The Colorado River has been carving its way through this canyon country for six million years. That's a long time to perfect a route — and the result is one of the most spectacular stretches of river in the American West, running right through the middle of Moab.
Whether you've never been on a raft before or you're chasing your first taste of serious whitewater, there's a trip on this river designed for exactly where you are. Here's how to find yours.
The Morning Float — Perfect for Families and First-Timers
If you've never rafted before, the Colorado River Morning trip is the best possible introduction. Three and a half hours, Class I-II water, and canyon walls that will have you reaching for your phone every five minutes. The rapids are real — there's actual white water — but nothing that will have your heart in your throat. It's a float through one of the most beautiful places on earth, guided by someone who knows every bend in the river.
Families with kids as young as four or five do this trip all the time. The guides are patient, the equipment is solid, and the canyon scenery — Fisher Towers in the distance, the La Sal Mountains above the rim, herons standing motionless in the shallows — does most of the heavy lifting.
Full Day on the Water — The Real Moab Rafting Experience
The full-day trip is everything the morning trip is, but more of it. You go further downstream, deeper into the canyon, and the landscape gets bigger and more remote as the day goes on. Lunch is served on a sandbar — usually somewhere you'd never find on foot — and the afternoon light on the canyon walls is worth the whole trip on its own.
This is the trip for people who want to properly experience the river, not just dip their feet in. Plan for seven hours on the water, and bring more sunscreen than you think you need.
Westwater Canyon — For the Paddlers Who Want Real Whitewater
Westwater Canyon is a different conversation entirely. Class III-IV rapids through a narrow Precambrian gorge — some of the oldest exposed rock on the surface of the earth — with names like Skull Rapid and Sock-it-to-Me that tell you exactly what to expect. This is a full-day expedition in the proper sense of the word, with technical paddling, a skilled guide who's run this section hundreds of times, and the kind of adrenaline that sits in your chest for days afterwards.
Minimum age is twelve, and prior rafting experience is strongly recommended. If you've done the full-day Colorado trip and want more, this is the next step.
What to Bring
Regardless of which trip you choose: sunscreen you're not precious about (you'll reapply constantly), a change of dry clothes for after, secure footwear that can get wet, and ideally a waterproof case for your phone. Everything else — life jacket, wetsuit if conditions call for it, paddles, dry bags — comes with the trip.
"The river doesn't care who you are when you step onto it. After a few hours in the canyon, neither do you." — Marcus Rivera, Moab river guide
Check the Rafting section of our activities page for current availability and to book any of these trips. Questions about which trip is right for your group? Reach out — that's what we're here for.
