When one thinks of the Southwest, the desert comes to mind. Thoughts of dust, sand dunes, cactus and tumbleweeds come from images in old movies and books. It's not the place that first springs into your head when thinking of river rafting. Fortunately, Arizona hosts some of the finest whitewater in the world. In years of decent snow, meltwater brings to life the riparian areas along the Salt, Gila and Verde Rivers. It also swells their flows making them (for a month or two) great Class 3-5 whitewater.

In addition to these seasonal rivers, the state contains the Colorado River. For over 200 miles, the Colorado winds through the Grand Canyon and hosts some of the most famous rapids known to river runners - Hance, Horn Creek, Crystal and Lava Falls to name a few. The river varies in depth from a few inches to more than 100 feet and is as narrow as 76 feet at Mile 136 and widens to over 750 feet at Mile 193.

The distances on the river are measured from the Lee's Ferry put-in (Mile 0). Thirteen miles upstream from Lee's Ferry is the Glen Canyon Dam. Beginning operation in 1962, the dam altered the entire Grand Canyon ecosystem. Water temperatures have dropped an average of 20 degrees and sediment load, vital for beach replenishment, has been cut off. The river now runs clear and cold where it once ran muddy and warm. Being a geologist, I can only default to those specialists in biology, ecology, and botany for the interpretation of the impact on the many species living within the Canyon.

The Colorado River drops 1,709 feet in over 279 miles, which is over 25 times steeper than the Mississippi. The flow rate measured in c.f.s. (cubic feet per second), averages about 10,000 cfs. This rate varies with changing energy requirements along the Southwestern grid. The lowest recorded rate was 1,000 cfs in 1977 and the highest, 92,000 cfs in 1983. In the "Pre-Dambrian" days, highs probably exceeded 300,000 cfs!

For the current flows of the Upper Salt River: