San Juan River Permit

About this permit

A permit is required year-round on the San Juan, and permit fees apply to trips launching March 1 to October 31 on all river segments between Sand Island and Clay Hills. The BLM manages the river from Montezuma Creek to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area boundary at about river mile 45.5, and by agreement with the Park Service issues permits for all segments on the 102-mile section between Montezuma Creek and Clay Hills.

The daily cap is a dual limit and either one can close a day. At Sand Island, seven groups or 75 persons are allowed to launch per day, and when either limit is reached the day is full. On top of that, only two trips launching from Sand Island per day may go all the way to Clay Hills; all others must take out at Mexican Hat. At Mexican Hat, three groups or 50 persons may launch per day, again whichever is reached first.

Maximum group size is 25 persons, all ages included, and no more than the pre-paid amount on the permit. Groups launching under separate permits may not camp or travel together if that would create a total group of more than 25.

Fees are a $6 non-refundable application or reservation fee, then per person by segment: $10 Sand Island to Mexican Hat, $20 Mexican Hat to Clay Hills, $30 Sand Island to Clay Hills. The BLM division record lists a $10 Montezuma Use Fee for Montezuma Creek to Sand Island. Passes do not qualify for discounts on these fees.

The lower segment carries rules the upper one does not. Camping below Government Rapid camp, around river mile 64, is allowed at 9 designated sites only, and all groups must have an assigned campsite in this area prior to launch. Trips taking out at Clay Hills must have at least one reserved campsite, and the permit is revoked if none are available. You may schedule up to two nights in that section, with the first night in one of the Slickhorn sites A to E and the second downstream of Slickhorn. Groups adding passengers at Mexican Hat must have all rafts and equipment present at inspection at Sand Island. No rafts may be added at Mexican Hat.

Equipment: a washable, leak-proof toilet system accessible during the daytime; engineered bag systems are acceptable if the waste, bags included, is carried in a leak-proof, animal-proof, hard-sided container with a screw-on or ratchet-locking lid. Fire pans must be durable metal, at least 12 inches in diameter with a 1.5-inch lip, and carried on all trips except one-day trips from April 1 to October 31, even when stoves are used. Life jackets must be whitewater Type I, III or V. The BLM notes Type II is permissible under state law but strongly advises against it, and inflatable life jackets are not allowed. Also required: first aid kit, repair kit, air pump, an extra oar, paddle or motor per raft, dory or canoe with one spare per three low-capacity boats, a bail bucket or bilge pump, and for boats 16 feet and over a Type IV throwable or a 40-foot rescue rope plus a horn or whistle. Dishwater strainers are recommended rather than required. Pets are prohibited between Sand Island and Clay Hills.

Two standing closures shape where you can camp. The Navajo Nation has a year-round camping closure on river left because of bighorn sheep lambing and nursing requirements, and the left bank from Montezuma Creek to Trimble Camp is managed by the Navajo Nation, which requires additional permits to camp, hike or visit archaeological sites there. The Butler Wash Petroglyph Site at river mile 4.2 is closed to overnight camping, and camping in cultural sites is prohibited generally.

One practical fact worth planning around: there are no reliable, potable sources of drinking water on the San Juan River.

The route

The BLM publishes the segments precisely. Sand Island to Mexican Hat is about 27 miles and most boaters take two to three days. Mexican Hat to Clay Hills is about 57 miles and is typically a four to five day trip. Sand Island to Clay Hills is about 84 miles and typically six to seven days. The seldom-floated Montezuma Creek to Sand Island segment is about 17 miles.

Clay Hills is the only viable take-out below Mexican Hat, and the BLM is blunt about why: there is a dangerous waterfall downstream from Clay Hills.

The river features Class II to III rapids that require some technical boating skill. The agency names Government Rapid and Slickhorn Rapid. Persons 13 and older must wear an approved PFD until downstream of Slickhorn Rapid; children under 13 wear one for the entire length of the river.

Why it matters

The San Juan is the accessible Colorado Plateau multi-day: gentle enough for competent beginners, with entrenched meanders, Ancestral Puebloan sites and desert varnish the whole way. It is also the one where the permit structure rewards reading carefully: segment fees, a dual daily cap, and a mandatory reserved campsite on the lower half.