Cataract Canyon of the Colorado River
The "Mini-Grand Canyon"
October/November by Dunbar Hardy
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"Enter at your own risk, the land of Big Drops." |
Dunbar Hardy |
Getting Started |
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Where Cataract Canyon of the Colorado River is located just downstream of Moab, Utah. The upper section of this trip forms the eastern edge of Canyonlands National Park. Below the confluence with the Green River (near mile 48) the whitewater picks up and plummets into Lake Powell. Length 95 miles, typically taking 4 to 6 days. Difficulty Class III+ (low flow) and Class IV (high flow) Flow Ranges from 2,000 ? 50,000+ cfs. Ideal flows are between 5,000 cfs (good lower flow) and 20,000 cfs (good medium flow). Season The early-season lower-water trips are March/April, while big-water trips are done in May/June. July/August trips endure super hot weather! Fall trips of September/October and October/November enjoy lower water and pleasant weather. Cataract is boatable year round. Put-in End of Potash Road (#276) south of Moab off Hwy. 191. Take out Lake Powell, just below the Hwy. 95 Bridge on river right. Turn left between mileposts 41 and 42 downstream of the Dirty Devil River. Permit Info A permit is required. A permit application must be submitted a minimum of one month prior to launch date; (435) 259-4351. |
Summer was over, along with it the fun days of paddling run-off water, but I couldn't shake the yearning for a multiday desert river run. You know, something exciting.
Worse yet, I'm a boater who suffers severely from slacker syndrome, an affliction that swells up around deadlines. I had missed my opportunities to apply for a winter permit for favorite Southwest rivers. I was left scratching my head for a river to paddle.
Then, it hit me! With an easy application process and one-month notice, I rallied in the paperwork and had my launch: a Cataract Canyon trip in October.
Coursing westward through Moab, the Colorado River forms the eastern edge of the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, providing routinely spectacular views from the river.
Soon after we launched at the end of Potash Road, we watched ravens and turkey vultures swirl over the towering sandstone cliffs while the placid, silt-colored river lazed our group downstream. We floated for two days at this pace, enjoying the cool fall temperatures. For camps, we took to the sandy beaches. The cool air, pleasant water temperature and changing colors of the cottonwoods and tamarisk added a softness to the camps, otherwise surrounded by jagged sandstone pillars and cliffs.
Cataract Canyon saw its first descent in 1869 from John Wesley Powell's expedition down the Green River. The expedition wrestled its heavy wooden scows downstream, charging them through navigable whitewater, portaging them around rocks and boulders and lining them through the hairiest rapids. After taking eight days to get through the most challenging section of the Colorado river, the expedition, awed by the ferocity of the whitewater as well as the towering cliffs, gave the stretch of river its current - suitable - name of Cataract Canyon.
Below the confluence with the equally lazy Green River, which enters on river right near mile 48, the Colorado River does indeed awaken from its slumber. Upon hearing from downstream the tumultuous roar of the Colorado, it's time to sharpen up - the river is beginning its final drop into Lake Powell. Buckle the life jacket, tighten cam straps, stow drink containers and begin your relaxation mantras - it'll take hours to get through. Enter at your own risk, the land of the Big Drops.
The whitewater of Cataract comes hard and fast in an onslaught of drops. The rapids echo off the canyon walls and the remote "out there" feeling intensifies the commitment of running these large but technical rapids. Mile Long Rapid, Capsize and Been Hurt give river-runners a bit of a warm-up before the true test of the Big Drops (mile 61). Three distinct drops at lower water comprise the Big Drops. The first, Upper Big Drop, is quickly followed by the daddy known as Satan's Seat, and the final ass-kicker is known as Satan's Gut. Many ?a rower has been humbled in this section, and many ?a kayaker has taken a swim here. Scout hard and long on river right before diving in and wrestling with this devil.
After hours of grappling with the rapids, our group gathered our pieces while recounting our narrow escapes. The steady current kept a pull on us, taking us into the backwaters of Lake Powell. As the miles slipped past, once-quieted bravery bubbled forth once again. "That wasn't so bad" or "I had it, really I did" bounce around the oarsmen and kayakers who had less-than-stellar runs.
Paddlers have a way of forgetting their own vulnerability, and that is why we return to the river over and over to remind ourselves of our own limitations. A trip down Cataract Canyon is definitely worth forgetting about, so that a future trip can be taken to refresh the memory of what it is like to feel so small and so humble beneath the roar of big drops and towering cliffs.
Dunbar Hardy is a freelance photographer/writer based out of Durango, Colo., who finds humility on whitewater rivers all over the world. He is a co-owner of Tarkio Kayak Adventures (www.teamtarkio.com), which offers international instructional kayaking trips. To view more of Dunbar's travels, go to www.dunbarhardy.com.