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38.2083°N 109.8886°W
Trip Report

Cataract Canyon — July 2024

5 days 5,694 cfs 6 people raft
Season summer
Launch 7-27-2024
Flow 5,694 cfs
Water 78°F avg
(USGS)
Weather 62–106°F
Lake Powell 3585.1 ft
Conditions

6,790 CFS

5 days
5,694 cfs
16 ft/mi
1 boats
Day 1 7-27-2024

Launch & Motor Downriver

5,740 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 78°F | Moab, UT: 67–100°F

Launched by 1 PM and motored downriver.

Day 2 7-28-2024

Day 2

5,940 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 77°F | Moab, UT: 64–102°F

Day 3 7-29-2024

Day 3

5,690 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 77°F | Moab, UT: 65–101°F

Day 4 7-30-2024

Hite Drop-Off & Night Motor

5,450 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 77°F | Moab, UT: 63–101°F

Dropped the Koenig family at Hite. Katie and Cutty motored into the night, got turned around, ended up sleeping on the boat tied off to a rock.

Day 5 7-31-2024

Bullfrog Take Out & Morning Vista

5,370 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 78°F | Moab, UT: 62–106°F

Completed the take-out at Bullfrog the next morning after an amazing side hike up to a great morning vista.

Lessons
  • Night motoring on Lake Powell is risky — easy to get turned around. Plan to arrive before dark or be prepared to camp on the water.
Data

Colorado at Potash: 3,270–3,600 cfs (avg 3,418)

Green at Mineral Bottom: 2,210–2,320 cfs (avg 2,276)

Combined: 5,480–5,890 cfs (avg 5,694)

Lake Powell: 3585.1 ft at launch (3584.45–3585.1 ft during trip). USBR RISE API — Lake Powell at Glen Canyon Dam

Weather: Moab, UT, 62–106°F. NOAA GHCN-Daily

Field Sources

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

Permits

Access

Rapids

Management

Books

Safety

  • book-excerpt Cataract Canyon (Webb / Belnap / Weisheit) — Selected Pages — University of Utah Press (2007)