Trips

One of Utah’s hidden gems, Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River, is a great get-a-way location for a day, a couple of days, or a few days.  With plenty of canyon to explore and exciting whitewater, this wild, scenic canyon of the Colorado River is worth checking out.

River Experience

Westwater Canyon is one of our most flexible rafting trips.  It can be a One-Day rafting trip, where we raft the entire canyon in a full day, or we can slow down, take our time, and really explore what the canyon has to offer in a Two-Day rafting trip.  If we want to get away from everything for a little longer, we can put-in at the Loma Boat Ramp and explore the beautiful Ruby and Horsethief Canyons of the Colorado River, making it a Three-Day rafting trip.

On the One- and Two-Day rafting trips, we will traverse 17 miles of the Colorado River, 7 of which contain rapids rated between Class II and Class IV. The Three-Day rafting trips cover 42 river miles with 8 miles of rapids.

Westwater Canyon is unique in this area in that it is a black gneiss canyon amongst red Wingate sandstone.  This geologic “non-conformity” is not only beautiful, but also contributes to the exciting whitewater of the canyon.  Rapids in the narrow gorge of Westwater Canyon have earned names like Funnel Falls, Sock-it-To-Me and Skull Rapid.

On our Two- and Three-Day rafting trips, we move at a slower pace, taking time to stop at different sites along the way, hiking to historical sites, canyon viewpoints and hidden waterfalls (Spring trips).

Getting into “river time” is easy in Westwater Canyon.  You won’t find “river time” on any clock face, but you will find it in the faces of your companions as the worry lines melt away and the smile lines return.  Time in these canyons isn’t measured in seconds and minutes, but in the call of the eagles above, the dip and swish of the oars in the water, and the setting and rising of the sun. The easy pace of the river through the upper section of the canyon is perfectly balanced by the exciting pace of the whitewater section.  This journey is a great destination.

Camp Scene

We’ll pull into camp each afternoon and everyone will work together to unload the boats.  Then as guests set up their tents, the guides will set up the “bathroom”, kitchen and “living room” areas.  We provide spacious four-person tents for doubles and three-person tents for solo travelers.  We also provide clean and comfortable sleeping bags and pads for each guest.  For those who wish to be a little further off the ground, we offer the option of renting a cot for a nominal fee.

The guides will prepare the evening meal while guests are free to relax with a cool drink, play beach games like horseshoes, bocce or Kübb, relax on the beach, play in the water, or go for a short hike.  Our open air “bathrooms” are a lot less primitive than people think!  We set them up in as private an area as possible, and use a “key” system to give everyone privacy. Our toilets don’t have four walls or flush handles, but they do have seats and amazing views!

In the morning, as the canyon walls begin to glow with the first rays of the sun, the guides will wake the camp with the smells of coffee brewing and a bellowed “COFFEEEE!” that can be heard up and down the canyon.  Everyone packs up their gear and breaks camp while the guides prepare breakfast.  After a delicious breakfast, the boats are loaded with all the gear and we continue our journey downstream.

Transportation

There is a fenced and gated yard at the Sheri Griffith Expeditions office where you can leave your vehicle, and we have a secure place for your valuables while you are on the river. We provide transportation on the morning of departure from our office in Moab to the put-in.  For the Three-Day Trips, we will drive about 2 hours to the Loma Boat Ramp.  For the One- and Two-Day Trips, we will drive about 1 hour and 45 minutes to the Westwater Boat Ramp.

After the rafting trip, we drive everyone back to Moab* (about 1 hour and 30 minutes) to the Sheri Griffith Expeditions Office.

*Some guests prefer to leave their vehicle near the take-out at Cisco.  Please contact our office to discuss this option.