Westwater Canyon

The run

17 miles of Colorado River through the oldest exposed rock in the Colorado Plateau - 1.7 billion year old Vishnu schist, jet black, uncommonly rare to see at river level. Ten named Class III-IV rapids in an 11-mile stretch: Little Dolores (Class III, mile 5), Funnel Falls (Class III-IV, mile 9), Skull (Class IV, mile 11 - the crux), Sock-It-To-Me (Class III-IV, mile 11.5), and Last Chance (Class III, mile 14). Skull is scoutable on river-right. The rapids are concentrated; the flatwater stretches between them are short.

The permit

BLM-issued through recreation.gov. Year-round, no lottery - reservations open 4 months ahead and fill quickly for April through October. Winter permits are easy to get but the run is cold and short-days constrained. Midweek April-June and September-October often have availability 1-2 weeks out. Weekends April-June fill 2-3 months ahead. Cancellation monitor pays off for weekend slots.

Timing

Flows run 4,000-15,000 CFS through the summer, controlled partly by Flaming Gorge Dam and partly by tributaries. Spring (May-June) peak is 12,000-20,000 CFS - the rapids get enormous and become big-water wave trains. Summer (July-August) settles at 5,000-8,000 CFS and the run is classic. Fall (September-October) drops to 3,000-5,000 and technical moves come back, especially at Skull.

Logistics

Put-in is the Westwater Ranger Station, 20 miles east of Cisco, UT off I-70 exit 227. Take-out is Cisco Boat Launch - 10 miles west on the I-70 frontage road, so the shuttle is short and cheap. Most parties self-shuttle with two cars. The whole run is usually done as an overnight (camp at Big Hole or Little Hole) or a long day trip for fit parties.