COLORADO RIVER RAFTING PICKER
Calm family float or big whitewater? Match the right Colorado River trip near Moab to your group, skill, and season. Free, no sign-up.
Your river trip
No exact match
Your filters don't line up with one trip — for example, asking for a multi-day whitewater run with young kids, or a month outside the rafting season. Adjust a question, or browse all three Colorado River sections below.
How the picker decides
The Moab Daily (Fisher Towers) is the calm, family-friendly half- or full-day float. Westwater Canyon is a Class III–IV one-day step up, not for young kids. Cataract Canyon is the Class III–V multi-day expedition through Canyonlands. We match on calm vs. whitewater, trip length, whether kids are along, and whether the river runs in your month.
The three Colorado River trips near Moab
Moab Daily (Fisher Towers / Professor Valley Section)
The signature Moab day trip: a ~13-mile float through Professor Valley past Castleton Tower, the Priest and Nuns, Sister Superior, and the towering Fisher Towers. Long calm pools ideal for swimming and water fights between fun rapids like Onion Creek, White's, and Rocky. The most family-friendly and accessible whitewater near Moab, with a typical minimum age around 5.
Season: April through October; best splash mid-May through mid-June at peak runoff
Water & flow: This stretch is essentially unregulated (no major upstream dam controlling it), so it rides the natural snowmelt cycle. Peak flows hit mid-May to mid-June when Rocky Mountain runoff swells the river, turning normally gentle Class I–II riffles into livelier splashy Class II–III waves; by late summer and fall flows drop and the float becomes calm and warm. High-water periods can push outfitters to raise the minimum age.
Permit / outfitter: Most visitors go outfitter-guided as a half- or full-day trip (no special river permit needed for day use here, though guides operate under BLM commercial permits). Private/self-guided day floats are also popular; launch at Hittle Bottom or Dewey Bridge and take out near Take Out Beach. No advance lottery or reservation required for the day stretch.
Westwater Canyon
Utah's first true whitewater canyon on the Colorado: ~17 miles from Westwater Ranger Station to Cisco, with about 11 named rapids slicing through the black Vishnu Schist (the oldest exposed rock on the river). Marquee drops are Funnel Falls, the infamous Skull Rapid, and Sock-It-To-Me. A big step up in seriousness from the Moab Daily and not for beginners.
Season: Runs year-round on permit; best whitewater April through September, peak runoff mid-May to June
Water & flow: Flow-dependent and serious. Below ~3,000 cfs it is technical and rocky; the classic, powerful-but-navigable window is roughly 3,000–7,000 cfs; the 'Terrible Teens' (13,000–19,000 cfs) make it a very serious Class IV run with huge holes; above ~20,000 cfs the river moves extremely fast. Skull Rapid and the Skull Hole/Room of Doom eddy are the crux at any level.
Permit / outfitter: BLM permit required year-round (issued by the Moab BLM field office via Recreation.gov; reservations open on a rolling two-month lead, no annual deadline). Private permits are competitive in the April 1–Sept 30 high-use season (capped at ~5 permits/75 people per day) and easier Oct 1–March 31. Most first-timers go outfitter-guided; private boaters need at least one experienced Westwater hand.
Cataract Canyon (Canyonlands National Park)
The crown-jewel multi-day expedition from Moab: deep into the heart of Canyonlands, 14–15 miles of nearly 30 rapids capped by the famous Big Drops (Big Drop 1, 2, and 3 with Satan's Gut and Brahma's Wave). Remote canyon camping, Anasazi sites, and at high water some of the largest navigable rapids on the continent.
Season: April through October; peak Class IV–V whitewater in May–June spring runoff, mellower later in summer
Water & flow: Home to North America's biggest spring whitewater. Cataract is the last largely free-flowing stretch of the Colorado, fed by combined Colorado + Green River snowmelt, so May–June runoff can roar past 50,000–65,000+ cfs and turn the Big Drops into Class V. By late summer and fall flows drop sharply and the run softens toward Class III–IV. The lower miles flatten into the Lake Powell reservoir reach to the takeout.
Permit / outfitter: NPS overnight river permit required from Canyonlands National Park, reserved through Recreation.gov (NO lottery, first-come on a rolling window: roughly the April 14–Oct 15 season opens for reservation about four months out). Most people book a guided multi-day trip; experienced private parties can self-permit. Trips start below the Colorado–Green confluence and end at a Lake Powell takeout (jet-boat shuttle or fly-out from Hite is common).
Moab Colorado River Rafting FAQ
What's the best Colorado River rafting trip near Moab for families with kids?
The Moab Daily (the Fisher Towers / Professor Valley stretch) is the family pick. It's a mostly calm Class I–III float with long swimming pools between splashy rapids, runs as a half-day or full-day, and outfitters typically take kids around age 5 and up. The minimum age can rise during the high-water weeks of mid-May through mid-June, so ask when you book. Westwater (Class III–IV) and Cataract Canyon (Class III–V) are not suitable for young children.
Do I need a permit to raft the Colorado River near Moab?
It depends on the section. The Moab Daily day stretch needs no special river permit — most people go with an outfitter (who holds a BLM commercial permit), and private day floats just launch and take out. Westwater Canyon requires a BLM permit year-round, reserved on Recreation.gov on a rolling two-month lead. Cataract Canyon requires an NPS overnight river permit from Canyonlands National Park, also reserved on Recreation.gov (no lottery — it's first-come on a rolling window that opens about four months out).
When is the best time to raft near Moab, and how does the water level change?
The season runs roughly April through October, and the water level follows the natural snowmelt cycle because these stretches are largely free-flowing. Peak runoff in mid-May through June brings the biggest, coldest, most powerful whitewater — that's prime time for Westwater and Cataract, and the splashiest version of the Moab Daily. By late summer and fall the flows drop and the river mellows out, making for warmer, calmer floats. Westwater itself can technically run year-round on permit.
What's the difference between Westwater and Cataract Canyon?
Westwater Canyon is a Class III–IV run usually done in a single day — about 17 miles through black Vishnu Schist with the infamous Skull Rapid as its crux. Cataract Canyon is a Class III–V multi-day expedition (typically 3–4 days guided) deep in Canyonlands National Park, with nearly 30 rapids capped by the legendary Big Drops. Cataract is the bigger water and the bigger commitment; Westwater is the day-trip step up from the calm Moab Daily.
How experienced do I need to be to raft the Colorado near Moab?
No experience is needed for the Moab Daily with an outfitter — it's beginner- and family-friendly. Westwater and Cataract are real whitewater: most first-timers go on a guided trip, and the rapids (Skull on Westwater, the Big Drops on Cataract) demand respect, especially at high water. If you want to run Westwater or Cataract privately, you need a permit plus genuine whitewater experience — private boaters should have at least one person who has run the canyon before.
Is the rafting season affected by Arches' entrance rules in 2026?
No — river trips are separate from the parks' entrance system. Arches National Park has no timed-entry reservation in 2026, and the Colorado River day stretch (the Moab Daily) doesn't require a park entrance pass at all since its launches sit on BLM land along Scenic Byway 128. Cataract Canyon runs through Canyonlands National Park but is governed by the NPS river permit, not the day-use vehicle fee.