Explore
Rivers
Canyon rivers of the American West — from flatwater meditation to committed whitewater. Flow data, section intelligence, and the information that changes how you plan.
What is a river page
Each river is a corridor of sections, gauges, permits, and history. Open a card to see what kind of river it is. The dedicated page carries the full intelligence — sections, hydrology, seasonality, and the planning detail that decides a trip.
Colorado River
The Colorado is the defining waterway of the American Southwest and the central corridor of Desert Maritime.
- Class I–V (by section)
- Best Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Permit-heavy
- canyon river
- big-water whitewater
River trips
Best for
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Big canyon expeditions
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Whitewater planning
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Hydrology and reservoir context
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Colorado Plateau river history
River moves
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Packraft side hikes
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Bike shuttle — White Rim
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Slot canyon hikes off Stillwater
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Reservoir overland to Hite
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Ruin hikes from camp
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Day-trip Moab Daily
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Expedition basecamp
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Cataract whitewater training
Notorious rapids
Known for
- Cataract's Big Drops
- Skull Rapid + Room of Doom
- 226-mile Grand Canyon traverse
- Glen Canyon Dam + Powell
- Westwater Precambrian gorge
Watch for
- Grand Canyon lottery odds
- Cataract launches shift with runoff
- Powell backwater eats Cataract miles
- Spring snowmelt windows close fast
Green River
The Green is the desert's other artery — five distinct canyon paragraphs from Lodore to the Confluence.
- Class I–IV (by section)
- Best May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Permit-heavy
- canyon river
- flatwater desert expedition
River trips
Best for
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Long flatwater traverses
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Permit-route planning
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Multi-section linkups
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Wilderness solitude
River moves
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Slot canyons from camp
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Labyrinth packraft side trips
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Family float — Labyrinth
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Photo objective — flatwater meditation
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Browns Park archaeology
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Confluence overlook hike
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Stillwater–Cataract linkup
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Desolation snowmelt window
Notorious rapids
Known for
- Lodore's Disaster Falls + Hells Half Mile
- Desolation's 120-mile wilderness
- Labyrinth's slot-canyon hikes
- Stillwater into the Confluence
- Powell-survey river of record
Watch for
- Spring runoff drives Lodore difficulty
- Yampa flow sets Lodore put-in volume
- Labyrinth headwinds 1 PM on
- Stillwater–Cataract handoff is two permits
Yampa River
The Yampa is the last large undammed tributary of the Colorado — a single committed canyon run with a brief snowmelt window.
- Class I–V (Yampa Canyon section)
- Best May, Jun
- Permit-heavy
- free-flowing snowmelt river
- canyon expedition
River trips
Best for
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Free-flowing whitewater
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Permit-lottery planning
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Spring snowmelt timing
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Echo Park confluence travel
River moves
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Tiger Wall rock art
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Mantle Cave archaeology
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Echo Park overland approach
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Cross Mountain training run
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Snowmelt photography
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Spring packraft window
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Steamboat overland staging
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Dinosaur tour add-on
Notorious rapids
Known for
- Warm Springs Rapid
- Last large free-flowing tributary
- Tiger Wall pictographs
- Echo Park confluence with the Green
- Dinosaur National Monument
Watch for
- January 1–31 lottery — apply or wait a year
- Below 1,500 cfs — trip may be canceled
- Warm Springs flips at peak runoff
- Trip length capped at 5 days
Planning Resources