River Runners’ Guide To Utah and Adjacent Areas


A fully revised and updated edition of Gary Nichols’ widely used guide to river running in Utah. Major changes have occurred on Big and Little Cottonwood Creeks, which have many new drops with dangerous hydraulics. This edition accounts for these and other alterations in the state’s waterways over the past fifteen years. Also, several of the original river access points are now on private land. Alternative access points are presented and users are alerted to the necessity of requesting permission. All this and much more will once again make A River Runners’ Guide to Utah and Adjacent Areas the one source for vital and reliable information on more than ninety river trips for beginner and expert alike. It includes:

-Over 90 river trips with descriptions and maps
-Location of access and take-out points
-Instructions for all skill levels
-Ratings of all waterways by levels of difficulty
-Identification of danger areas and obstacles


Gary Nichols has been running, swimming, and walking Utah's rivers for thirty-five years. He lives in West Jordan, Utah.


Praise and Reviews:

"Utah's rivers, so central to its past and present, are here described from an on-the-water perspective. Both beginner and expert paddlers can use this reference to learn of dozens of river trips, difficulty ratings, access points, and particular dangers and obstacles."–Utah Historical Quarterly