Desolation Canyon
Utah – US
- Class
- II to III
- Length
- 85 Mile(s)
- Gradient
- 5 FPM
- Put-in elevation
- 4,628 Feet
- Typical season
- January to December
Current Flow
2,360 CFS
Gauge height: 6.10 FT
Reading from Jul 10, 2026 10:15 PM
● 0.00/hr (12h) ● 0.00/hr (24h)
Hit some laps
- Primary gauge
- GREEN RIVER AT GREEN RIVER, UT Gauge detail & alternatives Live gauge ↗ NOAA river forecast ↗
Recommended levels
| Minimum | 1,000 |
| Average | 10,000 |
| Maximum | 22,000 |
Recommended use
- Kayaking
- Rafting
- Canoeing
- SUP
- Packrafting
- Fishing
Struck-through craft are not recommended for this run.
Flow history — last 6 days
No gauge history recorded in the last 6 days.
Photos
Description
Desolation Canyon on the Green River is one of the best multi-day river trips in the Western US. No it doesn't have the biggest and baddest rapids but it does contain some of the best river campsites and beaches. Plus there are plenty of Class II to III rapids to keep everyone on the trip entertained.
The first day is the slowest so plan accordingly. There is about 26 miles of flatwater until Jack Creek. There are some nice hikes in this section as well as Powell's Lighthouse Rock formation.
After the first day you will have some kind of rapids about every mile or so from Jack Creek to the take out on Swasey's Beach. Not a bad reward for a melow warm up float on the first day.
Rapids
| # | Rapid | Class | Recommended flow | Description | Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steer Ridge | II to III | 1,000–22,000 | This is one of the first set of larger rapids in desolation canyon that is worth scouting. There are large rocks in the center of the river. Follow the wave tongue on river left. |
A landing and scout trail can be found on river left. |
| 2 | Joe Hutch | II to III | 1,000–23,000 | This rapid was altered in 2008 due to flood/runoff. Many consider this rapid the most difficult in Desolation and Gray Canyon. Hit the left tongue avoiding holes on either side of the tongue and then ride the big wave train and pull away from the left river bank where it piles into some rocks. At higher water you can go right (although I'm not sure why you would since you will miss the best ride through this rapid) |
Scout on the right several hundred yards upstream from the rapid. |
| 3 | Coal Creek | II to III | 1,000–22,000 | Pretty straight forward run down the waves on river right. Watch out for a hole a couple hundred feet down that has been known to flip boats. This rapid is easier at high water. Rockier at low water. |
Scout on river right |
| 4 | Wire Fence | II to III | 1,000–22,000 | This can be run on river left or river right. There are some large rocks in the center of the river that should be avoided | Scout from one of the Wire Fence camps on river right. |
| 5 | Three Fords | II to III | 1,000–22,000 | This rapid follows wire fence. Pick a course down river right avoiding the rocks. This rapid gets more difficult at lower water. | Can try stopping at river left right after wire fence but may be difficult since the rapids are so close together. May want to scout the same time you scout wire fence rapid. |
| 6 | Jack Creek Rapid | II to III- | 2,000–22,000 | Some rocks become exposed at lower water making this rapid harder at low water. | Read and run |
| 7 | Rock House Rapid | II | 1,000–25,000 | Read and run. This will be a nice change in current for a hundred feet or so but you will be back to flat water soon. |
|
| 8 | Little Rock House Riffle | II | 1,000–20,000 | An easy class II rifle. |
read and run right of center |
| 9 | Big Canyon Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | an easy class II |
|
| 10 | Firewater Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 11 | Cedar RIdge Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 12 | Saleratus Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | run on the right side. it can be rocky on the left. |
|
| 13 | Flat Canyon Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
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| 14 | Dripping Springs Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
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| 15 | Fretwater Falls Rapid | II to III- | 1,000–22,000 | This rapid is easier at high water. Read and run |
|
| 16 | WIld Horse Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 17 | Lower Wild Horse Rapid | II+ to III- | 1,000–22,000 | read and run. watch for rocks at lower water levels |
|
| 18 | Rapid | II to III- | 1,000–22,000 | An unamed rapid exists where the river is split by a large sand bar. Either channel contains rapids. This rapid is harder at lower water levels due to it becoming rocky. |
read and run |
| 19 | Steer Ridge Rapid | III- to III | 1,000–22,000 | Follow the wave train left of center. Keep an eye out for rocks at low water levels |
A scout landing is possible on river left a quarter mile above the rapid. A small trail leads down to overlook and view the rapid. Scouting is recommended unless you know the rapid well. |
| 20 | Surprise Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 21 | Log Cabin Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 22 | Rock Creek Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 23 | Calf Canyon Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | Read and run. Keep an eye out for a hole/boulder at the bottom of this rapid. |
|
| 24 | Snap Canyon Rapid | II to III- | 1,000–22,000 | Read and run. Can be rocky at low water. |
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| 25 | Three Canyon Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 26 | Belknap Falls | III | 1,000–22,000 | A boulder strewn rapid. Watch for holes but otherwise a read and run rapid. |
|
| 27 | Chandler Falls Rapid | II+ to III | 1,000–22,000 | Usually run on the right side of the river. This rapid gets harder at lower water. IK's and Canoes may have trouble here. |
|
| 28 | Trail Canyon Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
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| 29 | Bull Canyon Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run. look at running on the left side of the river. |
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| 30 | Moonwater Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run on either side of the small island |
|
| 31 | Red Point Rapid | II to III- | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
|
| 32 | Joe Hutch Creek Rapid | II+ to III- | 1,000–22,000 | not to be confused with the "Joe Hutch Rapid". This is a straight forward read and run rapid. Harder at low water due to boulder dodging. |
|
| 33 | Florence Creek Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
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| 34 | Range Creek Rapid | II+ | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
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| 35 | Rabbit Valley Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
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| 36 | Curry Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
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| 37 | Rattlesnake Rapid | II to II+ | 1,000–22,000 | The river pushes into the right river bank as the river turns left. Make sure you give yourself enough room to pull away from the rock that the river pushes into. |
|
| 38 | Poverty Rapid | II | 1,000–22,000 | read and run |
Access
| Type | Name | Elevation | Camping | Water | Boat ramp | Vehicle access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Put-In | Sand Wash | 4,628 Feet | Yes | No | Yes | All Vehicles | Either access Sand Wash from UT Highway 40 or UT Highway 6. Either way will involve driving quite a few miles on dirt roads. Most people access Sand Wash from the Myton turn off on Highway 40, just east of Duchesne. Allow an hour or two of dirt road drive time once you leave the pavement. |
| Take-Out | Swasey Beach | — | Yes | No | Yes | All Vehicles | The Swasey Beach take-out lies just north of Green River, UT. The road is paved all of the way except for the last hundred yards or so. Any vehicle can access Swaseys. |
Camps
| Camp | Fee | Beach | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Creek Camp #1 | No | Yes | Camp is on river right. If you want to camp here make sure you pull right and miss most of the Jack Creek Rapid. This camp can have a lot of mosquitos. |
| Jack Creek Camp #2 | No | Yes | On river right just downriver of Jack Creek Camp #1. The Jack Creek camps usually fill up so try to get there early in the day to get these camps |
| Mushroom Camp | No | Yes | This is a good alternative camp if the Jack Creek camps are full. At high water the beach and landing area is greatly diminished. |
| Above Wire Fence #1 Camp | No | Yes | A nice camp with a minimal beach. Plenty of good shaded and protected tent spots. A trail leads down river to the other camps and to a view of wire fence and three fords rapid. |
| 82 Mile Camp | No | No | A small nice camp on river right. Steep, rocky landing at lower water. |
| Dutches Hole Camp | No | No | On river left. Requires Ute Permit. |
| 81 Mile Camp | No | No | on river right. small to mid-size camp. |
| Lower Gold Hole Camp | No | No | On river right where the river makes a right hand 90 degree turn. Pull in anywhere on the large sandbar beach. |
| Rock House Canyon Camp | No | No | Pull in near the creek delta on river right. Campsites are up the creek and to the right. Not too close to where you will beach your raft. |
| Opposite Stampede Flat Camp | No | Yes | on river right, right before the cliff ends you will see a nice beach with some cottonwood trees. |
| 76.7 Mile Camp | No | Yes | Land on river right. Camp has a nice beach and cottonwood trees. Campsite is good for large parties. |
| 76.4 and 76.2 Camps | No | Yes | A large beach on river right offers several campsites. |
| Above Cedar RIdge Camp | No | Yes | Another good desolation camp on river right. Land above the Cedar Ridge drainage. |
| Firewater Camp | No | Yes | This is on river left and on the Ute Reservation so it requires a Ute Permit. Land on the beach at the firewater canyon drainage. |
| Below Cedar Ridge Camps | No | Yes | Below the Cedar Ridge drainage is an extremely large beach that houses several camps (3 or more). Land on river right |
| Flat Canyon Camp | No | Yes | A good large campsite on river right. |
| Dripping Springs Camp | No | Yes | Just below dripping springs rapid on river right. May be harder to access at low water |
| Steer Ridge Camp | No | Yes | A nice beach camp on river right. Pull hard right to make the landing after you get through steer ridge rapid. |
| Log Cabin #1 | No | Yes | This is one of the better camps on this trip. It is on river left so you will need a UTE permit. It has an excellent beach. Good camp spots in the sand and plenty of shade with how it is situated between the canyon walls. |
| Log Cabin #2 Camp | No | Yes | Another good camp on the UTE land that requires a permit. Not as good as camp #1 but still a nice camp. |
| Log Cabin #3 Camp | No | Yes | Another good camp on river left Ute Land that requires a permit to camp here. |
| Snap Canyon Camp | No | Yes | on river right |
| Three Canyon Camp | No | Yes | on river right |
| Lower Three Canyon Camp | No | Yes | on river right |
| Lion Hollow Camp | No | Yes | on river right |
| Chandler Canyon Camp | No | Yes | A nice camp on river left. A Ute Permit is required to camp here. |
| Trail Canyon Camp | No | Yes | on river right |
| Above Bull Canyon Camp | No | Yes | on river right. large beach. |
| Moonwater Camp | No | No | on river right |
| Below Red Point Camp | No | No | on river right |
| Joe Hutch Canyon Camp | No | Yes | a nice camp on river right to watch others make their way through Joe Hutch Rapid. To get to this, either run Joe Hutch on the far right or run it on the left and ferry the boats back up the river a little to get to the beach. |
| Opposite McPherson Ranch Camp | No | Yes | Right across the river from McPherson Ranch. Camp is on river right. |
| Below Wire Fence Camp | No | Yes | on river right |
| Range Creek Camps | No | Yes | on river right. |
| Rabbit Valley Camp | No | Yes | on river right |
| Below Coal Creek Camp | No | Yes | an exposed campsite on river left. |
| Poverty Campsite | No | Yes | on river left. No permit needed since BLM land is now on river left. Exposed camp. |
| School Section Canyon Camp | No | Yes | on river right. Stay right so you can pull into the spots in between the tamarisk |
| Rattlesnake Camp | No | Yes | A nice large beach on river left. |
| Troop 491 Camp | No | No | Great campsite with a nice, easy landing for multiple rafts. |
| Kyle Landing | No | No | Last chance before civilization (road) for a camp. On river left, this scrappy camp has a nice bench, and great morning and evening views. If School Section and Rattlesnake are taken, this is a nice location. |
Permit
Fishing
The following fish species are often found on this run.
Brown Trout have a yellowish belly, with black and red spots on the sides. This fish is a fresh, coldwater fish and is found all over.
This fish is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8 million anglers targeting them per year.
Points of Interest
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