Six Day Paddling and Hiking Adventure Through Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park
On this relaxing camping vacation, you can paddle or simply ride along in the dory as you prefer each day! Plus, in calm waters, you can SUP and on others, kayak the smaller rapids! Stretch your legs on the many optional day hikes through this impressive canyon along the Colorado River before it reaches Lake Powell. Unlike a Grand Canyon’s rafting trip, this trip isn’t hard to book a reservation, plus it only takes six days instead over over two weeks!
Kit interviews popular travel blogger Sherry Ott of Ottsworld.com about her recent paddling adventure with O.A.R.S. Scroll down below to see how to connect with Sherry and read about more of her really fun adventures!
Today, we’ll hear what it was like, what to expect, and you’ll see if this rafting holiday should be added to your travel list.
Adventures along the Colorado River
On this six day adventure, you’ll experience it all! You’ll have several relaxing days floating along the river. In these calm waters, you can paddle a S.U.P (stand up paddleboard) or an inflatable kayak, or simple sit back and enjoy the scenery. Often during the day, you’ll get off the water to take a fun day hike to see interesting geological formations in this MILLIONS of years old canyon, and sometimes even petroglyphs and pictographs! Near the end of your journey, the adrenaline kicks in as you tackle some ‘spicey’ rapids.
Each day you can choose whether you want to paddle or have the highly expereinced guides do all the work. At night, you camp under the Milky Way and sit around the campfire (when allowed) to rehash the day’s adventures.
At journey’s end, you take a private flight back to Moab through the very canyon you just explored! What a way to bookend a trip!
Where is Cataract Canyon?
Cataract Canyon is located in Canyonlands, one of Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks. Over millions of years, the Colorado River carved the rock to create this magestic canyon.
You’ll meet your tour group in the adventure town of Moab, Utah and drive to the put in from there. [NOTE: Many call Moab the mountain biking capital of the world, so while you’re there, allow a day to day a guided mountain bike tour in Dead Horse State Park.]
Your paddling adventure ends before Lake Powell. Sherry went with O.A.R.S. and they shuttle you back to Moab via a private plane, where you’ll fly right over the canyon you just explored!
Check out these videos! On the O.A.R.S. video (left), you’ll get a nice overview of this paddling adventure. On Sherry’s inflatable kayaking video (right), you’ll see what it’s like to paddle on your own, AND what it’s like when things don’t go as planned. Exciting and exhilerating! What a wonderful adventure!
When to Raft Cataract Canyon
The Canyonland National Park rafting season runs from April through October. When to go depends on what kind of experience you want to have:
If you are an experienced rafter and love an adrenaline rush, go in late May through June, when you get the rushing roar of melting snow off the Rockies racing down the river. You’ll paddle through Class IV and Class V rapids.
For most of us who want an exciting but less ‘spicey’ ride, go in April through early May, or from July through October.
The spring and fall shoulder seasons will be cooler, as this high desert landscape gets HOT! But you can always cool off in the river. PRO TIP #1: Our guest, Sherry recommends packing a cotton pashmina that you can dunk in the water and wrap around your body whenever you get too hot. PRO TIP#2: Pack a small squirt bottle and fill it with water. Then simply squirt yourself whenever you need refreshment!
Who Can Paddle Cataract Canyon?
One of the things I love most about this adventure is that you can truly tailor this vacation to what YOU want!
Solo? There’s no solo supplement fee with O.A.R.S., plus you get to share the experience with like minded soon to be friends.
Prefer ‘Adults Only’ tours? Several scheduled tour dates are just for adults, but if you want to bring the kids, the later summer tours not designated just for adults make this a perfect Family Friendly vacation!
Also, there are special interest tours available such as ‘Womens Wellness’, ‘Stars and Guitars’ and ‘Yoga and Wellness’.
How Difficult is Rafting Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River?
Mostly I would rate this adventure as a two or three, but frankly, it depends on HOW you move down the river (is the guide doing all the paddling or are you helping? It also depends on what time of year you paddle. During snow melt, you will be working a lot harder than if you’re paddling a calmer river later in the season. Late summer will be MUCH milder. Plus, for several days, you are basically floating.
How Do You Paddle the Colorado River?
You’ve got choices! On most tours, you can choose each day if you want a guide to do all the work, or if you want to paddle as well. There are several types of boats/rafts:
- Dory: A wooden or metal boat that is the ‘race car’ of the paddle world. You sit back and enjoy the ride as the guide expertly maneuvers the craft down the river using two paddles from the middle of the boat. It’ll be a wild and exciting ride, as river guides consider steering a dory as much an art as a skill.
- Oar Boat: The guide again does all the work by steering and paddling using two oars from the back of the boat. Your gear is often transported via an oar boat.
- Paddle Raft: When available, YOU get to help get your raft down the river! The river guide sits in the back steering and shouting commands that the paddlers work in unison to execute. This is my personal favorite, and when possible, I love to sit up front for the biggest thrill!
- S.U.P. Stand Up Paddle Board: During the first days of your adventure, the waters are relaxing and calm enough to try your hand at a SUP!
- Inflatable Kayak: In calm waters as well as some of the rapids, you can also challenge yourself by paddling an inflatable kayak! Be sure to check out Sherry’s epic kayaking adventure on this fun video!
- Float! In the calm waters, you can also jump in for a swim and float.
You can sit back and relax or help paddle – and decide each day which one you feel like – as you work your way downstream on the Colorado River through Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
Day Hiking Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands
You’ll have lots of opportunity to get off the river to stretch your legs! Many optional day hikes scattered throughout the days of your six days on the water will let you explore this incredible red rock canyon on foot. You’ll see both pictographs and petroglyphs, and be able to see and touch the layer upon layer of its multi-million year history!
Where Do You Sleep along the Colorado River?
You will be away from civilization when you paddle Cataraact Canyon, so at night, you’ll be camping. But don’t worry, you don’t need to have your own gear: O.A.R.S. will provide it for you! The tour includes use of a high quality tent, sleeping pad, both a large and small dry bag to keep your gear nice and dry on the water. You can either bring your own sleeping bag or rent one for a nominal cost. You’ll also be given an insulated mug for your hot and cold drinks.
Ummm…Where Do You Go to the Bathroom?
To keep this popular landscape in pristine condition, all solid human waste is packed out in a truly Leave No Trace manner: you go to the bathroom in the ‘Groover’, which is basically a porta toilet. Your tour company will place the groover in a private, accessible location with a pretty view. However, you urinate in the river. Often there’s a groover specifically for urine, if that’s all you have to do and then you dump it in the river afterwards. This is the complete opposite of what you do in more temperate climates where you urinate a couple of hundred yards from a water source, when you are in the desert, where there’s not enough rain to flush urine, making it nasty in no time.
Relaxing at Camp at the end of a fun day
After an exciting day on the river, you can chill out with your fellow paddlers around a campfire (when fires are allowed) and enjoy a cold one (you can bring adult beverages if you want to). It’s a great time to rehash the day’s favorite moments. Or just relax solo, and read a good book. You won’t have any cell service, and there will be no way to recharge any electronics unless you bring a back up battery or power stick. Better yet: keep your phone in airplane mode to conserve your battery and enjoy living off the grid!
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What Do You Eat on a Rafting Trip?
You will be pleasantly surprised at the high quality and variety of food you’ll enjoy while rafting the Colorado River!
River Guides seem to take special pleasure in creating fine meals to sate your appetite. One night you might have Mexican, the next Italian, then perhaps, good old fashioned American.
There will always be lots of choices, so you are sure to find something to enjoy. Usually, special dietary requirements can be accommodated if you advise your tour company in advance. One thing is for sure: you won’t go hungry! Water is provided by the tour company. If you want adult beverages, you can bring those along.
Our guest today is Sherry Ott of Otts World. You can read her blog post about her Canyonlands paddling adventure HERE.
Meet Sherry Ott from Otts World
On Sherry’s wonderful travel blog, Otts World, you’ll learn about her many adventures, get destination information and advice, see some incredible photography (like the ones showcased here) and more. It’s a site to bookmark! Sherry was also our guest on our St. Olav Ways long distance hike in Norway, which you can check out HERE, as well as hiking the pilgrimage trail, the Kumano Koda in Japan, HERE.
Reach out to Sherry on:
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Other Paddling Adventures You Might Enjoy:
Rafting the Colorado River Thru the Grand Canyon
Rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River
Other Podcasts You Might Find Helpful:
How to Plan for Adventure Travel
15 Benefits of Adventure Travel
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