Rafting Cataract Canyon - How Not To Run Big Drop Three!!

I hope the video isn’t so annoyingly slow that it stops you from watching it.

For each of the last 4 summers there has been what has become a traditional end of the Moab Rafting season Cataract Canyon Trip. The Red River crew, friends and family come from far and wide to participate in more than a few days of behavior that is reserved for private river trips with close friends. As aways there are tons of pictures and more than a bit of video taken.

Here is a classic in the making.

Truly a wonderful clip of what happens when things don’t go right on the water. I love to see video like this. Too often the scene gets cut just as things get interesting. Watching scene after scene of guys making impossible whitewater lines, dropping huge waterfalls and popping up with smiles on their faces, stomping huge air and landing switch and skiing away gets boring.

Lets see some carnage. I want to know what Johny superstar does when sh$% hits the fan.

Well Red River Adventures guide, Landon is our Johny Superstar in this clip and just as I hoped things don’t go as planned and he get his head handed to him. I’ve got to give him credit he does a great job of staying cool and making the run look smooth.

“Chundered” is what we call what happens to Landon and if you look it up in the dictionary you’ll see this video.

Enjoy!!!

The River People
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We strive to ensure that time spent with us is time that you will always look back on fondly. We want to leave you with a memories that bring a smile to your face no matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, and no matter how much time has passed. In addition to a deep reservoir of personal experience, our rafting guides are licensed by the state of Utah, have Wilderness First Responder and/or First Aid/CPR certifications, and are insured. Many guides also have swiftwater rescue training. Our climbing and canyoneering guides are AMGA-certified for the terrain in which they operate. Our skiing guides are certified for the terrain, and some are world-renowned for their experience. All of our guides are intimately acquainted with not only the river, rock and snow, but also with the incredible surroundings of the areas we guide.

River Rafting Reviews and Red River Adventure Testimonials!

Megan Caravello
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Megan Caravello
November 11, 2024

We did rock climbing just outside salt lake City, at big cottonwood canyon. Carl was a super guide. We had never rock climbed, and Carl have us great intro instructions then we climbed up two rocks, that were challenging and fun. Would highly recommend

Cynthia Svendsen
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Cynthia Svendsen
October 20, 2024

We had an amazing trip to Greece for rock climbing with these folks. Carl, Tonya, Mary, and Sam did a wonderful job being well organized, providing thoughtfully executed guiding, and good vibes all around. Couldn't have asked for a better week with this crew.

Timour Kamran
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Timour Kamran
October 14, 2024

Fantastic day out with Jon!

Andy Ballard
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Andy Ballard
October 3, 2024

John was a consummate professional. He got my boys up their first multi-pitch climb in Big Cottonwood Canyon on an ultra classic line. I really appreciated his ability to make this memorable experience happen. Super friendly and I would not hesitate to use him again and recommend to my friends.

Clinton Woods
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Clinton Woods
September 7, 2024

Did the full day fisher towers trip. It was very well ran and enjoyable. Took some younger kids and overall was a great experience thanks to red river.

Amber Striegel
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Amber Striegel
August 29, 2024

The trip was beautiful. The scenery is breathtaking. But if you are looking for rapids, this may not be the tour for you, at least not this time of year. The water was quiet and at times it felt like we weren’t moving. Definitely more of a float than rafting. It’s perfect for those who want to relax and not have a workout.

Jan Moore
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Jan Moore
August 29, 2024

We enjoyed our rafting trip down the Colorado River. Our guide, Jake was very personable and informative. We would recommend Red River Adventures for anyone seeking a fun and enjoyable time.

Taylor Davis
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Taylor Davis
August 28, 2024

Incredible experience with an even better canyoneering guide, Cage! This excursion had some of everything, the hiking, petroglyphs, 4 separate rappels. Cage made the trip very memorable for each of us and made us feel safe and comfortable during the challenging rappels. We highly recommend this tour guide and company!

Maile Christensen
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Maile Christensen
August 25, 2024

Great trip down the river. Fun guides and beautiful scenery!

Keith Grim Sleeper
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Keith Grim Sleeper
August 25, 2024

Jordan was awesome

Elodie ROSENCHER
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Elodie ROSENCHER
August 21, 2024

Superbe expérience de rafting. Toute l équipe a été très réactive et a fait de son mieux pour que notre excursion soit la plus réussie et confortable possible (modification de réservation, bateau personnel pour notre famille)! Notre guide était à l a fois très professionnel et sympathique. Toute la famille a passé un très bon moment. Merci!

jonathan otis
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jonathan otis
August 20, 2024

Such a wonderful experience for my family. John was very friendly and professional. Would recommend 100%. We can’t wait for another opportunity to climb with John again.

Amber Thompson
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Amber Thompson
August 19, 2024

Our guides were friendly, knowledgeable and so patient. We had a 12 year old and 73 year old in our group and our guides were awesome with them. We had a great time!!

Sal Sapien
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Sal Sapien
August 18, 2024

I was unsure about rafting down the colorado river. Jake was our guide and I could not have asked for a nicer guide. Jake told us some history of the area, and told us about the rapids before we came to them. We had so much fun that my wife and I are talking about doing another rafting trip down the Colorado River. Thank You Jake.

Evan Stuart
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Evan Stuart
August 18, 2024

Knowledgeable and kind guide, Cage, made it a really fun experience

Laura Greenwald DDS
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Laura Greenwald DDS
August 15, 2024

This was a great half day trip on the Colorado river. Communication was awesome and our guide, Liz, was great! She was full of info about the river, the area and rafting! Thanks for the awesome experience.

Andre Reas
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Andre Reas
August 14, 2024

What we liked: Well organised, entertaining guides (especially during the bus drive) and friendly atmosphere. Not much white water during our 1/2 day tour (class 1/2) in July 2024. Still fun for beginners though, we got to jump in the water two times :-)

Roy Blair
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Roy Blair
August 14, 2024

First off 5 ⭐'s for Maggie, our river tour guide. She was very sweet and knowledgeable at her job. Red River Adventures made our rafting experience easy and very memorable. I would definitely recommend them for your rafting while in Moab Utah!

Jaimee Kennedy
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Jaimee Kennedy
August 13, 2024

Went rafting on the Colorado river and it was incredible. The guides were very knowledgeable and personable. Shoutout to Keira and Will for being the best guides ever.

Maria Velasquez
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Maria Velasquez
August 13, 2024

We had Maggie as our raft guide, she made our experiences one to remember. She was kind and genuine. She made the tour very interesting, she had a lot of knowledge. You can tell she loves her job. Red River made it very easy to book and had very clear and easy instructions. Thier staff was friendly and made out experience fun.

Hayley Daye
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Hayley Daye
August 13, 2024

My father and I booked a last-minute half-day rafting excursion as we were passing through Moab this past weekend, and were so happy with our decision! Even though we were not in season for optimal rapids (only Class I-II in early August), we had an amazing time out on the river. The calmer water even allowed us to take a swim in the Colorado during our excursion. Our guide, Charbo, was extremely knowledgeable about the area and kept our group entertained the entire ride. All the guides were professional and fun, and we loved the entertainment provided by them on the bus ride to and from the boat launch. We could have easily done the full-day trip if our schedules had permitted! Highly recommend going with them for all rafting or otherwise outdoorsy excursions in Moab. We will definitely book again next time we are in town.

G B (Dionysos)
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G B (Dionysos)
August 13, 2024

Very nice experience with three amazing guys (Jack, Grace and.. sorry I forget her name). Smooth rafting and swimming in the Colorado ended the day 🫶🏻

Melissa Oppenheim
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Melissa Oppenheim
August 12, 2024

What a great way to spend a hot morning in Moab! Red River made everything seamless without a lot of wait time to get setup. The location of rafting was magnificent and the guides were awesome, keeping things lively and interesting, from the bus ride to safety. Emily was a lot of fun guiding our particular raft. Can’t wait to ski some pow in Japan with Red River in January !!!

Tracy Field
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Tracy Field
August 11, 2024

August river rafting is fun and chill with the class 1 & 2 rapids. Our guide, Jake, was awesome. We want to come back in June for class 3 rapids. The guides are knowledgeable and funny. Super fun.

Ricardo J. FASANA
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Ricardo J. FASANA
August 10, 2024

Fantastic River Rafting for the whole Family

Dennis Lembeck
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Dennis Lembeck
August 10, 2024

Ontzettend leuke tour. Alles gaat heel relaxed. Eerst met de bus 40 minuten. Tijds de rit worden we geëntertaind door een van de gidsen. Raften niet heftig of zwaar. Wij hadden Savannah als gids. Heel vriendelijk. Top activiteit! We deden halve dag, achteraf hadden we misschien voor hele dag gekozen.

Heather Smith
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Heather Smith
August 10, 2024

We had so much fun on the river! Maggie and Liz and the rest were great guides and had so much information on Moab to tell us. They were fun and provided us plenty of opportunities to get in the water and float and we had a blast!

David Johansen
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David Johansen
August 9, 2024

Kids loved it! So much fun!

Gaige Redd
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Gaige Redd
August 9, 2024

Excellent guides, super friendly. We had a great time.

Colleen McGuire
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Colleen McGuire
August 9, 2024

Such a great experience with a wonderful crew of guides. We enjoyed the entertaining bus ride, the clear rafting direction , and the great stories from our guide.

Kendra Kormos
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Kendra Kormos
August 9, 2024

I took my boys white water rafting for their first time & they LOVED it. Our guide, Kiara, was very knowledgeable about the area, was funny, kind & made the trip so much more fun. We’d love to come back & do it again with her!

Debbie Hauser
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Debbie Hauser
August 8, 2024

We had so much fun. Husband and I in late 50s, average shape, with 18 year old son. Adam was the best guide. He took care that I was always ok and he was so positive. Would 100 percent recommend Bow and Arrow Canyoneering with Adam.

Gaëtan Martens
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Gaëtan Martens
August 7, 2024

Took a half day rafting trip. The camaraderie and banter between the guides made for a fun experience, whilst still being a professional outfit. Shoutout to Emily for being our amazing guide.

Dawn Wolf Spector
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Dawn Wolf Spector
August 6, 2024

Great service! Liz was an amazing tour guide. She knew so much about Moab, the river, and rafting in general. I highly recommend.

Frank Mitzschke
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Frank Mitzschke
August 5, 2024

Great tour, great guys, great day

Dina Love
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Dina Love
August 2, 2024

Liz was an amazing rafting guide. She was an awesome paddler. And as an extra bonus, she is super intelligent and is extremely knowledgeable about the land and ecology we passed as we floated the river. Our bus driver was an awesome driver!!! And the other guides gave us fun tour guide info on the way to the float and back to the office. We did the all day float. Lunch was provided. It was healthy and satisfying after a day on the river.

Trudy Troxell
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Trudy Troxell
August 2, 2024

Liz was just amazing we really enjoyed our trip. She educated us the whole trip down the river. Great people skills!

Thomas Nguyen
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Thomas Nguyen
August 2, 2024

Emily was a great guide. The whole process was seamless.

Christopher Kratovil
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Christopher Kratovil
August 1, 2024

Our family of six with limited rafting experience very much enjoyed the 1/2 day Fisher Towers tour with Red River Adventures. A wonderful all around experience. Red River is a very professional operation with courteous and knowledgeable guides. Even our ten year old frkt comfortsble enough to get out of the raft and swim.

Jenni Katzer
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Jenni Katzer
July 31, 2024

I had a wonderful multipitch climb in Little Cottonwood Canyon. John was informative and kept me safe. Fingercracks, slabs, amazing scenery and weather. I would do it again tomorrow if I had an opportunity. .

Julie Trembley
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Julie Trembley
July 29, 2024

Amazing experience at a great price! Staff is super knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely recommend!!

Kari Denning
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Kari Denning
July 28, 2024

We are here on vacation from Indiana and went on our guided half day tour this morning and we had the absolute best time! All your workers were great from person who met us to talk to us, our bus driver but our guide Sharbo (spelling?) was amazing! He was full of information and answered all our questions and was tons of fun! My son Brayden thought he was awesome and wanted to be by him on the raft all day! We have nothing negative to say and would recommend everyone to give you all a try!! And if you get Sharbo as a guide you are bound to have a fun, exciting and informative trip!! 😊

Alyssa Harvey
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Alyssa Harvey
July 27, 2024

Such a great experience! The entire staff was amazing. Our guide Savannah was the best. We love it. Highly recommend.

Kate Fyda
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Kate Fyda
July 27, 2024

Our family of 6 had an amazing time! The weather was perfect and our guide was hilarious. It was the perfect way to see the beauty of Moab. My kids loved being able to get out of the raft and float down the river where it was allowed. I would highly recommend Red River for rafting in Moab.

Tammy Laterveer
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Tammy Laterveer
July 26, 2024

Went on a canyoneering adventure with Cage. It was just the 5 of us, and it was Ana amazing adventure! 2 fun repels into the canyons, and a scenic hike back out. Cage was the best guide! Highly recommend.

David Muirhead
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David Muirhead
July 25, 2024

Red River Adventures! We went white water river rafting and we had Maggie as our guide. She was very helpful and polite. You get to go swimming in some spots if you would like to. You get to make a lot of great memories. Red Water River rafting keeps you occupied for the bus ride. They point out cool things. We had a amazing time, I would definitely do this again! 5/5 stars! Thank you! -Ella Muirhead

Emma Gilliland
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Emma Gilliland
July 24, 2024

Absolutely fantastic experience with Red River Adventures in Moab! Our guide, Maggie, was exceptional. Her knowledge of the area and enthusiasm made the trip unforgettable. The scenery was breathtaking, and the rafting was both thrilling and enjoyable. Maggie ensured we were safe and comfortable throughout the journey, and her storytelling added a unique touch to the adventure. The whole team was professional and friendly, making the entire experience smooth and enjoyable. Highly recommend Red River Adventure and be sure to ask for Maggie as your guide – you won't be disappointed! Five stars all the way!

Lori McCoy
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Lori McCoy
July 23, 2024

Grace our guide was awesome! Took Jake’s advice on a hike later that day, was a good one! Was able to swim downriver overall had a great experience!

Clifford Gilliland
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Clifford Gilliland
July 23, 2024

Wonderful day trip! Friendly staff, safe knowledgeable River Guides, awesome equipment. Absolutely fantastic float! Why do I give 5 stars? Because they don't have 6!

Angie Gaul
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Angie Gaul
July 23, 2024

Grace was a wonderful guide to our family of four, including our Autistic 9-year-old son, who had a blast in the raft. The heat, van ride in a life jacket and general sensory stimulation of the hot desert had him dysregulated, and they were very understanding. The half-day Fisher Towers tour was a safe and fun intro to rafting for our 6-year-old.