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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
79 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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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

Scenes from the River

Moments the crew logged on this run.

  • Low Water in the Dory

    At the bottom of the runnable range, the Big Drops stop being a big-water problem and become a rock problem — and in a rigid dory, where hesitation costs a high side and even a clean line can end in a hull-cracking rock hit, low water turns out to be its own kind of hazard.

    • frustration
    • focus
    • commitment
    • grit
    • humor
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
summer · 32,890cfs

Cataract Canyon — June 2023

4 days
Cataract Canyon — May 2022
spring · 26,226cfs

Cataract Canyon — May 2022

5 days
Gray Canyon — March 2020 (River Terrace)
spring · 5,720cfs

Gray Canyon — March 2020 (River Terrace)

3 days
Green River — May 2026 (Spillway Full Release, 9,800 CFS)
spring · 9,800cfs

Green River — May 2026 (Spillway Full Release, 9,800 CFS)

2 days
Desolation Canyon — March 2026
spring · 1,750cfs

Desolation Canyon — March 2026

5 days
summer · 5,694cfs

Cataract Canyon — July 2024

5 days
spring · 12,000cfs

Moab Daily — May 2020 (Cinco de Mayo, Dropping Flows)

6 days
Professor Valley — May 2023 (34,700 CFS, High Water)
spring · 33,800cfs

Professor Valley — May 2023 (34,700 CFS, High Water)

3 days
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