Itinerary
Cataract Canyon Rafting
Weather & Water Temperatures
Cataract Canyon Rafting
Weather in Cataract Canyon
We wish we could control Mother Nature, it sure would make our lives a lot easier. But you can plan for whatever weather she decides to come your way!
Don’t be fooled by the desert, it can and will get chilly. Bring the extra layers, you’ll be glad you did when a thunderstorm or breezy overcast day rolls through.
Rapids & Water Levels in Cataract Canyon
Water Levels
Have you heard river folks throw around the term ‘CFS’ but aren’t sure what that means? CFS stands for cubic feet per second. One cubic foot is about the size of a basketball. Another thing to keep in mind is when CFS picks up, so does the speed of the flow!
When CFS increases, so does the size of the rapids. Cataract Canyon is considered having high water when the CFS is 50,000+ and low water is around 1000 CFS. Check out Cataract’s current flows on American Whitewater.
Rapids
Cataract Canyon’s whitewater usually peaks during late May to early June, since this is when the spring runoff throughout the Colorado Plateau takes place. This stretch of the Colorado River is still considered free flowing, so it is heavily dependent on snowmelt. Expect large class IV and V rapids during this time, all run in large motor rigs.
By July, lower water levels typically take place with a continuous decline into October. Expect big class III and some IVs, along with more technical runs as the boulders that make the rapids here start to emerge from the bedrock.