Ruby-Horsethief Canyon Permit
Colorado Plateau Rivers · Colorado
25 miles of red rock flatwater on the Colorado River from Loma, Colorado to Westwater, Utah. Quota is the campsites, so you build the trip site by site.
Get an alert when any night of your Ruby-Horsethief itinerary opens.
When it opens
- 2 months
- First come, first served from two months before your start date, at 8 am MountainYou book on Recreation.gov.
Source: recreation.gov
70% of the openings our scanner caught on Ruby-Horsethief were gone within 10 minutes.
Ruby-Horsethief reservation dates
- route distance, point to point
- 25mi
- max group size
- 25people
How to get a Ruby-Horsethief permit
As of September 2026, Ruby-Horsethief in Colorado Plateau Rivers, Colorado requires a permit issued via first-come, first-served. Ruby-Horsethief is a high-demand permit, rating 7/10 on PermitSnag's demand index. Cancelled Ruby-Horsethief permits are re-released on the booking system, and PermitSnag alerts you the moment one opens. The Ruby-Horsethief route covers 25 miles, rated easy.
- Type
- River Access
- Location
- McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, CO
Step 1: Create a Recreation.gov account
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Have your payment info ready.
Step 2: Know the release schedule
Permits release on a rolling basis. Check the release time for your dates.
Step 3: Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
Step 4: Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
The camps you book on Ruby-Horsethief
One a night, each one downstream of the last.
- Rattlesnakemile 3.2
- Beaver Tail 1mile 3.5
- Beaver Tail 2mile 3.6
- Bull Drawmile 3.7
- Banjo Campmile 5.6
- Cottonwood 1mile 5.8
- Cottonwood 2mile 5.9
- Cottonwood 3mile 6
- Cottonwood 4mile 6.1
- Cottonwood 5mile 6.2
- Salt Creek 1mile 7.9
- Salt Creek 2mile 8
- Fault Line 1mile 10.3
- Fault Line 2mile 10.5
- Mee Cornermile 12.7
- Mee 1mile 13.1
- Mee 2mile 13.2
- Mee 3mile 13.3
- Mee 4mile 13.4
- Mee Canyonmile 13.6
- Dog Islandmile 14.7
- Split Rockmile 15.8
- Black Rocks 1mile 16
- Black Rocks 2mile 16.1
- Black Rocks 3mile 16.2
- Black Rocks 4mile 16.4
- Black Rocks 5mile 16.5
- Black Rocks 6mile 16.6
- Black Rocks 7mile 16.7
- Black Rocks 8mile 16.8
- Black Rocks 9mile 17
- Island Campmile 18.1
- Knowles 1mile 18.3
- May Flatsmile 20.3
More on Ruby-Horsethief: Live availability activityWhen Ruby-Horsethief permits open upRuby-Horsethief Canyon permit itineraryDo I need a Ruby-Horsethief Canyon permit?
How much a Ruby-Horsethief permit costs
Ruby-Horsethief permit fee: $6 reservation fee, plus $20 to $100 per night by group size from April through October.
The Ruby-Horsethief trip
- Distance
- 25 miles
- Route Type
- Point to Point
- Duration
- 2-3 days
- Difficulty
- Easy
About this permit
Ruby-Horsethief is the easy-water canyon above Westwater, 25 miles of mostly flatwater with a few Class I and II riffles. It is the trip people bring canoes and families on, and the Black Rocks section exposes the same 1.7-billion-year-old Vishnu schist you see in parts of the Grand Canyon.
BLM sets the quota by campsite rather than by launch, so one group can hold one campsite per night. There are 34 named sites on Recreation.gov, and you assemble your itinerary out of them when you book. Some sites carry a smaller group limit than the 25-person cap because the camp itself is small.
Reservations open on a two-month daily rolling window at 8 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time, and you can only hold one active reservation at a time. Day use needs no permit at all.
Ruby-Horsethief trip highlights
- Mostly flatwater with Class I and II sections across 25 miles
- Named campsites you reserve in advance rather than pick on the water
- Black Rocks, where BLM dates the Vishnu schist to about 1.7 billion years
- Motorized boats sharing the water, which is legal on this stretch
- Bald eagles, peregrine falcons, great blue herons and desert bighorn
- Strong afternoon headwinds from Black Rocks to Westwater, especially in spring
How hard the Ruby-Horsethief trip is
- Physical DemandFitness and endurance required5/5
- Technical SkillClimbing, scrambling, or specialized skills1/5
- NavigationRoute finding and trail clarity1/5
- CommitmentDifficulty of bailing out mid-route4/5
Best for: Experienced hikers with excellent fitness and relevant technical skills.
Recommended experience: Multi-day backpacking or river experience recommended.
When to float Ruby-Horsethief
Best time to visit
BLM calls fall the most consistent weather, with warm days, cool nights and infrequent rain. Family raft trips go best once flows drop below 5,000 cfs.
Weather Forecast
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
Today
54°
39°
Wed
51°
40°
40%
Thu
59°
36°
Fri
64°
37°
Sat
64°
41°
Sun
64°
39°
Mon
64°
41°
Ruby-Horsethief rules, gear and safety
Rules & regulations
- 01Quota is the campsites: one group per campsite per night
- 02Maximum 25 people per group including dogs, with a strict limit of two dogs
- 03Some campsites carry a smaller group limit than 25 because of camp size
- 04Reservations open two months ahead on a daily rolling window at 8 a.m. MDT
- 05One active reservation at a time, though you can hold multiple permits over a year
- 06Black Rocks sites are limited to one night on Friday and Saturday, with no layovers
- 07Print the permit 7 days before launch
- 08You must camp at your assigned site, and BLM warns not to book a later night upstream of an earlier one
- 09No permit is required for day use in Ruby-Horsethief
Hazards & considerations
- No take-outs before Westwater, which BLM says makes rescues long and cumbersome
- Spotty to non-existent cell service
- Extra care above 30,000 cfs, canoes not recommended until flows drop below 20,000 cfs per BLM
- Spring weather that swings from hot to snow to cold rain
- Very little shade in summer
Safety & planning
Emergency Info
Emergency contacts, ranger station locations, and satellite communicator tips for Ruby-Horsethief.
Food Storage
Bear canister requirements, approved container lists, and rental locations for this permit.
Gear Checklist: Required and recommended gear for Ruby-Horsethief · Shuttle Services: Trailhead transportation options · Guide Services: Experienced wilderness guides
Some links may be affiliate links. Purchases support PermitSnag at no extra cost to you.
Ruby-Horsethief FAQ
How does the Ruby-Horsethief permit quota work?
The quota is the number of campsites. Each campsite takes one group per night, so you build a multi-night itinerary by reserving a site for each night rather than a single launch slot.
Do I need a Ruby-Horsethief permit for a day trip?
No. BLM requires the permit for overnight camping only. Day use in Ruby-Horsethief needs no permit.
When do Ruby-Horsethief permits open?
Two months ahead on a daily rolling window, at 8 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time. You may only hold one active reservation at a time.
Can I bring dogs on a Ruby-Horsethief permit?
Yes, up to two. Dogs count toward the 25-person group total and are charged the same as adults over 16.
Ruby-Horsethief river conditions and trip reports
Trail Conditions
No active conditions reported
Sign in to report trail conditions.
Questions
No questions yet
Be the first to ask about Ruby-Horsethief.
Trip Reports
Write ReportAlternatives to a Ruby-Horsethief permit
- Similar ExperiencePermit required
Westwater Canyon
The whitewater continuation, 17 miles from the Westwater ramp with 11 named rapids.
Tradeoffs
Class IV water and a five-permit daily cap. Many groups run both back to back.
- Similar ExperiencePermit required
Canyonlands Overnight River
Flatwater on the Green or Colorado above the confluence, inside Canyonlands National Park.
Tradeoffs
No daily launch limit, but non-motorized flatwater trips must book a commercial upriver shuttle first.
Where to stay near Ruby-Horsethief
- Tigiwon Community HouseWhite River National Forest
- Camp Hale Memorial campgroundWhite River National Forest
- Camp Hale East Fork Group campgroundWhite River National Forest
- All Colorado campgrounds
Plan the full trip, not just the permit
Build your full itinerary start to finish
Add your dates and get a day-by-day plan: what needs a permit, what gear to bring, and one link to share with your whole group to coordinate every step.
No permit needed to start
One tick helps us more than you’d think
Google lets you pick the sites it highlights for you. Add PermitSnag and our permit pages get marked as one of yours in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Takes less than a minute.