As Hughes noted, in many cases people start with the daily trip and return to Moab for more.

Cataract, that part of the Colorado River that river runners run from Moab to the northern tip of Lake Powell, is the most popular run within state boundaries.

Slow-moving waters at the start of the trip lull visitors into near slumber, then the 28 major rapids through Cataract Canyon awaken them to the fury and power of the river.

Cataract trips range from one day to seven days. Growing in popularity are the one-day Cat trips. River runners start with a jet-boat trip to the Confluence between the Colorado and Green Rivers, then raft the rapids, then power out to Hite Marina on the upper reaches of Lake Powell.

Westwater, which begins near the Utah-Colorado border, is among the more well-known runs on the Colorado River and the shortest — about 17 miles. It is also one of the more exciting adventures, with several of the rapids equal to those on Cataract. The most famous of the white-water sections being Skull Rapid.

Westwater trips range from one to three days.

The San Juan River, running nearly parallel with Utah's southern border, is one of Utah's calmer white-water experiences. It does have what few rivers have — sand waves. These are long stretches of roller coaster-like waves that appear and disappear for no apparent reason.

This is an ideal family river. Trips range from two to seven days.

The Yampa is only runable during runoff, which typically means runs stop near the end of June. This popular river trip, which begins in Colorado, drops faster than most and offers some interesting sights, including sections of Dinosaur National Monument.

Lodore starts in Utah and then joins up with the Yampa run where the two rivers — Yampa and Green River — meet.

Both the Lodore and Yampa trips range from three to five days.

Another popular river experience is Desolation Canyon on the Green River from put-in at Sandwash down about 120 miles to the town of Green River.

The country through Desolation and Gray canyons is in sharp contrast to the more southern rock cliffs, sandy beaches and desert vegetation along Cataract. Here the mountains slope up more gently and are green with trees.

Along the river are several abandoned ranches, some frequented by members of the Old West gang, the Wild Bunch. Interspersed along the way are about 60 rapids of varying difficulty.

Desolation trips range from four to nine days.

Indeed, Utah is not without rivers to run, and while this year's flows won't match last year's highs, none will dry up.

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E-mail: grass@desnews.com