Highlights

• Hiking Seldom Seen Canyons
• 800 yr old Indian Ruins
• Lots of hikes through Canyonlands National Park
• 2000ft. Redrock Walls
• Scenic Return Flight
• Turks Head Rock Formation

2023 Trip Rates

Adults: $1850
Youth: $1750
*(Includes Scenic Flight)
*Does not include taxes & government user fees

Trip Length:

6 Days/5 Nights
7 Days/6 Nights (John Wesley Powell Expedition, September)

Host City:

Moab, Utah 

Minimum Age:

10 Yrs Old

Rapids:

III-V (Depending on Water Levels)

2023 Dates: 

May 22
June 26

Boats

Oarboats

"My husband and I had the time of our lives on this trip. The majestic beauty of these canyons is beyond description. Our guides, Max and Aaron, are the most knowledgeable, helpful and funny guides we've ever had on any of our other vacations. The rapids were thrilling and breathtaking, the hikes and history of the canyon unsurpassed. The food was mouthwatering and delicious. This expedition was so organized with every detail taken care of. We didn't want it to end."

Kathy, Cataract Canyon

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2023 Trip Rates

Adult.....................$1850*
Youth.....................$1750*
INCLUDES SCENIC FLIGHT!

2023 Dates: 

May 22
June 26

 What This Rate Includes:

More Information

Full Days on the River:

Camping Gear: Clean Sleeping Bag, Pad, & Tent

Oarboats

All Camping Equipment

Great Hikes in Canyonlands National Park

Quality Guides: Highly Experienced, Professional, & Licensed

High Quality and Quantity Meals:

Iced Coolers on boats

Lemonade, Iced Water, and Gatorade: Coffee, teas, hot cocoa, and juice available in camp.

Scenic Canyonlands Flight 

Trip Deposit: $300 per person deposit required upon reservation. Full balance due 45 days prior to departure.

Trip Cancellation Insurance

Minimum Age: 10 years old

What is not included in trip fares:

Guide Gratuities by no means required but always appreciated by our guides. We recommend 10-20% of the cost of the river portion of the trip.

Transportation to Moab Utah.

Lodging and meals prior to or following your expedition (except where noted.) Click to see list of quality places to stay in Moab Utah.

Government user fees and taxes (about 9% of trip cost.)

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Day 0: Orientation

At 5 pm (MDT) the day BEFORE the departure we meet at our office just outside

 of Moab Utah for a pre-trip meeting. Here you will learn what to expect and prepare for, receive your dry bags, sign Assumption of Risk forms and get a chance to ask any last minute questions.

At If you cannot make the meeting, please let us know beforehand. That way we can drop off your dry bags and any last minute instructions at your hotel.

Day 1, 2 and 3: Starting The Green River

The expedition begins early in the morning at the Sheri Griffith Expeditions office. We then drive to the launch site at Mineral Bottom Canyon. After a safety talk and some basic instruction we launch. We will launch and float through Stillwater Canyon. There are no rapids on this portion of the Green River. Within a short time we enter the spectacular landscape of Canyonlands National Park.

The Fremont Indians were a semi-nomadic people who inhabited these canyons (500-1275 A.D.). They left petroglyphs on the rock walls that can be spotted today. Denis Julien was a trapper and fur trader who left inscriptions on the rocks in a number of places. All of his inscriptions are dated 1836. How Julien got into the canyons is still a mystery. It is not known if he came by boat or if he walked in from the rim.

Each day we will pull off the river to camp for the night. Guests can sit back and relax or hike the canyons while their guides setup the kitchen and dining areas. Swimming is also an option. Dinner prepared for you by your river guides. Meals are wonderful combinations that fit well into the atmosphere of your canyon dining room.

Note: Meals are served from a set daily menu, but you are welcome to request, in advance, special dishes or tell us if there are particular things you would prefer not to have.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Denis Julien Inscription, Anderson Bottom Narrows, Ruins at Fort Bottom, Jasper Canyon Ruins, Water Canyon

Day 4: Exploring Canyonlands National Park

Breakfast is served in your canyon dining room. Breakfast offerings will vary throughout your rafting expedition. Hot coffee, tea and chocolate are always available, as are juices, and fresh fruit. After breakfast, clients will board the boats and we will head down river.

This morning we will reach the Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. We now enter the true heart of Canyonlands National Park as we near the Confluence. If it has rained recently, the mixing of the rivers will be defined in brilliant swirls of red and green.

After the Confluence, we will experience the first of the Cataract Canyon rapids, numbers 1 through 10. By now the river has doubled in size and force. The rapids are not huge, but will suffice in getting everyone good and wet before we pull off for the night. We may take a side hike to the top of the Dolls House.

We will pull off river for an afternoon of hiking, swimming and yard games such as horseshoes or bocce. The crew will set up the camp as guests relax.

Dinner will be served with the sound of whitewater in the background and blue skies overhead. Guides will tell stories of early explorers and of more recent experiences in the rapids that you will face the next day.

Tonight we will experience a night of peaceful camping and quiet anticipation. Fall asleep to the quiet sounds of river music: quiet splashing accompanied by the high tones of crickets and the low tones of nearby owls.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Dolls House

Day 5: Rapid Day

This morning's fare is complimented by the sound of rushing water and the anticipation of a great day of running the famous rapids of Cataract Canyon. We will load everything back onto the boats and prepare ourselves for the exciting day at hand.

This morning we will run some of the biggest whitewater in the Western United States (on trips during May and June, later season trips ~July and August~ have smaller rapids). Rapids whose names are almost as intimidating as the whitewater itself: Big Drop 2, North Seas and Capsize. Everyone will be thoroughly soaked as we take a break at midday for lunch and to catch our breath.

Stop for Lunch and for some "Land Time". While the guides prepare lunch, guests are welcome to explore the canyon a bit or watch as others run the big rapids they have just been through.

Once we have finished with lunch, we get back on the boats and head into the big whitewater. This afternoon we will navigate through more intimidating rapids, including Big Drop 3, Satan's Gut and Little Niagara. There may be stops along the way as the guide scouts the rapids to find the best route through the churning whitewater.

We will pull off the river. After we recreate our riverside oasis, guests are welcome to kick back, relax and relive the day's adventures over and over again as the evening deepens and a bright canopy of stars replaces the blue sky. The evenings and mornings allow time for journaling, circling up with the group, and enjoying the natural beauty.

Though every trip has its own unique “last night,” traditionally the last night on the river is a "Dress Up" night. Anything goes, from formal wear to clown outfits with floppy hats. Guests are not required to participate, but are welcome to use their imagination and help celebrate an amazing trip.

Day 6: Lake Powell and Return Flight

This morning we will pass through the final rapids. We may have some opportunities for hiking in some of the canyons previously lost to Lake Powell's waters, but accessible now that the waters in the lake have dropped. Clearwater Canyon and Dark Canyon are guide favorites.

We'll climb back aboard the boats and follow the Colorado River as it pushes its way into the calm waters of Lake Powell. Here we'll be in the deepest part of the canyon, surrounded by nearly 2,000 foot cliffs. We'll see the Dirty Devil River and Piano Leg Arch.

We'll motor off of the lake and pull off near what used to be the Hite Marina on Lake Powell. You will be escorted to the landing strip for your return flight to Moab. As you take this scenic flight, watch for the Henry Mountains, the White Rim, the Abajo Mountains, the La Sal Mountains and nearly the entire Colorado Plateau.

You will bet met at the Moab airport and transferred back to Moab and the Sheri Griffith Expeditions office where your journey ends.

Potential Hiking Opportunities: Clearwater Canyon, Bowdie Canyon, Dark Canyon

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The Cataract Canyon trip starts outside of Moab in Southeastern Utah. The rapids in Cataract Canyon are formed from the meeting of the Green River and the Colorado River in the heart of Canyonlands National Park.The end location is 4 hours from Moab at Hite Marina on Lake Powell.

Cataract Canyon Information:

Colorado Plateau

Cataract Canyon Map
Click to View larger image

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Required Forms:

Please print, sign and return the required forms (for each person in your party) to our office by email, fax or mail at least 45 days prior to your trip.

Trip Risk Forms

Guest Registration

Trip Document in PDF's

Moab Trip Planner:

Packing List

Trip Itinerary

Travel Insurance:

Transportation to Moab

Preferred Lodging Guide:

Faxed Reservation Form

Helpful Links

Canyonlands National Park: Canyonlands National Park preserves a colorful landscape of sedimentary sandstones eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River and its tributaries.

Arches National Park: Arches National Park preserves over two thousand natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations.

Dinosaur National Monument: Dinosaur National Monument protects a large deposit of fossil dinosaur bones--remains of the so-called "terrible lizards" that lived millions of years ago.

Moab Travel Council: A great resource on Moab area trails, hotels, and other great things to do in Moab.

Links to Area Information

Moab Weather

Water Levels

How to get to Moab

Where to staying Moab

What to do other than rafting

Questions about the trip:

Cancellation Policy and Trip Insurance:

Sheri Griffith Expeditions has a NO REFUND policy. Since you have reserved space for which we have a limited number of seats, our non-refundable policy applies in every instance. There are no exceptions for any reason, so we highly recommend that you purchase Travel Insurance to protect your vacation investment. Please take some time to visit the following website www.travelinsure.com/affiliate/selecthigh.htm?32219, which contains information about Travel Insurance.

How to book a trip

There are several easy ways to make a reservation. Easiest is to click on the “book online” button on your trip or at the top of the screen. You can always give us a call at 800-332-2439. You can also download Reservation PDF and fax it in (435)-259-2226 or mail it to us at Po Box 1324 Moab UT 84532.

Deposits and Reservations

For 1 day trips full payment is required at time of booking. For multiday trips a non-refundable $300/person deposit is required at the time of reservation. The balance is due 45 days prior to departure. After making your reservation you will receive a reservation packet that will include a packing list, helpful travel hints, travel insurance information, a beverage request form, and a guest registration form. Please fill out the guest registration form and send or fax back quickly. If you find you are unable to participate in the trip that you booked, but would like to transfer your trip to the following year, there will be a charge of $300 per participant if the change is made at least 3 weeks prior to your departure date.

Non-Performance

We make every effort to follow through on our plans. However, we reserve the right to make changes in the itinerary or possibly cancel a trip if necessary including but not limited to weather conditions, water fluctuations, insufficient reservations, changes in international relations, or other factors beyond our control. If cancellation is necessary, your money will be refunded. Our financial liability shall be limited to the amount actually paid and shall not be extended to cover any other costs incurred by the trip member.

Orientation:

The evening before the trip we meet at our office (2231 South Highway 191) at 5 pm (MDT) in Moab for a trip orientation. Here you will learn what to expect and prepare for, receive your dry bags, sign the Assumption of Risk forms, and get a chance to ask any last questions. If you are not going to be able to make this please let us know ahead of time.

Beverages:

If you would like any personal beverages while on the river, i.e., sodas, beer, wine, etc., you can bring them with you the morning of departure and we will place them in iced coolers. We provide some sodas, water, lemonade and Gatorade mixes and tea, juice and coffee in the mornings.

Tipping:

Guests often ask whether gratuities are appropriate, and in what amount. If you feel your guides have provided a very special trip for you, a gratuity may be left with the trip leader and will be shared among the crew. Entirely discretionary, anything between 15% and 20% of the trip cost is a general tipping guideline. If you plan to tip, remember to bring a personal check or cash—ATM’s are hard to find in the backcountry! PLEASE, do not make out checks to Sheri Griffith Expeditions. If you are writing check please make it out to the Trip Leader.  NOTE: we cannot take credit card gratuities.

Hiking and Physical Requirements:

If you are of an adventurous spirit and in reasonably good health, you should have no problem enjoying any of our trips. It’s not necessary to be an athlete to participate in a river expedition. However, It is several hours to the nearest medical center. If you take medication you should bring a good supply and inform your guide of all medication that you are taking. When you meet your guide, you should discretely explain any medical conditions you may have or be concerned about including allergies to bee stings, etc. Each guide carries a first aid kit and will need to know if specific medicines should be stored. It’s also helpful to know about other health issues when planning activities for the day. Pregnant women and anyone with heart trouble should have their physician’s approval before taking a river trip.

Safety, and Assumption of Risk

We maintain an excellent safety record, since 1971. However, all outdoor experiences involve risk and we all must recognize that accidents or illnesses may occur. We cannot guarantee your safety. We place final responsibility for your safety firmly on your shoulders where it belongs. You have to pay attention to what you are doing. Mother Nature controls the water level, the weather and the elements, so there is a risk involved in rafting and camping. Before your trip departs, you will be asked to sign an Assumption of Risk and Release Form. We assume no responsibility for injury to trip members, their personal belongings or, for time and expense incurred. We strongly recommend Travel Insurance, which covers vacation losses and accidents and provides a refund if you have to cancel your trip.

Parking, luggage and valuables:

We have a gated parking lot at our office for your vehicles while you are on the river. We also have a safe room for luggage and valuables while you a re on the river.

More FAQ's