Whether you're looking for a gentle glide or a wild whitewater rafting trip, the Grand Valley has it all. That's because the Colorado River flows through it! 

Grand Junction is the jumping-off point for what National Geographic describes as “the West's best short whitewater trip,” Westwater Canyon.

Only a short drive from Grand Junction, a float trip through Westwater allows access to one of the most unique canyons in the area, and a geologic masterpiece.

Through wind and water erosion and uplift, this narrow canyon exposes the oldest geologic formations in eastern Utah (1.75 billion years). Black uplifted rocks (metamorphic granite gneisses) provide sharp contrast to the multicolored layers of the Chinle formation and the massive, smooth, reddish-brown cliffs of the Wingate sandstone above that. For geology buffs, this is the largest and most colorful classroom you'll ever see. For whitewater rafting aficionados, it means the rapids through this canyon are world-class!

You can leave your hotel on Horizon Drive in Grand Junction at 7:30 a.m. and return home by 8:30 p.m. for a fabulous one-day trip, then relax the rest of the weekend in town, or at one of the nearby wineries, reliving the thrills of Class III and Class IV rapids. Or, you could take a three- or four-day trip and really unwind!

Only experienced boaters should attempt to pilot rafts through this canyon. There are 11 rapids with names like Funnel Falls, Sock-It-To-Me, Last Chance and, the meanest of all, Skull Rapid and the Room of Doom.

The Bureau of Land Management administers this portion of the river. The Westwater Ranger Station is 4.5 miles from the Utah-Colorado state line off I-70. Because of the heavy demand for launches, permits and advanced reservations are required year 'round.

Information about the reservation, fees and permit system may be obtained from the BLM Moab field office at 801-259-2196. Locally, you can contact the good folks at Adventure Bound in Grand Junction or Rimrock Adventures. They'll line you up with a fabulous trip.

If you're not that adventurous and a float trip that's a little more mellow suits you, these fine folks -- and another called the Catfish Canoe Company -- can line you up with a smooth, gentle ride through town here, or through Horsethief and Ruby Canyons, getting out of the river at the Ranger Station at Westwater. You'll still see towering red sandstone cliffs and experience the wonders of the Colorado River in the desert canyonlands, but you won't be scared to death of it.

Now's the time to float your boat. The sun is hot, the water's fine. Come on down!