(USGS)
6,790 CFS
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
5,940 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 77°F | Moab, UT: 64–102°F
Day 3
5,690 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 77°F | Moab, UT: 65–101°F
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.
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.
Moments the crew logged on this run.
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
Takeout Transition
Boats hit shore. Gear piles. Reality creeps back. The trip ends not with a bang but with a truck and a cooler.
- reflection
- loss
- satisfaction
Side Canyon Exploration
Pulling over, tying off, hiking into a slot. Petroglyphs on a wall. An arch framing sky. The river trip becomes something else for an hour.
- wonder
- discovery
- solitude
- 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.
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
Evidence behind the claims on this page — agency rules, maps, gauges, books, and field notes.
Permits
Hydrology
Access
Rapids
- book-excerpt Cataract Canyon (Webb / Belnap / Weisheit) — Selected Pages
- book RiverMaps Guide to the Colorado & Green Rivers in the Canyonlands of Utah & Colorado
Management
Books
Safety
- book-excerpt Cataract Canyon (Webb / Belnap / Weisheit) — Selected Pages
Cataract Canyon — June 2023
Cataract Canyon — September 2020
Gray Canyon — March 2020 (River Terrace)
Green River — Sept 2023 (Fishing, 2,000–2,200 CFS)
Green River — May 2026 (Spillway Full Release, 9,800 CFS)
Cataract Canyon — May 2022
Cataract Canyon — October 2025
Moab Daily — May 2020 (Cinco de Mayo, Dropping Flows)
- NRS Otter 140 Self-Bailing Raft 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 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 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 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 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Tex's Riverways 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
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Route drops, river notes, gear systems, and field reports—sent like a briefing, not a newsletter.