Cataract Canyon Rafting

This one-week rafting course through Canyonlands National Park is rafting at its best. Rafting is exhilarating and fun but also challenging mentally and physically when you are doing it as an expedition rather than a day trip. This course is ideal for fit individuals looking for an expedition style river trip and who are comfortable in water.

Below its confluence with the Green River in the heart of Canyonlands, the Colorado River becomes one of the swiftest rivers on the continent. There are twenty-five to thirty exciting rapids that rate with those of the Grand Canyon in power and difficulty, including the famous Mile Long Series, Capsize and Big Drops I, II, and III. In the nearby canyons, fantastic rock shapes carved by the whimsical forces of nature await hikers who venture off-river. For more than thirty years, Outward Bound has offered exciting rafting courses in some of the premier canyons of the West. These intensive courses are run in the spirit of early explorations - the river is your access to isolated canyons and fascinating geological and archeological sites. And, like every Outward Bound course, you fully participate in all aspects of a remote wilderness experience including tying-in and paddling the boats, setting up and breaking down camp, cooking and even captaining through the rapids. You learn how to live a river lifestyle, traveling through deep desert canyons, hiking to see points of interest and undertaking off-river journeys that take you above the canyon rims.

The Outward Bound Difference
Each member of your group serves as captain, coordinating the efforts of the crew to effect needed changes of attitude (angle) and position in the river. It can be the thrill of a lifetime to lead your group through a scout and successful run of a rapid. The trust and camaraderie that grows between you is the key to your raft crew’s success and a major component of your Outward Bound experience. Through shared adventures you learn to accept and respect one another’s differences, minimizing each other’s shortcomings, while maximizing each other’s strengths. Each member of the group can make a valuable contribution to what becomes a smoothly functioning team, capable of feats that would be unthinkable for an individual member. Successful completion of your course demands mastery of skills, trust, fitness, confidence, tenacity, leadership, initiative and compassion. The promotion of these qualities, and the discovery of what’s in you, is the purpose of Outward Bound. We look forward to your participation in this unique and challenging adventure.

Course Description
Spend days paddling through magnificent canyons, working with your group to position and maneuver the boat between obstacles, standing waves and eddy lines as you descend flat-water, moderate rapids, and occasional major drops. In between drops, drift peacefully with the current through placid sections, relaxing and soaking up the grandeur of the canyons, as well as exploring side canyons, and hiking to see fascinating archeological, geologic, and historic sites. In places, the rims rise thousands of feet above, enclosing you in a remote world of rushing water, delicate ecosystems and unbelievable beauty.

When you are on the river you develop rhythm, power and finesse as a crew. These require precise timing, communication and teamwork. On the raft you learn commands, ruddering strokes, how to see obstacles and how to anticipate the force of the current from far enough upstream to be able to position the boat to avoid them. You learn a new vocabulary of river terms, including sleepers, holes, tongues, eddies and standing waves as well as a great deal about how to “read” the current from both boat and shore. As you go downriver, your instructor introduces you to the important elements of a wilderness lifestyle: environmental stewardship, outdoor cooking, camp craft, safety, and first aid, as well as the basics of river travel.

NOTE: While rafting itself - riding down a rapid - is not as physically challenging an activity as backpacking, you do need to be adequately fit to paddle aggressively and to enter and exit the raft (you should be able to get out of a swimming pool without using a ladder). You should also know that hiking is an almost daily element of the course.

To enroll in this course click the enroll button next to the course dates that work for you. To shop comparatively on line visit our Advanced Course Finder or better yet call one of our expert Admission Advisers at 866-467-7651. Course tuitions listed below do not include our Application Fee or Transportation Fee.

Region: Utah

Activities: Rafting & day hiking. May include a short solo.

Additional Information:
Application Fee
Transportation Fee

Sorry, there are no current offerings for this course.