The area has been the setting of a number of western-style movies and many television commercials. The last section of the Colorado River to be navigated, it is many boaters' first choice for a short challenging adventure. Sheer walls of rust-colored Wingate sandstone tower above the inner canyon. Historic features within the canyon include the miners cabin and the outlaw cave. The Cataract Canyon stretch of the Colorado River extends from the Colorado's confluence with the Green River to Lake Powell at Hite.
Shorter trips utilize a jet boat for the upper portion of the trip.
Due to fluctuating water levels on Lake Powell, it may be necessary to have a motor or arrange for a pick up boat to move rafts from the end of the river down Lake Powell to Hite. Contact the River District Office at Canyonlands National Park for more information. Cataract Canyon is a wild whitewater trip but the sections above the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers consist of scenic stretches of flatwater. Cataract Canyon is one of the most isolated and starkly beautiful areas of the 48 contiguous states. Desolation Canyon is the deepest canyon in Utah .