Westwater Canyon is a 17-mile section on the Colorado just inside the Utah border upstream of Moab, Utah. The canyon features 11 total named rapids up to class IV, with 9 rapids running back-to-back in a two-mile granite gorge. Groups typically run Westwater in a long day or as an overnight with one night of camping.
Westwater Canyon permits are issued on a rolling 60-day window. Go to Recreation.gov at 8:00am Mountain on the calendar date exactly 60-days before your target launch. During peak trip dates April through September, Five private permits are issues per trip date for groups up to 25 people.
Permit Fees
There are two fees through Recreation.gov: a $6 non-refundable transaction fee per permit, plus a $10 per-person fee. The $10 per-person fee is fully refundable if you cancel the permit or reduce your group size at least 14 days before your launch date. The $6 transaction fee is non-refundable.
Permit Requirements
Review the BLM's current river use stipulations before your trip date and be sure to have all required gear and a printed or digital copy of your permit. A ranger at the Westwater Ranger Station will check for all permit requirements at the put-in.
Westwater Canyon Water Levels
Westwater is runnable from roughly 2,000 CFS up to about 30,000 CFS, but the river changes character substantially across that range.
Below 3,000 CFS: Technical and bony. More rock exposure, narrower lines, more demanding maneuvering. Not dangerous for experienced groups, but larger rafts should expect a bumpier ride.
3,000–7,000 CFS: The sweet spot most paddlers prefer. Rapids are powerful but the lines are clear. Skull's best route at these levels is a hard cut to river left just above the drop.
7,000–13,000 CFS: Fun, pushy, fewer technical moves as rocks go under water. The Room of Doom is easier to exit at or below these levels. At 9,000 CFS and below you can paddle up to the top of the eddy and ferry out into the main current.
13,000–20,000 CFS: The "terrible teens." Few eddies between rapids in the main gorge, hydraulics that don't forgive mistakes. This is a serious Class IV run and no place for a crew that hasn't done it before.
Above 20,000 CFS: Most rapids wash out. The main canyon becomes fast flatwater with Skull remaining the one significant obstacle.
The USGS gauge to watch is the Colorado River near Cisco, UT (gauge #09180500). The river typically peaks in late May or early June during snowmelt, often hitting 15,000–20,000 CFS. By September it's usually back to 5,000 CFS or below.
About Skull Rapid
Skull Rapid is what this canyon is known for, and it earns the attention. Skull Rock sits at the center of the channel which makes a left bend past the Room of Doom on river right.
The standard line at most flows is river left, cutting left immediately after dropping and before Skull Rock. It’s not a difficult maneuver but requires a strong push to make the move. Scouting on foot is difficult, and most groups run the rapid without a scout. The American Whitewater guide to Westwater has detailed notes on lines at different flows.
The Room of Doom is a powerful recirculating eddy. Getting sucked in isn't catastrophic at moderate flows. You can usually paddle out. But at high water the eddy fence strengthens, and above 10,000 CFS rafts can find themselves unable to break back into the main current without serious effort. There have been cases at extreme flows where groups were unable to exit the eddie and were forced to de-rig and portage their boats out over the cliff walls.
A magnetic wall at the bottom of Room of Doom can also be a challenge at higher water levels and may require some hard pulls toward the left shore to avoid.
If you didn’t get a Westwater Canyon Permit
Weekday permits move significantly more slowly than weekends. If your dates are flexible, check the Recreation.gov permit calendar continually to watch for available launches. Cancellations come up regularly, especially for midweek launches.
RiverTrip monitors the Westwater permit page and sends an alert the moment a date you're watching opens up. Set an alert for your target window and stop checking manually.
Connecting Ruby-Horsethief to Westwater
Some groups run the full corridor: Ruby-Horsethief upstream (25 miles, family-friendly flatwater and canyon scenery), then runWestwater for the whitewater below. The permits are separate. Ruby-Horsethief overnight camping permits are also on Recreation.gov on a two-month rolling window. Westwater is the only whitewater option on this stretch of the Colorado. If your crew is mixed ability, run Ruby-Horsethief first and get an honest read on who's ready to continue.
One thing worth knowing before you plan: dogs, cats, and all other pets are strictly prohibited on the river and at campsites inside Westwater Canyon. Pets are allowed on-leash in Ruby-Horsethief and at the Westwater launch ramp, but they cannot go into the canyon. This is spelled out in the BLM's permit stipulations.
Put-in and Take-out
The put-in for Westwater is a 9-mile drive down a mostly-paved access road off Interstate 70 at exit 227. There are two large paved boat ramps, and shaded picnic areas where kids can hang while you rig your boat. These ramps serve as the take-out for Ruby Horsethief as well, so they can get busy,
The take-out for this section is at the Cisco boat ramp. This paved ramp offers plenty of room for multiple parties to be take out around the same time, but it can get busy.
Groups wanting to continue all the way to Moab can run the unpermitted Cisco Stretch and Moab Daily sections of the Colorado River. Both sections offer calm water as the river meanders below high canyon walls. A state road parallels the river on river left with first-come first-serve campgrounds that typically are fully booked in summer months. There are a few beaches and nice campsites on river right.
Amenities at Westwater Ranger Station
The Westwater Ranger Station offers pit-toilet restrooms, plenty of parking, reservable group camp sites, drinking water, and large trash dumpsters.
Theres no access to showers, electricity, ice, or other amenities.