Full day rafting in Moab
The short answer
Three trips near Moab run as a full day, and they suit three different groups. The Moab Daily full day is the family option: Class II to III, lunch on a beach, usually ages 8 and up. Westwater Canyon is the whitewater option: Class III to IV, ages 12 and up, and an hour in the van each way. A one day motor trip into Cataract Canyon reaches Class IV to V water but costs and takes considerably more.
All three consume the whole day once shuttles are counted. If you also want Arches or Canyonlands, book a half day instead.
- Difficulty
- Class II to V
- Duration
- 6 to 12 hours
- Minimum age
- 8, or 12 and up
- Lunch
- Included on all three
- Typical price
- $130 to $300+
The three trips
Two of these run on the Colorado close to town. The third is a serious drive and a serious river. Read the age minimums before you fall in love with one.
Moab Daily, full day
The whole fourteen mile stretch of the Colorado rather than the half of it most visitors see. You put in upstream near Fisher Towers, float the quiet water beneath the spires all morning, stop on a beach for lunch, then run the rapids in the afternoon when the wind has usually picked up and the waves are livelier. This is the trip for a mixed group where one person wants rapids and another wants scenery.
Westwater Canyon
Seventeen named rapids in seventeen miles, through an inner gorge of black Vishnu schist that is among the oldest exposed rock on the continent. Skull Rapid is the one people talk about afterwards. This is the best whitewater day within reach of Moab and the reason most people book a full day at all, but it is an hour in the van each way and nobody under twelve is getting on.
Cataract Canyon, one day
The only way to see Cataract without committing several days to it. A large motor rig covers the flatwater under power to reach the Big Drops, which at high water are the biggest commercially run rapids in Utah. The tradeoff is a very long day, a higher price, and hours of motoring that a multi day trip would spend drifting.
Some outfitters sell the Moab Daily full day as a Fisher Towers trip and some as a Colorado River full day. It is the same water. Check the river miles and the put in, not the name on the booking page.
Compared side by side
| Feature | Moab Daily full day | Westwater Canyon | Cataract, one day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Class II to III | Class III to IV | Class IV to V |
| River miles | About 14 | About 17 | Around 100 by motor |
| Total time | 6 to 8 hours | 8 to 10 hours | 10 to 12 hours |
| Minimum age | Usually 8 | Typically 12 | 12 to 15 |
| Drive each way | 0 to 25 miles | About 60 miles | About 50 miles |
| Boat | Oar rig, paddle option | Paddle raft or oar rig | Large motor rig |
| Lunch | Included | Included | Included |
| Typical price | $130 to $180 | $180 to $240 | From about $300 |
| Best for | Families and mixed ability groups | Adults and teens wanting real whitewater | Class V in a single day |
| Trip page | Moab Daily | Westwater | Cataract |
Prices are typical ranges across permitted outfitters. Each sets its own rates and adjusts them seasonally, so confirm the current price when you book. Class ratings describe an average year. Everything gets pushier during the May and June snowmelt peak.
How to choose
Age settles it more often than anything else. If anyone in the group is under twelve, Westwater and Cataract are both out and the Moab Daily full day is your trip. No reputable outfitter will make an exception, and the ones that would are not the ones you want.
With that cleared, the question is what you actually want from the day. Westwater is where you go for whitewater. Seventeen rapids in seventeen miles is a genuinely big day and people remember it for years. The Moab Daily full day is where you go for a good day outdoors: warm water, a beach lunch, a swim, red rock the whole way, and nobody in the boat quietly terrified. Both are worth the money. They are simply not the same purchase.
Cataract in a day is a narrower recommendation. It works if Class V is specifically the point and you have one day to spend. If you have three, the multi day version is a much better trip for not much more money per day.
One thing people underestimate: all three of these eat the entire day. Westwater has you in a van by seven and back in Moab in the early evening. Do not book a national park sunset the same night.
What the day actually looks like
The shape is much the same on all three, and very little of it is what people picture.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Early morning | Check in at the outfitter base in Moab. Safety briefing, life jacket and helmet fitting, wetsuit if the water is still cold. Then the drive to the launch, which is the part people forget to budget for. |
| Mid morning | On the water. The first stretch is usually calm while the guide works out how the boat paddles and everyone stops gripping the rope quite so hard. |
| Midday | Lunch on a beach or bench, included on all three trips. Usually a proper spread rather than a packed sandwich. |
| Afternoon | The main water. On Westwater that means the granite gorge and Skull. On the Moab Daily it means the wave trains, and almost always a swim stop where anyone who wants to can float a calm section in their life jacket. |
| Late afternoon | Takeout, derig, and the shuttle back to Moab. You will be back in town in the early evening, sunburnt and quiet. |
What to bring
A swimsuit under quick dry clothes, shoes that stay on your feet in moving water, high SPF sunscreen, a hat with a strap and sunglasses with a retainer. Leave cotton at the hotel along with anything you would hate to lose overboard. Bring dry clothes for the drive back, because everyone gets wet, including the people who insist they will not.
Sun is the real hazard out here, not the water. Reapply at lunch. The river safety guide has the full list.
Common questions
Which full day rafting trip is best near Moab?
Westwater Canyon if you want genuine whitewater and everyone is twelve or older. The Moab Daily full day if you have younger children, a mixed group, or simply want a long, beautiful day on the water without anyone being frightened. Both include lunch and both are good days out.
What is the Moab Daily full day, and how is it different from the half day?
The half day runs roughly half of the fourteen mile stretch. The full day runs all of it, usually putting in upstream near Fisher Towers and taking out below town. You get the quiet scenic water and the rapids rather than one or the other, plus a riverside lunch and normally a swim stop. Minimum age is usually 8, against 4 or 5 on the half day.
How long does a full day rafting trip take?
Six to eight hours for the Moab Daily full day, eight to ten for Westwater once the sixty mile drive each way is counted, and ten to twelve for a one day Cataract motor trip. All of them start early. Plan on losing the entire day.
Is lunch included?
Yes, on all three. Guides carry it and serve it riverside, usually a substantial spread rather than a packed sandwich. Tell your outfitter about dietary requirements when you book and they will generally accommodate them.
What is the minimum age for a full day trip?
Usually 8 for the Moab Daily full day, typically 12 for Westwater Canyon, and 12 to 15 for a one day Cataract trip. Outfitters commonly raise these during the spring snowmelt peak, so if anyone is close to the limit, ask about your specific dates rather than trusting the published minimum.
Can I do a full day rafting trip and Arches on the same day?
Realistically no. A full day runs six to twelve hours door to door and you will be tired afterwards. If you want both, book a half day float in the morning and spend the afternoon in the park.
How much does a full day rafting trip cost?
Typically $130 to $180 per person for the Moab Daily full day and $180 to $240 for Westwater Canyon. A one day motorised Cataract Canyon trip starts around $300. Outfitters set their own rates and adjust them seasonally, so confirm the current price when you book.
Do I need rafting experience?
No. All three are fully guided and the guide handles the reading and the rowing. On the Moab Daily you barely need to paddle. On Westwater you will paddle on command in a paddle boat, or sit and hold on in an oar rig, and you should be reasonably fit and comfortable being tipped into cold water in the unlikely event you swim.
Ready for a full day?
Westwater is capped by Bureau of Land Management launch permits and fills two to four weeks out in peak season. The Moab Daily full day usually has more availability.