page_title: Desolation Canyon
section_title: Recreation
hierarchical_section_title: Desolation Canyon / Recreation
caption_attribution_description: Desolation Canyon, Utah. This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 68000057
context_page_description: Desolation Canyon is a remote canyon on the Green River in eastern Utah, United States that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is said to be one of the remotest areas in the contiguous United States.
context_section_description: Each year during the spring, summer, and fall months, many boaters make the 83-mile (134 km) trip through Desolation and Gray canyons from Sand Wash to Swasey's Rapid, just upstream of the city of Green River. This section is managed by the Price office of the Bureau of Land Management, which issues permits. An additional permit must be obtained to camp or hike on the eastern side of the river, which is part of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation for most of the canyon's length. As of spring 2015, the Utes are no longer offering permits to non-tribal members. Over 60 named class two and three rapids challenge boaters, and the gradual increase in size and difficulty of rapids make it an ideal place for beginner to intermediate boaters to develop their skills. At high water (over 20,000 cubic feet per second [570 m³/s]), Joe Hutch Canyon Rapid (Cow Swim) approaches a class IV difficulty. Rapids in the canyon are big enough to swamp an open canoe at any water level.
caption: An undated BLM photograph of a boat on the Green River within Desolation Canyon
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