With names like Skull Rapid and Last Chance Rapid, it's no wonder Westwater Canyon has earned a reputation as a tough ride, and is known to some as Hades Canyon! Narrow rapids run through deep canyons enclosed by black gneiss and granite and cliffs of red and gold sandstone. The beauty of Westwater is punctuated by the challenge of running one of the best whitewater stretches of the Colorado River. Sandy beaches fringed by pinion pine provide wonderful settings for overnight campsites, and are trailheads for easy hikes to canyon overlooks. The 17 major rapids are exciting, indeed, but some say the real thrill of this trip is the magnificent scenery. Sharing a border with Arches National Park as the trip enters its last lap, fabulous Fisher Towers stand at attention before a backdrop of the snowcapped LaSal Mountains. No wonder this has become the icon for the great Wild West.

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