Like most people, when I think of “rafting on the Colorado River,” I think of rough whitewater and multiday trips through the Grand Canyon. I think of the need for months of advance planning and permits that need to be secured more than a year out.

I don’t think of family-friendly trips along a leisurely stretch of river that barely hits Class II rapids. But that’s exactly what we recently found outside Moab, UT, and it made a surprisingly satisfying day’s adventure.

The Colorado River lazily rolls through Moab, in southeastern Utah, hundreds of miles before the Glen Canyon Dam bottles it up in Lake Powell and before it roars through the Grand Canyon.

Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of sections along this stretch where the river does indeed get wild and has Class IV rapids (e.g., Westwater Canyon, Cataract Canyon), but as it passes downtown Moab, the Colorado is little more than a lazy river.

Which makes this the perfect trip for first-time rafters, families with kids, or casual adventurers. We took Moab Adventure Center’s mid-day rafting adventure (with lunch!) and couldn’t have been happier.

I’ll admit that I was expecting a bit more whitewater, but in the end (and after three dusty weeks on the road and trails throughout the Southwest), it was fantastic to relax on and IN the water for a few hours.

The mid-day trip floats down 7 miles of river northeast of Moab, bordering Arches National Park and the stunningly scenic Utah-128, also known as the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway. Forget the river, the drive itself – through a narrow gorge of red sandstone cliffs – rivals much of what you’ll see in both nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

Moab Adventure Center runs this trip every day at 11 am from March through October (along with a similar morning trip that leaves earlier but doesn’t include lunch). Meet at their office in downtown Moab, they bus you out to the put-in site (along aforementioned gorgeous U-128), and then let your worries drain away as you float back toward town.

You’ll spend about 3.5 hours on the water, be fed a surprisingly tasty bbq lunch at Red Cliffs Lodge, learn a bit about the geography of the cliffs you’re rafting through, and even take home a complimentary water bottle (that rivals some of the best we already own).

For those who want something a bit different, you have the option of going in a 2-person inflatable kayak. I thought about it, but I’m glad I opted for the larger raft. Why? Because with a kayak, you’re pretty much restricted from jumping overboard for a swim.

And with the river this gentle and meandering, you’ll WANT to do a bit of swimming. We spent almost half of our time on the water actually IN the water. And it was glorious.

Enough of my jibber-jabber, though. If you want a sense for what the trip is like, check out our video of the experience. Then go check out Moab Adventure Center and the different trips they offer. They do a LOT more than just rafting, too.

So if your Moab wanderlust includes dreams of paddle boards, jet boats, Hummers, hot air balloons, mountain bikes, climbing harnesses, or horses and saddles (or any combination of the above), they’ve got you covered.

But even if you don’t go out on an organized group trip, I’d still highly recommend driving U-128, stopping at one of the small beaches along the way, swimming in the river, or getting out on the water in your own kayak. You won’t regret it.

(Disclosure: Moab Adventure Center provided a complimentary rafting trip in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.)