The rivers near Moab.
The short answer
Five rivers carry commercial rafting trips within reach of Moab. The Colorado runs past town and carries most trips at every difficulty. The Green is the wilderness river, almost entirely multi day. The San Juan trades whitewater for archaeology. The Dolores only runs in good snow years, and the Yampa runs May to July on strictly limited permits.
If you have one day, you want the Colorado. If you have a week and want to see nobody, you want the Green.
Compare the rivers Browse trips instead
Each one is a different trip.
Colorado River
Moab sits on it, which is why most trips launch here. Every difficulty from the Class I Daily float to the Class V Big Drops in Cataract Canyon, with Westwater in between. The only river with reliable half day options.
Explore the ColoradoGreen River
The multi day river. Desolation, Labyrinth and Gates of Lodore run through country with no roads, where days pass without a building in sight. Mostly Class II to III, with real solitude as the point.
Explore the GreenSan Juan River
Gentle water through Bears Ears country, past cliff dwellings and petroglyph panels. Choose this when the canyon and the history matter more to you than the whitewater, and when you want a multi day trip children can handle.
Explore the San JuanDolores River
Runs only in good snow years, which is exactly what makes it worth watching. When it goes, it is 170 miles of canyon almost nobody gets to see. Check the snowpack in March before planning around it.
Explore the DoloresYampa River
The last major free flowing river in the Colorado system, running through Dinosaur National Monument from roughly May to July only. Class III to IV, and among the hardest permits to get in the West.
Explore the YampaWhat about the others?
Plenty of rivers cross this region, but most carry no commercial trips. The Escalante, Dirty Devil, Price and Sevier are either too shallow, too remote or too seasonal for guided rafting, and the Animas and Gunnison do carry trips but sit hours away in Colorado. We explain each one on the lesser known rivers page. If you are looking for a trip you can book, the five above are the list.
The rivers compared.
| River | Class | Trip lengths | Season | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | I to V | Half day to 5 days | March to October | Everyone. The only river with short trips |
| Green | I to IV | 4 to 6 days | May to September | Wilderness, solitude, first multi day trips |
| San Juan | I to III | 2 to 5 days | April to October | Archaeology, families on a multi day trip |
| Dolores | II to IV | 2 to 10 days | April to June, high snow years only | Experienced rafters who can travel at short notice |
| Yampa | III to IV | 4 to 5 days | May to July | Big water in a national monument, if you can get a permit |
The river you get depends on when you come.
April to June
Snowmelt peak. The biggest, fastest, coldest water of the year. Whitewater runs are at their most powerful and their most serious. Wetsuits are common. The Dolores runs now if it runs at all.
July and August
Warm, reliable and busy. Flows drop steadily, rapids soften, and the water is pleasant to swim in. The best window for families and the most heavily booked.
September and October
Low, clear and technical. Cooler air, warmer light, far fewer people. Many experienced rafters prefer this window. Water gets cold enough to matter by mid October.
November to March
Almost nothing runs commercially. Some outfitters offer winter floats on the Moab Daily when weather allows. Contact operators directly rather than assuming.
Flow is published daily by the US Geological Survey, and any outfitter will tell you what the river is doing. Ask before you book if you are choosing between seasons, because the same run genuinely feels like two different trips at high and low water.
Why some trips sell out in January.
Most of these rivers run through federal land, and the agencies that manage them cap how many boats launch each day. That is what protects the solitude, and it is also why the best trips are not available on short notice.
| Run | Managed by | How limited |
|---|---|---|
| Moab Daily, Fisher Towers | Bureau of Land Management | Barely. Book a week or two ahead |
| Westwater Canyon | Bureau of Land Management | Daily launches capped. Two to four weeks in peak season |
| Cataract Canyon | National Park Service | Strictly limited. Months ahead for high water dates |
| Desolation Canyon | Bureau of Land Management | Limited. Book well ahead for summer |
| Gates of Lodore, Yampa | National Park Service | Among the most competitive permits in the West |
Booking through a permitted outfitter means the permit is their problem rather than yours. Private trips require you to enter agency lotteries, which is a different undertaking entirely.
River questions, answered.
Which river should I raft near Moab?
The Colorado for almost everyone, because it runs past town and offers everything from half day floats to Class V expeditions. Choose the Green instead if you specifically want a multi day wilderness trip, or the San Juan if archaeology and calm water appeal more than rapids.
What is the difference between the Colorado and Green River trips?
Access and character. The Colorado runs alongside Moab with road access at several points, which makes short trips possible. The Green flows through country with almost no roads, so trips are 4 to 6 days by necessity. The Colorado has the bigger whitewater, the Green has the deeper solitude.
Why is the Colorado River red near Moab?
Suspended sediment. The river carries fine iron rich silt eroded from the surrounding sandstone, and at higher flows it picks up considerably more, which is why the water runs a deeper red brown during spring runoff. By late summer it usually clears somewhat and takes on a greener cast.
Can you raft near Moab year round?
Not commercially. The season runs roughly March or April through October, with the Moab Daily having the longest window. Some outfitters run occasional winter floats when weather permits, but most operations shut down from November through February. Contact operators directly for off season availability.
Does the Dolores River run every year?
No, and that is the central fact about it. The Dolores depends on releases from McPhee Reservoir, which only happen when snowpack is well above average. Some years it runs for weeks, some years not at all. Check conditions in March if you are hoping to plan around it.
Do I need a permit to raft these rivers?
Not if you book through a commercial outfitter, because they hold the permit. Private trips are a different matter: Cataract Canyon, Desolation, Yampa and Lodore all require permits obtained through agency lotteries, and demand far exceeds supply on the popular runs.
Know which river you want?
Browse the trips that run on it, or tell us your dates and we will point you at outfitters with availability.