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John Wesley Powell


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John Wesley Powell
More Cataract Canyon Trips

Powell’s Whitewater Rafting Canyonlands (CA-4)

Trip OverviewDetailed ItineraryReturn Options


Fast Facts Canyonlands National Park
S.E. Utah Detail


Westwater and Scenic Splash raft

Main Attraction
Intense Class III-IV whitewater rafting, Native American ruins, geology, camping, hiking, Canyonlands National Park Utah river rafting, unforgettable scenery.

Who Should Go
People seeking BIG thrills and close contact with whitewater rapids, people with the luxury of time wanting to immerse themselves in a backcountry experience, groups of 10 Moab  adventure loving adults. This is a row trip. New 2008 Utah whitewater trip immerses you for ten days of rafting.

Adventure level



Length
5 days/4 night              Formerly 6 days

Cost
$1000.00 per person        $11.00 Wetsuit rental May and June
Plus return option
Camping gear rentals available.

 
The Big Picture

Stretch out your time in the backcountry by selecting Powell’s whitewater rafting in Canyonlands. This is Utah river rafting taken in the style of John Wesley Powell, in a small row raft that puts you at eye level with the water. Smaller, lighter rafts make the rapids seem bigger and wilder and you roll over them instead of blasting through them. Five days and four nights on this raft trip allow you to really immerse yourself in the backcountry and in the unforgettable beauty that is Canyonlands National Park and southeastern Utah. Hikes along the way enrich your journey. Your experienced guide makes this an informative and educational experience as well as sharing backcountry ethics, cultural history and natural history of the area. One hundred miles of Utah river running on the Colorado River, hits 25 named rapids, and feels sensational on this leisurely raft trip getaway! This row raft trip is limited to only 10 guests. It is an intimate retreat for people who really want to slow down their lives to the pace of the river. Indulge in daydreaming for hours, allocate time to deeply explore and enjoy the wilderness, and share a restorative Moab adventure.

For and even longer itinerary, look at Utah's River Lengths
The Details

Day 1 – Lunch & Dinner
Your Moab adventure begins at the Tag-A-Long office in Moab, Utah at 7:00 a.m. Depart at 7:30 a.m. for a short, scenic ride to the Colorado River "put-in." Today is a lazy oar day on the river. You’ll have a chance to slow down to the river’s pace and get to know her intimately. We’ll stop and hike to see petrified wood and your guide will offer interpretation about river history, wildlife and cultural studies.

Day 2 Breakfast, lunch & dinner
After breakfast we continue our Utah river rafting on the Colorado River on an oar raft. Another day of drifting on the river will find you relaxed and completely shed of the pace of everyday life. You’ll have an opportunity to gaze the skies for eagles, hawks, Peregrine falcons and watch the river’s surface as blue heron skim along searching for food. This is a contemplative day with your companions as you notice your body’s slower rhythms. Tonight you can pick your guide’s brain for all the stories it holds about canyon country and Major Powell the Utah river predecessor.

Day 3 Breakfast, lunch & dinner
As we continue our leisurely journey down the Colorado River, we’ll stop and give you the opportunity to hike over "the Loop." On this trail you’ll climb up to see memorable views of the Colorado from a hawk’s perspective. After your hike, we will run the first of the famous rapids of Cataract Canyon! Tonight you’ll camp with the roar of rapids in your ears and dreams of tomorrow’s wild Cataract raft trip adventure on your minds!

Day 4 Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Today you’ll have an opportunity to hike up to the strange formations known as the Doll House in the mysterious Maze region of Canyonlands National Park. The Maze is otherwise only accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicle, so you’re truly in the backcountry of this amazing wilderness park. Today is also the day we encounter some of the most intense whitewater rafting in North America. You’ll say hello to Brown Betty, Capsize, and Ben Hurt. As we continue downstream, the rapids become even more intense until we enter the Big Drop, the steepest descent of the Colorado River. Here you’ll encounter Satan’s Gut, Little Niagara in this breathtaking turbulence. This is the BIG day with BIG water and the BIG adventure! Tonight you’ll camp near Lake Powell where you can enjoy a scrumptious meal and recount the day’s events with your friends in thrill-seeking.

Day 5 Breakfast & Lunch
You’ll be up, eat breakfast and be ready for the conclusion of your Moab adventure Utah river rafting. Today we’ll run the last of the whitewater before beginning our journey across Lake Powell or be on our way to Hite Marina. You’ll have ample opportunity to swim, sunbathe, and relax with friends as we motor across this final stretch called Lake Powell, named for Major Powell. Choose a return option below to complete your trip.


Return options

1. Return by land. The ride from Hite Marina to Moab takes about four hours through the high desert country of southeastern Utah. Your arrival in Moab will be about 9:00 p.m. The cost is $73.54.

2. We strongly recommend a scenic charter flight. You fly over the Colorado River including some of the whitewater you just conquered and, from an altitude of 7,000 feet, you really see the amazing formations in the Maze, Island and Needles sections of Canyonlands National Park. The flight is about 30 minutes making your arrival back in Moab about 5:30 p.m. This once-in-a-lifetime flight is only $105.00.

3. Tag-A-Long will shuttle your vehicles to Hite Marina on Lake Powell (named for John Wesley Powell) so it will be waiting for you when you arrive at the marina early in the afternoon. The cost of this service is $231.77 per vehicle.