By Roy Webb

We’d made it all the way through Westwater Canyon except for one rapid: the aptly named Sock-it-to-me. After this one, and Last Chance, the canyon opened out, the river calmed; it would be time to loosen our tight life jackets, get ready for the short shuttle back to our cars and home. But first we had to get through Sock-it-to-me, and above all, avoid the dreaded Magnetic Wall. There’s a wall on the bottom left side of the rapid where, unless you make your cuts just right, the current grabs your boat, slams you up against that wall and at best, shoots your boat into an upstream eddy, forcing you to run the bottom of the rapid again, and at worst, flips you against the wall. Even though it’s mostly smooth downstream, a flip is never any fun.

Even though I’ve rowed big water all over the West for the last couple of decades, I’ve only done Westwater a few times, so I was glad to be in a boat rowed by Amie Mollack, one of Adventure Bound’s most experienced guides. Amie is a veteran with over 20 years experience on the river, and I was glad she had the oars on this run. Amie set up, got ready, and was on her way to a perfect run when, at the last moment, a stray wave caught the nose of the boat and tossed us to the left, just enough for the current to take us right onto the Magnetic Wall. The boat slid up onto the wall, prompting all of us in the boat to quickly “high-side,” or throw our weight to the higher side to keep the boat from flipping. Fortunately, this was a river guides training trip, so all of us in the boat were well versed in high siding, and there was no hesitation. The boat leveled, and Amie scrambled back to the oars as the eddy took us around for another shot at it. This time, with some strong pulls from her, we got on the right line and in a couple of seconds were bouncing in the tail waves, high-fiving, and congratulating Amie on a great run. Time to pop open ABW (Alive Below Westwater) drink of choice and enjoy the widening canyon.

The Grand Canyon is longer; the rapids in Cataract are bigger; the Yampa, or the Green in Desolation Canyon provides more of a wilderness experience. So why is Westwater Canyon, on the Colorado River straddling the Utah-Colorado border, one of the most popular and sought-after whitewater runs on the entire Green and Colorado River systems? For most people it’s simple: nowhere else on the Colorado is there such concentrated whitewater action. In the space of a short, 17-mile canyon, there are ten major rapids, with all but one coming one right after another. The warm-up, not far from the launch, is Wild Horse Rapid. As soon as the river enters the Precambrian schist below the mouth of the Little Dolores River, the rapids come hard and fast: Little Dolores, Marble Canyon, Staircase, Big Hummer, Dolores Falls, Funnel Falls, Surprise, Skull, Sock-it-to-me, and Last Chance. All of these are Class III and IV rapids, which means, in laymen’s terms, tighten your life jackets, pay attention to your guide, and hold on, ‘cause you’re gonna get wet! Skull Rapid, named by 1950s river runners who found a skeleton below the rapid, is the biggest in the canyon. A successful run through Skull doesn’t mean the excitement is over; if you get pushed too far to the right, your boat can end up on Shock Rock, a jutting corner of a cliff, and from there be swept into the Room of Doom, a swirling eddy in which boats can be stuck for hours. A trip through Westwater leaves you soaking wet, gasping for breath, and flush with the exhilaration and adrenaline that comes from running major rapids.

Even though rapids are the big draw, that’s not all that attracts people to Westwater, not by a long shot. The scenery is magnificent; Westwater has been called a miniature Grand Canyon. You start in a smooth, rounded sandstone canyon, open and pleasant, with big cottonwood bottoms that are perfect for camping. Then towering Wingate sandstone cliffs appear, framing a strip of blue sky. Just below the mouth of the Little Dolores River, black, beautifully carved and fluted schist, or metamorphosed granite, rears up from the river. Early explorer John Wesley Powell was the first to recognize that hard rock makes for big rapids, and it’s certainly true in Westwater. The schist causes the canyon to narrow, so that for the next few miles the walls are no farther apart than a two-lane highway. Below Last Chance rapid, the schist dives back under the river, the canyon widens, and the current eases. There are six flat-but-scenic river miles to the takeout.

Even though the rapids have ended, the view is still outstanding; a broad river, lined with cottonwood trees and Great Blue Heron rookeries, framed by soaring red Wingate sandstone cliffs.

For those on a two or three day trip, there are some wonderful hikes. You can visit a beautiful waterfall on the Little Dolores River; hike to some small arches through fields of wildflowers in season; take a longer walk up Big Hole Canyon; or hike to see ancient rock art in a number of places. Along the way you’re likely to see Canada geese, great blue herons, bald eagles, deer, even peregrine falcons and desert bighorn sheep. One of the big off-river attractions of Westwater is history; the whole area is practically a historic site. Westwater was the name of a small town on the Rio Grande Railroad that had a typical hell-on-wheels history. Later, sheep ranching and mining became common. The remote nature of the area meant that it became a haven for outlaws of various kinds, including bank robbers, bootleggers, and even counterfeiters!  On the left at the upper end of the canyon is the Miner’s Cabin, where prospectors who worked the area lived off and on through the 1930s. Downriver, there’s the Outlaw Cave, where a pair of bank robbing brothers supposedly hid out for over a year after a robbery in Vernal.

Westwater has a modern history, too, that is only slightly less lurid. In 1995, river runners were shocked to see a gold mining operation spring up right in the middle of the canyon, complete with a bulldozer, settling ponds, a house trailer, and other equipment. It turned out that two brothers named Ray and Ron Pene had filed mining claims in 1984, located on 960 acres just inside the Utah border.

Despite the fact that Westwater was under study for wilderness designation, the bothers decided to work on their claim. It wasn’t until 1999 that the BLM declared the claims invalid and the site was cleaned up. Potential for more conflict exists at the West-water Ranch, a beautiful spread that lies just downstream from the BLM launch ramp.

The ranch has long been considered prime real estate, and the current owner has been trying to sell it. Preservation groups such as the Nature Conservancy would like to purchase the ranch, but the price so far has been too high. If a developer came up with the right amount, look for more controversy to brew up over this beautiful site.

Westwater is near two major cities and airports. It can be run as a day trip, although a two or three-day trip is better.

So if you’re looking for a tranquil, serene float on calm waters, you should look elsewhere. But if you want a powerful combination of adrenaline-pumping rapids, scenery, wilderness, history, all less than two hours from Grand Junction or four hours from Salt Lake City, near other attractions like Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Colorado National Monument, then Westwater Canyon is the place for you.