Westwater Canyon Rafting Trip - Arches National Park

Westwater Canyon rafting trips on the Colorado River offer dramatic canyon scenery, laid-back paddling, and beach camping under the stars culminating with a thrill-packed ride through a stretch of Class III-IV rapids for an all-encompassing Utah whitewater adventure.

Raft Cataract Canyon and explore Canyonlands National Park on this Colorado River rafting adventure near Moab.
Westwater Canyon rafting trips on the Colorado River offer dramatic canyon scenery, laid-back paddling, and beach camping under the stars culminating with a thrill-packed ride through a stretch of Class III-IV rapids for an all-encompassing Utah whitewater adventure.

When it comes to short and scenic Colorado River whitewater adventures, it doesn’t get any better than a Westwater Canyon rafting trip. Traveling through this canyon’s towering walls offers incredible views of a Precambrian time-capsule with geologic formations of nearly two-billion-year-old black Vishnu Schist and pink Zoroaster Granite topped by red-gold sandstone that will leave any paddler awe-struck. In the evenings, spacious campsites welcome guests for delicious guide-prepared meals, camaraderie, and relaxation before retiring for the night under a blanket of a million stars. Then comes the finale. Experience the thrilling whitewater Westwater Canyon is best known for—Little Dolores, Funnel Falls, the infamous Skull Rapid, and the ever-popular Sock-It-To-Me.

Extend the adventure! Our 3-day Westwater Canyon rafting adventure begins further upstream in the tranquil waters of picturesque Ruby Horsethief Canyon. The calmer river flows through this section of the river canyon allowing for the use of fun inflatable kayaks (IKs) and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs). An abundance of wildlife, including great blue herons, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, mule deer, and desert bighorn sheep add additional interest to the stunning desert scenery. Ruby Horsethief also offers some fantastic hiking to natural arches in the Entrada Sandstone and Mee Canyon in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness Area.

Cancellation Policy: custom

Cancellation Cutoff: 60 days

Cancellation Notes: Reservations and Payments Full payment is required at the time of booking. Payments can be made by check, money order, eCheck, wire transfer, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. Prices are in US Dollars, and all payments must be made in US Dollars. Payment of the deposit establishes your acceptance of our complete Terms and Conditions. Individual departures and trip capacity are strictly limited by the managing agency. Your payment is fully refundable for 48 hours, less a 3% processing fee, after making a reservation when you reserve a trip 7 days or more prior to departure. Cancellations and Refunds Canceling your trip after your deposit is processed will incur cancellation fees because OARS has absorbed costs on your behalf and will turn others away who would like to book the spaces we’re holding for you. If you must cancel your reservation after the rescission period described above, your cancellation fee will be determined according to the schedule below. We regret we cannot make exceptions to the cancellation policy for any reason, including foul weather, poor air quality, wildfire activity, acts of terrorism, civil unrest, or personal emergencies. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to consider purchasing a travel protection plan. Date of Cancellation Cancellation Fee 30 or more days before your trip $30/person 29 – 7 days before your trip Payment can be transferred to another trip within the same year (or to a credit account for the following year) for $50/person transfer fee. No refund. 6 days or less before your trip 50% of the trip cost can be credited to another trip (within the same year). No refund. Late arrivals or “no-shows” No refund or credit Please note that different deposit/cancellation policies may apply for charter groups. Refer to the group organizer’s confirmation email for details. Canceled Trips OARS reserves the right to cancel any trip due to insufficient registration or other factors that make the trip impractical to operate. In such instances, we will inform you at least 7 days before departure. Do not make nonrefundable travel arrangements unless you have spoken to your Adventure Consultant regarding the status of your trip. If a trip must be canceled or postponed due to force majeure (factors outside the control of OARS), OARS will provide full credit for payments made toward future travel, or a refund less a 5% service fee plus any nonrefundable payments made on your behalf to 3rd-party suppliers. OARS will make good faith efforts to recover deposits made on your behalf to 3rd-party suppliers, however, we can’t guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made. OARS is not responsible for expenses incurred by participants in preparation for a canceled trip. Transfers If you need to move your reservation to a different trip during the same year, or to a credit account for the following year, there is a $15/person fee up until 30 days prior to departure for a one-time transfer of your payment. If we are 29-7 days prior to your trip departure, there is a $50/person fee to transfer to another trip, within the same year or to a credit account for the following year. Transfer requests made 6 days or less prior to departure, 50% of your trip cost can be credited to another trip within the same year only. Transfer requests made the day of departure will be treated like a cancellation according to the schedule above.

2024 Westwater Trips