Green River: Desolation and Gray Canyons: the route, the season and the permits

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.

An 84-mile trip from Sand Wash to Swasey's Boat Ramp, averaging 6 to 7 days for private boaters.

Parties launch at Sand Wash Ranger Station and take out at Swasey's Beach Boat Ramp; the route map lists every agency-sourced coordinate in between.

Open the Green River: Desolation and Gray Canyons route map · compare it with the other nine trips

• Sand Wash to Swasey's Boat Ramp — the full 84 miles through Desolation and Gray
• Sand Wash to Nefertiti — a shorter option that ends before the final flatwater

Best window: May – September.

A BLM river permit is required year-round for Desolation and Gray Canyons. Peak-season launches (roughly May 1 – September 30) are allocated by lottery through Recreation.gov; off-season permits are available without the lottery.

Recreation.gov — Desolation Gray permit ↗

Full permit page for this trip

• Class III–IV rapids including Joe Hutch and Three Fords
• Severe mosquitoes in June and July
• Flash floods in side canyons during monsoon storms
• Extreme heat and dehydration
• Black bears very active around the Sand Wash put-in
• Deep remoteness — no cell service

Flow is measured on the Green River at Green River, UT gauge. In drought years flows can drop below 800 CFS — bring a small, light boat and expect to drag. At peak runoff the canyon runs big and fast.

No cell service in the canyon. The Sand Wash Ranger Station is your last reliable contact before launching — check in there. Carry a satellite messenger and leave your float plan with someone who will act on it.

• Full canyon · 6 days — Sand Wash to Swasey's Boat Ramp, 84 miles — the standard trip through both canyons.
• The Gray run · 5 days — Sand Wash to Nefertiti, ending before the last flatwater stretch.
• Layover week · 7 days — Sand Wash to Swasey's Boat Ramp at a relaxed pace, with a rest day mid-canyon for side hikes and camp time.

Build your own dates in the Green River: Desolation and Gray Canyons trip planner

Desert bighorn sheep on the talus, black bears near Sand Wash, bald eagles in winter, and wild horses on the Ute Reservation side of the river.

BLM stipulations require a fire pan, a portable toilet (groover), a kitchen tarp under food prep areas, and strained gray water. All trash and waste pack out.