It is this shorter trip, the huge rapids and the natural beauty found along the Colorado River, with sheer red-rock cliffs, stretches of green tamarisk and broken-rock escarpments connecting the cliffs with the river, that has made Cataract Canyon among the most recognized and sought-after river adventure in the world.

"We do," said Myke Hughes, owner of Adrift Adventures, one of the more established river-running outfitters in Moab, "we get a lot of foreign visitors who come to Moab just to run Cataract Canyon.

"We also get people from all over the country who've heard about Cataract and want to experience the rapids. What often happens is they come and take a one- or two-day trip, then return a year or two later and book a longer trip. I would definitely put Cataract up there as being among the most recognized white-water rivers in the world. It does, it has some of the biggest runable white water in the world."

The river trip starts near Moab, usually at the Potash Plant southwest of town. It is here rafters get their last glimpse of civilization until takeout. There is nothing resembling modern living on the river from Potash to the suspension bridge over the Colorado River near Hite, just spectacular scenery, wildlife, flowing water and peace and quiet occasionally interrupted by the rumbling roar of the rapids.

For the first 48 miles, the river is calm, quietly flowing around the bends and through long straights. Somewhere near the heart of Canyonlands National Park, the Green River meets the Colorado River at the confluence.

It is at this point Cataract Canyon begins. A sign, along the right-hand bank, warns river runners of impending rapids. From this point to the Hite takeout is roughly 47 miles.

It took Powell five days to raft this section of Cataract. He entered it on July 23 of 1869 and wrote in his journal that after a couple of portages and a swift run in the early afternoon on July 28, they finally emerged from Cataract Canyon.

Today's rafters have the option of making the trip in a day or, like Powell, take the full five days.

The one-day trip involves taking a high-speed jet boat down to the confluence, then boarding either 18-foot rafts with oarsmen for power or the slightly larger J-rigs, which are longer rubber rafts with turned-up noses and powered by a four-stroke engine. Once through the rapids, the boats then take a leisurely power trip to Hite, where passengers either take a quick flight back to Moab by air or a longer ride by bus. Cost is $325.

The five-day trips are all oar-powered, from Potash to Hite, with stops along the way to camp, hike and explore, much as Powell did. Cost is $850.