How Utah’s San Juan River Was Run

Getting there: The San Juan River run begins at the Sand Island launch ramp, three miles west of Bluff, Utah (an hour south of Moab on Highway 163), and finishes at Mexican Hat, 27 miles further south and west. It is not difficult to arrange transportation back to your car.

Permits: You must obtain a river permit (free of charge) by contacting the Bureau of Land Management, Moab District, San Juan Resource Area, P.0. Box 7, Monticello, Utah 84535, (801) 587-2201, within 60 days of your trip. You’ll receive a map and guidebook with the permit.

Costs: Western River Expeditions, Moab, Utah, (800) 453-7450 or (801) 259-7019, is the primary rental outlet. It rents 12-foot paddle rafts that hold four or five people for $50 a day and 18-foot paddle rafts for $85 a day.

An 18-foot rowing raft with cooler costs $75 a day and holds 10 people and gear. Canoes are $25 a day.

Western River provides instruction on raft assembly, and can also suggest a list of personal and group gear you’ll need.

Equipment: Raft, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food, water, clothing (including rain wear), camera, sunscreen. All human waste and ashes must be carried out. Most groups carry a portable toilet.

Fitness: This is a non-strenuous trip, suitable for children and adults.

Food: Buy it in Moab. Take at least one gallon per person per day of drinking water. River water should not be consumed.

When to go: March through July are the best months for rafting, since spring runoff raises the water level. During other months the flow drops to a trickle.

Nearby attractions: Visit Monument Valley, Natural Bridges, Canyon Lands and Arches National Monument. Other Anasazi sites are at Mesa Verde, Colo., Canyon de Chelly, Ariz., and Chaco Canyon, N. M.

For more information: Contact the Utah Travel Council, Council Hall, Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114, (801) 533-5681.