Green River — Desolation Canyon

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Desolation Canyon, Green River Utah — 1868-69 Powell Expedition, 1824-26 Fur Trade, 1970s-80s Wild and Scenic 80-mi. Through Carbon and Emery counties, the Green River cuts 84 miles of Desolation Canyon — a BLM Wilderness Study Area that drops paddlers into some of Utah's most remote desert country. At 5,200 CFS average (optimal range 2,000–10,000), this is a multiday commitment best run with commercial outfitters like Holiday River Expeditions and OARS who handle the logistics of deep canyon camping. The first 28 miles from Sand Wash to Rock Creek offer Class I-II water and Fremont petroglyphs etched into the canyon walls. Rock Creek to Three Fords covers the canyon's deepest section over 28 miles of Class II-III rapids. The final stretch from Three Fords to Swasey Rapid spans another 28 miles of Class II water as the canyon widens and desert benches appear. USGS gauge 09315000 tracks flows that can swing dramatically with snowmelt and reservoir releases upstream.