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Trip Report

Cataract Canyon — June 2023

Four-day Cataract Canyon run at 33,790 CFS with Lake Powell at 3,557 ft. Motored from Potash to Spanish Bottoms overnight, ran Big Drops on a stern-assist rig that the crew called a missile. Got a taste of the Claw on Big Drop 2 and muscled right of the Gut for a clean Big Drop 3 run.

4 days 32,890 cfs 5 people raft
Season summer
Launch 6-26-2023
Flow 32,890 cfs
Water 63°F avg
(USGS)
Weather 55–96°F
Lake Powell 3582.26 ft
Conditions

33,790 CFS — big water, Claw beginning to flush out

4 days
32,890 cfs
16 ft/mi
1 boats
10 photos
Day 1 6-26-2023

Launch & Motor to Spanish Bottoms

33,800 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 64°F | Moab, UT: 60–95°F

Launched by 3 PM from Potash. Motored through the flatwater at roughly 5 MPH, arriving at Spanish Bottoms around 1 AM. Long overnight push to get into position for the rapids.

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Day 2 6-27-2023

Spanish Bottoms to Dark Canyon

33,310 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 64°F | Moab, UT: 60–94°F

Ran the Big Drops at 33,790 CFS. The Claw appeared to be flushing out. Had the left-to-right ferry angle locked on Big Drop 2 but decided to drop in before catching the eddy — got a piece of the right side of the Claw. In hindsight the Claw looked awesome and runnable, but unclear whether there would have been time to get right of the Gut afterward. Even taking just a bite of the right side, still had to muscle hard right of the Gut. Made the eddy, which set up a clean Big Drop 3 run. The stern assist rig was amazing — no moments of feeling compromised. Paul, Katie, and Alex all said paddling felt very secure, they could lock one leg under the table, and the rig was stout, secure, like a missile. Camped at Dark Canyon — big sandy beach clogged at the mouth, dry and muddy walk back to the bedrock.

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Day 3 6-28-2023

Dark Canyon to Lake Powell

33,230 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 63°F | Moab, UT: 57–94°F

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Day 4 6-29-2023

Take Out

29,980 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 63°F | Moab, UT: 55–96°F

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Scenes from the River

Moments the crew logged on this run.

  • Boat Ramp Launch

    Boats loaded, straps checked, final headcount. The put-in is all business — controlled chaos on a concrete ramp before the river takes over.

    • anticipation
    • focus
    • commitment

  • River at Night

    After dark, the river stops being scenery and becomes presence: sound, silver fragments, black current, and the knowledge that travel continues even while camp sleeps.

    • awe
    • calm
    • solitude
    • reflection
    • insignificance

  • Entering the Rapid

    The threshold moment where the river stops being something you are reading and becomes something you are inside. The horizon line drops, speed builds, and every decision made upstream starts collecting interest.

    • anticipation
    • focus
    • commitment
    • adrenaline
    • tension

  • Big Drop 2 at High Water

    Big Drop 2 at high water is the moment when the river stops offering suggestions and starts issuing terms. The line is still readable, but the scale has changed: waves are taller, recovery is shorter, and every casual decision made upstream arrives at once with a clipboard and a legal department.

    • anticipation
    • fear
    • focus
    • adrenaline
    • competence
    • humor

  • Big Drops

    The Big Drops in Cataract Canyon are the moment the trip stops being scenic river travel and becomes a negotiation with scale. The approach is designed to make a reader feel the weight of the place—intimidated, alert, a little afraid—before revealing that passage is possible when fear is converted into clean angle, timing, rigging, and trust.

    • anticipation
    • fear
    • focus
    • awe
    • adrenaline
    • competence
    • humor
    • commitment
    • relief

  • Purgatory

    In Cataract Canyon at big water, Purgatory is the unstable pause between Big Drop 2 and Big Drop 3: a gurgling, swirling, never-ending eddy that pretends to be a recovery zone while quietly deciding how it will spit the boat into the next consequence.

    • tension
    • uncertainty
    • focus
    • fear
    • humor
    • reflection
    • adrenaline
    • competence
Lessons
  • The Claw at flush stage looks runnable but commits you — unclear if there's time to then get right of the Gut
  • Dropping in before the eddy on Big Drop 2 still requires muscling right of the Gut
  • Stern assist paddling rig gives crew confidence and security in big water — locked legs under table, stout platform
  • Dark Canyon bench camp: sandy beach clogged at mouth, expect a dry/muddy walk back to bedrock
Gear

Stern assist paddling rig — crew commented it felt very secure, locked legs under table, stout and missile-like. Bring on bigger water.

Data

Colorado at Potash: 23,100–24,300 cfs (avg 23,525)

Green at Mineral Bottom: 7,920–10,800 cfs (avg 9,365)

Combined: 31,220–33,900 cfs (avg 32,890)

Lake Powell: 3582.26 ft at launch (3582.26–3583.47 ft during trip). USBR RISE API — Lake Powell at Glen Canyon Dam

Weather: Moab, UT, 55–96°F. NOAA GHCN-Daily

Field Sources

Evidence behind the claims on this page — agency rules, maps, gauges, books, and field notes.

Permits

Hydrology

Access

Rapids

Management

Books

Safety

  • book-excerpt Cataract Canyon (Webb / Belnap / Weisheit) — Selected Pages — University of Utah Press (2007)
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Recommended Gear
  • NRS Otter 140 Self-Bailing Raft NRS · rafts 14-foot self-bailing raft built for multi-day river expeditions. The Otter 140 is the workhorse of private permit trips on the Colorado Plateau — big enough for a full gear load, nimble enough for technical water. NRS Direct
  • NRS Stern Frame NRS · frames Standard stern frame for oar-powered rafts. Mounts behind the rower for gear platform rigging on multi-day river trips. NRS Direct
  • Cataract Oars SGG 11ft Cataract Oars · oars 11-foot composite oars for big water rafting. The SGG blade shape delivers power in heavy hydraulics without excess weight. Cataract Oars Direct
  • Partner Steel 2-Burner Stove Partner Steel · kitchen Heavy-duty 2-burner propane stove designed for river trip kitchens. Wind-resistant burners and a removable drip tray built for camp cooking at scale. Partner Steel Direct
  • Canyon Coolers Outfitter 75 Canyon Coolers · coolers 75-quart rotomolded cooler sized for raft bays. Built in Arizona for desert river conditions — keeps ice 5+ days in canyon heat. Canyon Coolers Direct
Gear Systems
  • Big Water Raft System Complete oar rig for Class III-V multi-day river expeditions. Raft, frame, oars, and rigging configured for big water on the Colorado Plateau. 3 products
  • River Kitchen System Camp kitchen setup for multi-day river trips. Stove, cooler, and dry storage configured to feed a crew from the back of a gear raft. 2 products
Service Providers
  • Tex's Riverways shuttle · Moab, UT Shuttle service for Green River and Colorado River trips in eastern Utah. Covers Desolation Canyon, Labyrinth Canyon, Stillwater, and Cataract Canyon put-ins and take-outs. Tex's Riverways