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38.2083°N 109.8886°W
Trip Report

Cataract Canyon — October 2025

A two-person October 2025 run at 6,790 cfs with Lake Powell at 3,544 feet — low-water Cataract in the shoulder season, cold nights, five-day pace. The Big Drops ran technical and bony; the lower canyon exposed sediment shelves that didn't match any guidebook.

5 days 5,610 cfs 2 people raft
Season fall
Launch 10-7-2025
Flow 5,610 cfs
Water 62°F avg
(USGS)
Lake Powell 3544.13 ft
Conditions

6,790 CFS

5 days
5,610 cfs
16 ft/mi
1 boats
73 photos
Day 1 10-7-2025

Day 1

4,290 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 62°F

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Day 2 10-8-2025

Day 2

4,170 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 61°F

cove camp morning
confluence
danger cataract sign
downstream view from sign
starting dolls house hike
dolls hike 1
dolls hike 2
dolls hike 3
dolls hike tripp
dolls hike needles district view
dolls hike la sal view
x y lower camp raft
x y lower camp
Day 3 10-9-2025

Day 3

4,950 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 61°F

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VID_20241018_120154_00_011_2025 10 15_09 02 46_screenshot
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VID_20241018_120939_00_012_2025 10 15_09 00 33_screenshot
VID_20241018_121315_00_013_2025 10 15_08 56 01_screenshot
VID_20241018_121315_00_013_2025 10 15_08 57 47_screenshot
VID_20241018_123123_00_016_2025 10 14_15 54 58_screenshot
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VID_20241018_123829_00_017_2025 10 14_15 51 47_screenshot
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Day 4 10-10-2025

Day 4

6,750 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 62°F

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Day 5 10-11-2025

Day 5 — Take Out

8,460 cfs (USGS daily mean), water 62°F

Data

Colorado at Potash: 2,950–5,360 cfs (avg 3,732)

Green at Mineral Bottom: 1,390–2,560 cfs (avg 1,878)

Combined: 4,350–7,920 cfs (avg 5,610)

Lake Powell: 3544.13 ft at launch (3544.03–3544.46 ft during trip). USBR RISE API — Lake Powell at Glen Canyon Dam

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)
Explore
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