NOTES: Southwest of Fruita, the Ruby/Horsethief Canyons area of the Colorado River is an excellent place to float. This relaxing stretch of river offers solitude and several nice side canyon hikes. Your trip through Ruby/Horsethief Canyons begins at Loma, Colorado and ends at Westwater, Utah. This stretch of the river runs along the northern boundary of the 74,497 acre Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. Your trip will include beautiful red rock canyons, 1.5 billion year-old uplifted metamorphic rock known as the "Black Rocks", and an abundance of wildlife to include Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons and if youre lucky you might catch sight of the reintroduced Desert Bighorn Sheep.
Along this section of river you will encounter Class I and II rapids. It is recommended you check the streamflow data when planning your trip, especially during spring runoff, which can vary greatly from year to year. CAUTION: We do not recommend floating the river in any type of watercraft, when the streamflow is over 30,000 CFS (cubic feet per second). Canoes are not recommended until the streamflow gets below 20,000 CFS, and between 10,000 and 20,000 CFS only highly experienced canoeists should attempt this section of river. Family raft trips are best done when the river gets down around 5,000 CFS. Spring runoff causes the river to become muddy with heavy debris.
DIRECTIONS TO LOMA BOAT LAUNCH: From Grand Junction, take I-70 west to the Loma Exit (Exit #15). Cross over the interstate to the south and turn left on gravel road, follow the road around the corner, parking area will be off to your left and the launch site is just down the hill. DIRECTIONS TO WESTWATER RANGER STATION: From Grand Junction take I-70 west, 4.5 miles inside the Utah border, take the Westwater exit, at the off ramp go left (south) for 9 miles to the Westwater Ranger Station.
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