwater Canyon 17.2 mi the journey
The journey
What the water is doing
Bands keyed to Colorado River Near Cisco, UT
Runnable but more technical, scraping possible on exposed ledges. Razor rock is out, the key is catching the eddy above in the correct spot, so the boat spin is timed to avoid needing to counter spin. With a large gear raft it isn't unreasonable to expect getting plugged in between razor rock and the shore boulders. On the extra low end, running right of skull rock, isn't pretty and a little rough on the gear, but might be your only option.
Best conditions for most groups. Skull is well-formed and readable.
14,400 cfs is a fabled level where expert boaters say Westwater Canyon is at its peak, most challenging. Expert paddlers and properly-rigged boats only.
Some features are flooded, others are max punishment. Because of the extra height, there is more room to get around the big stuff. Room of Doom becomes a serious, hard-to-exit eddy. Expert paddlers and properly-rigged boats only.
Flow knowledge is owned by the Westwater Canyon section record — full flow spectrum and history there.
Access
- Put-in
- Loma Boat Ramp
- Take-out
- Cisco Boat Ramp
Westwater to Dewey Bridge
Westwater with the flatwater tail: the ranger station put-in, the black-rock gorge and Skull, then past the Cisco ramp where most parties leave and on through sixteen miles of open BLM ranchland and shale badlands to the Dewey Bridge ramp, with the Book Cliffs north and the La Sals south.
The Westwater permit covers the gorge; nothing is required below Cisco, and beach camping on the BLM benches is allowed. Two days is the natural plan, three if Westwater gets its own night. The shuttle is paved the whole way, UT-128 to I-70.
- Distance
- 33.3 miles
- Typical days
- 2
The geography underneath
One recognizable trip, 2 named river sections. The trip has one name; the river carries you through more geography than that name reveals.
- Westwater Canyon 17.2 mi the journey
- Cisco to Dewey Bridge 16.1 mi downstream
The journey
What the water is doing
Bands keyed to Colorado River Near Cisco, UT
Runnable but more technical, scraping possible on exposed ledges. Razor rock is out, the key is catching the eddy above in the correct spot, so the boat spin is timed to avoid needing to counter spin. With a large gear raft it isn't unreasonable to expect getting plugged in between razor rock and the shore boulders. On the extra low end, running right of skull rock, isn't pretty and a little rough on the gear, but might be your only option.
Best conditions for most groups. Skull is well-formed and readable.
14,400 cfs is a fabled level where expert boaters say Westwater Canyon is at its peak, most challenging. Expert paddlers and properly-rigged boats only.
Some features are flooded, others are max punishment. Because of the extra height, there is more room to get around the big stuff. Room of Doom becomes a serious, hard-to-exit eddy. Expert paddlers and properly-rigged boats only.
Flow knowledge is owned by the Westwater Canyon section record — full flow spectrum and history there.
Access
- Put-in
- Westwater Ranger Station Boat Ramp
- Take-out
- Dewey Bridge Boat Ramp
Shuttle
Westwater Ranger Station Boat Ramp to Dewey Bridge 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.
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.
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.