Be warned! There is an immense number of professionally outfitted Grand Canyon river trips available of different style, character, pace, duration, and flavor. Some are more leisurely, while others emphasize active participation and extensive off-river activities. All have an excellent safety record. Keep in mind that what time of the year you go—the rafting season in the canyon is from April through October—will also play a role in the nature of your trip and its activities.

It’s important to understand your choices so you can select the river trip that will best match your personal tastes, desires, and expectations. On this site, we’ll get you started and well on your way toward selecting the perfect river adventure for you and your family. Once you’ve made some general choices and narrowed your options a bit, we strongly recommend that you make direct contact with the outfitter of your choice.
General Considerations

The first question to ask yourself is, "How much time would I like to spend in the Grand Canyon?" Professionally outfitted trips run from a minimum of three days to a maximum of twenty-one days. There is no such thing as a one or two day Grand Canyon river trip.

One of the choices you must make is whether you want to run the full canyon or just the upper or lower section. To see the full canyon, a minimum of six days is required. To complete just the upper of lower section, known as a partial trip, it is necessary to hike with your gear into or out of the canyon via the Bright Angel Trail.This is a serious hike, ranging from ten to seven and one-half miles long, with over 5000 feet of elevation gained or lost. Temperatures on the trail can easily reach 110 degrees or more during the summer months. This hike should only be undertaken by those in good physical condition.

Another important choice involves the watercraft to be used. The majority of Grand Canyon river trips utilize motorized inflatable pontoon rafts. Many more use smaller human-powered inflatable oar or paddle rafts, or hard-shelled dories. There are also hybrid trips that use multiple types of non-motorized watercraft on the same trip.

Please use the links to the left to access specific information about the general choices you’ll need to consider when booking your Grand Canyon river adventure. Also, take a look at our step-by-step guide to booking a Grand Canyon river trip and our frequently asked questions page. And remember, after you’ve explored these pages a bit, each and every one of the Grand Canyon’s professional river outfitters is standing by ready to help. It’s our goal to provide the best possible in personalized service.

Please, One Trip Per Year. Due to limited availability, the National Park Service restricts recreational boating opportunities on the Colorado River within Grand Canyon National Park to one trip per year per individual.  Because of this regulation, the Grand Canyon river outfitters cannot accept a reservation from any individual who has or will participate in any other full or partial canyon commercial or non-commercial river trip within the same calendar year.  If you have already completed or have plans to participate in any other Grand Canyon river trip this year and would like to go again, please wait until next year or sometime thereafter to book your next trip. Grand Canyon National Park's one-trip-per-year rule is strictly enforced.
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Cost and Value Considerations
The National Park Service approves all Grand Canyon river trip fares and judges them fair and appropriate in light of the services rendered. Keep in mind that trip fares are generally comparable but do vary from outfitter to outfitter. It’s your responsibility to shop around. In general, shorter trips cost less overall than longer trips but cost more on a per-day basis. Longer trips cost more but the per-day cost is less when compared to shorter trips. As with beauty, value lies in the eye of the beholder. Which trip is the best value? It all depends on one’s personal tastes. The best advice we can offer is, do your research. Make sure you fully understand your options before making a final selection.
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The Full Canyon
This is it! The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, the last explored region of the western United States, a place long considered forbidding and dangerous. The Grand Canyon still demands our respect, but given its due, today the canyon is a river runner and nature lover’s paradise. This is a place unique in all the world and extraordinarily special in our hearts. Full canyon river trips begin at Lees Ferry, river mile zero, and continue downstream to one of the various departure points, or "take-outs." These take-out points are limited by the geography of the canyon itself and include: the Whitmore Helipad at river mile 187, the Diamond Creek Road at river mile 225, or a take-out via jetboat ride across Lake Mead beginning just below Separation Canyon at river mile 240. At Separation Canyon, Lake Mead backs the river up until the current disappears. The jetboat take-out ends at Pearce Ferry, forty miles away. Motorized full canyon trips are generally six to ten days long. Non-motorized full canyon trips last anywhere from ten to as much as twenty-one days; most are thirteen to sixteen days long. Each of these outfitters offers full canyon trips:
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The Upper Canyon
Running from Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch in the heart of the Grand Canyon, the upper portion is eighty-eight river miles long. Upon leaving historic Lees Ferry, you will quickly enter Marble Canyon, named by John Wesley Powell in 1869 because the smooth canyon walls polished by the river reminded him of that material. Notable features of the upper canyon include Redwall Cavern, the Nankoweap Anasazi Granaries, Vasey’s Paradise, the Little Colorado River confluence, and the Upper Granite Gorge. Notable rapids include House Rock, Unkar, Hance, Sockdolager, Zoroaster, and many others.

Upper canyon motorized trips are of a three, four, or five day duration. Non-motorized trips are generally four to seven days long. On the last day of your trip, you will hike yourself and your personal gear from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim Village via the Bright Angel Trail. This hike is either ten miles from Phantom Ranch or seven and one-half miles from Pipe Creek Beach (ask your outfitter about their exact drop-off point). This strenuous uphill hike includes over 5000 feet of elevation gain and should be undertaken only by those in good physical condition. To view a map of the upper canyon, click here. Lodging and transportation are available at the South Rim and are handled differently by each outfitter. These outfitters offer upper canyon trips:
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The Lower Canyon
All passengers going on lower canyon trips spend the first morning of their trip hiking with their personal gear down the Bright Angel Trail to Phantom Ranch (approximately ten miles) or to Pipe Creek Beach (approximately seven-and-a-half miles) depending on the outfitter’s exact meeting point. This is a serious downhill hike covering a 5000 foot elevation change from Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim into the heart of the canyon at river mile 88. The lower portion of the canyon extends all the way to Grand Wash Cliffs at river mile 277. However, for a variety of logistical reasons, most river trips utilize one of only a few different take-out locations. These include the Whitmore Helipad at river mile 187, the Diamond Creek Road at river mile 225, or a take-out via jetboat across Lake Mead beginning just below Separation Canyon at river mile 240.

Notable features found in the lower canyon include Thunder River, Deer Creek Falls, Matkatamiba Canyon, and Havasu Canyon. The lower canyon is also home to some of North America’s biggest and most famous rapids, including Horn Creek, Granite, Hermit, Crystal, Specter, Upset, Lava, and many others. If you’re looking for the biggest and best whitewater this continent has to offer, this is the place. Lower canyon motorized trips are generally of a five or six day duration. Non-motorized trips are generally seven to ten days long. To view a map of the lower canyon, click here. Outfitters offering lower canyon trips:


.Whitmore Trips
The river portion of this trip begins at the Whitmore Helipad at river mile 187. Many of these trips start with an overnight stay at the historic Bar Ten Ranch on the canyon’s North Rim. On a few of the trips, you may just fly to the Bar Ten Ranch and immediately transfer to the river by helicopter. Talk with your outfitter to learn the specific itinerary for your trip. On the first river day, which may be the second day of the trip if you spent the night at the Bar Ten Ranch, you will meet your guides and board the waiting whitewater rigs for the trip downriver. On the last day, you will either leave the canyon via the Diamond Creek Road or via an exciting jetboat ride starting at Separation Canyon at river mile 240 and ending at Pearce Ferry on Lake Mead, some forty miles away. The following outfitters offer Whitmore trips:
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Motorized Trips
For the past five decades, rafts utilizing low-powered outboard motors have plied the waters of the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon. Motorized trips make it possible to see the full canyon in six to eight days, roughly half the time a rowed trip requires. Because many people don’t have the time or the financial resources to devote two weeks of vacation to the river, motor trips are the means by which the majority of the American and international publics access the Grand Canyon river experience. Today, three-fourths of all outfitted river trip passengers visit the river corridor of Grand Canyon National Park via these motorized inflatable pontoon rafts. These boats are larger than human-powered craft, are very safe and provide an exciting yet comfortable ride down the river. Motorized Grand Canyon river trips are generally from three to six days for upper canyon, lower canyon, or Whitmore trips and from six to ten days for full canyon trips. These outfitters offer motorized river trips:
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Oar Trips
The standard Grand Canyon oar rig is an eighteen-foot inflatable raft piloted by a guide who sits in the center of the boat’s rigging and rows with two long oars. Up to four or five passengers ride in the front and rear of the raft. Full canyon oar trips run from ten to a maximum of twenty-one days; most are thirteen to sixteen days long. Most oar-powered trips are comprised of five to seven oar rigs carrying eighteen to twenty-two passengers plus crew. Outfitters offering oar trips include:
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Dory Trips
Dories are hard-shelled boats of great beauty and grace. They offer a lively ride close to the river and its power. Dories are rowed by a guide and carry four passengers: two up front and two in the back. Dory trips have many of the same characteristics as oar trips and run fourteen to sixteen days in duration. For more information, please visit the websites of the following outfitters who run dories in the Grand Canyon:
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Oar-Paddle Hybrid Trips
Hybrid trips are those on which different types of non-motorized watercraft are used, typically including multiple oar rigs and one paddle raft. The variety of boats on these trips gives the passengers a chance to try out different watercraft on the same trip. Passengers have the chance to join the team in the paddle raft—where everyone helps power the boat with canoe style paddles—without having to commit to paddling the entire length of the canyon. Other than watercraft, hybrid trips have many of the same characteristics as oar trips and generally run from fourteen to sixteen days in duration. The following outfitters offer hybrid Grand Canyon river trips either as a standard offering or by special request:
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All-Paddle Trips
All-Paddle trips rely on the passengers to move the boats and equipment downstream. Each paddle boat usually carries from five to six passengers, who power the boat with canoe-style paddles, and a guide called the "paddle captain" who rudders the boat and calls out commands to the paddling team. Previous multi-day whitewater paddling experience is usually required to join these trips. The following outfitters offer all-paddle trips either as a standard offering or by special request:
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Inflatable Kayaks
On some of the non-motorized river trips, passengers are afforded the opportunity to use inflatable kayaks (or "duckies"). These single or two person watercraft are great fun and are often used on appropriate stretches of the river to allow passengers to try their hand directly at the sport of recreational river running. The following outfitters offer inflatable kayaks as either a standard offering or by special request:
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Kayak Support Trips
Many of the outfitters welcome the opportunity to run kayak support trips for groups of serious kayakers ready to take on the Grand Canyon’s world-class whitewater. Check with your outfitter regarding the specifics of arranging such a trip including skill levels needed and other details. Most require a minimum group size and advance planning. Outfitters may or may not offer the capability to transport your kayak on the raft(s) for parts of the river, so you should understand your outfitter’s offerings clearly. The following outfitters offer kayak support trips by special request or charter:
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Charter Trips
You can charter an entire trip for your organization, club, or group of friends and family; the trip will then be closed off to the public and restricted to your group. Charter registration policies are sometimes more stringent than the booking policies for individuals. Each outfitter’s policies are different. Since charter groups take up a whole trip (i.e., there can’t already be someone booked on that trip) and some companies limit the number of charters they can accommodate in any given year, advance planning of one-and-a-half to up to three years is recommended. Please contact the individual outfitters to inquire about charter trip possibilities.
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Specialized Trips
Most of the Grand Canyon river outfitters routinely run unique trips geared to a specific purpose. While all of the regular, or standard, trips feature extensive interpretation of the canyon’s natural and human history, there are also specialized trips that focus on particular aspects of the canyon or on a single scientific discipline such as geology. There are also photography trips, those that emphasize extensive off-river hiking, and even a trip accompanied by a string quartet with performances taking place in natural side canyon amphitheaters and grottos. Most of the specialized trips are listed on the various outfitter websites.
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