photos by David Halterman

In 1916, Bert Loper and Ellsworth Kolb earned bragging rights as the first people to run a section of the Colorado River now known as Westwater Canyon. Nearly a century later, this 17-mile stretch of humbling whitewater and scenic flat water has become one of the most popular sections of river in Utah. The fall Westwater trip has become a tradition among Durangoans looking for one last river fix before the snow flies.