Desolation and Gray Canyons run through one of the deepest canyon systems in the Lower 48 with over sixty rapids and riffles. BLM publishes coordinates for the launch and the take-out but not for the individual rapids and camps, so only the endpoints are pinned here. Camp assignments and rapid locations come with your permit packet and the BLM river map.
See this route beside all ten extreme canoe trips on one map
Destination guide: photos, local culture and travel tips
Canoe gear by destination: what this trip requires
Access points and landmarks
An 84-mile trip from Sand Wash to Swasey's Boat Ramp, averaging 6 to 7 days for private boaters. Every coordinate below links to the published source it came from. Recheck access, closures, and water levels with the managing agency before you launch.
| Point | Role | Coordinates | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Wash Ranger Station | put in | 39.83930, -109.91573 | BLM ranger station, boat ramp and launch area; permits are checked here year-round. Recreation.gov facility record ↗ |
| Swasey's Beach Boat Ramp | take out | 39.11591, -110.11208 | BLM ramp and campground north of Green River, Utah, at the mouth of Gray Canyon. Recreation.gov facility record ↗ |
Shuttle planning runs between Sand Wash Ranger Station and Swasey's Beach Boat Ramp.
What we deliberately left off
- Nine Mile Creek, Rock Creek Ranch, Rattlesnake Rapid and Wire Fence Rapid — named in outfitter literature but without BLM-published coordinates, so they are not pinned.
Official sources
- Sand Wash Ranger Station (BLM) ↗
- Desolation Gray river permit ↗
- BLM Desolation/Gray information sheet (PDF) ↗
Distances and mileage figures come from the managing agency. Conditions change; this page is a planning aid, not a navigation chart.
Back to the full Green River: Desolation and Gray Canyons profile