We've prepared these planning tips for passengers on our two-motorized-raft trips, chartered through Grand Canyon Expeditions (GCE).
Our most important tip is this: read and follow to the letter the
info from GCE's, “Expedition Information” (gcex.com). Its
advice is spot-on! Here are additional tips we’ve learned from hard experience
on numerous prior motorized trips.
Weather: For summer trips in the Canyon, plan for triple-digits
HOT! Think light, quick-dry clothing, serious sun protection, and sun-block. It
does cool down at night – kind of.
River shoes: This is the most important item to get
right. Flip-flops are fine in camp, but not for hiking. Make sure your
river shoes (closed-toes are best) are well-broken-in before the trip. You
don’t want blisters to ruin your fun.
Relying on tennis shoes, flipflops, or cheap (or old) water shoes
is a mistake. Don’t scrimp! You’ll be hiking to waterfalls, archeology sites,
etc. We’ve seen too many passengers made miserable by ripped-out straps and disintegrating
shoes, and messed-up feet. Lots of options; pics are just two. Wearing thin socks
can help avoid blisters.
Clothing: Follow the GCE info. You will be alternately
wet & dry all day. Quick-dry under- and outer-garments are best. A
light-weight sarong is invaluable during long stretches on the raft in the sun,
to cover up and to get wet to cool off. This is true for women and for men!
GCE will have sarongs for sale at your pre-trip orientation Las Vegas, as well
as hats, carabiner clips, rain gear, river guidebooks, and a few other useful
items. Quick-dry shirts (some prefer long-sleeved for sun protection) and shorts
(some wear pants with zip-off leggings) are good choices. Swim suits for river
bathing in evenings. We’ve found that light, fingerless gloves protect your
hands from scrapes and sun. You’ll
be wearing a life jacket at all times on the rafts. Clean, dry clothes in camp
are nice. You’ll probably need fewer items than you think.
Hats: A wide-brimmed hat w/ chin strap is ideal –
sun protection for ears and neck, won’t blow off in wind. Avoid a hat with a
floppy brim; the wind in your face will bend it down and block your view. Bring
a back-up hat.
Rain gear: A light rain jacket is essential; rain
pants optional. Rain is always possible. But more importantly, early- and
late-day rafting in windy Canyon shade can be wet and chilly.
How much to bring: The GCE material describes the limit
of your personal bag as about what will fit in a grocery bag. That doesn’t
include what you carry on the raft during the day (water bottle, camera, rain
gear, etc.) You’ll get your one waterproof bag for personal gear during GCE’s
orientation at the hotel the night before we leave. That means you’ll have
plenty of time for last-minute decisions about what to take and what to leave
in your luggage at the hotel. (They will safely store our luggage. They have a
safe.)
Remember that everything
you pack will have to be schlepped back and forth from rafts to your camp every
night. Bring enough, but not too much. We like to stuff everything in Ziploc
freezer bags and bring extra bags; keeps things dry & organized and sand
out.
At your riverside
orientation at Lee’s Ferry departure, you’ll get your numbered life jacket and your
ammo can, which is good for stashing camera, sun bloc, etc., since it is always
accessible to you on the raft. Again, you can use Ziplocs to ensure things stay
dry inside your ammo can (usually not an issue).
Sunglasses/glasses: Safety straps are essential. Glasses
get splashed a lot; a drying bandana and eyeglass cleaner in a Ziploc is nice
to have for clear views of the most beautiful place on Earth.
Hikes: A small day-pack or fanny-pack is useful for
frequent day hikes (as well as for carrying incidentals on the five-hour bus
ride from Las Vegas to the river). Be aware, however, that your pack will get
wet when clipped to the raft, or in the raft’s day-bag. Think ahead about your
hiking needs (how to carry phone/camera, water bottle, while keeping hands
free; walking staff?). Hiking boots are not necessary.
Water bottles: We can’t over-emphasize the importance of constant
hydration. Dehydration is the biggest factor in most injuries in the Canyon. You’ll
be drinking water all day on the raft, so bring a water bottle that can clip
easily to gear on the raft and is easy to carry on hikes. You’ll refill it
constantly from barrels of highly-filtered water on the raft. For your safety,
we strongly urge you to have some system for hands-free carrying your water
bottle (e.g., day pack or sling), in order to keep both hands free while
hiking. Safety first!
Sleeping: You will sleep in sleeping bags on cots with
a mattress (all provided by GCE and sleeping gear marked in your own bag), out
in the open, over a large tarp. We highly recommend bringing a twin-size sheet
for hot nights. A tiny, blow-up pillow is nice. If it rains, tents are
provided. (Otherwise, it’s way too hot to sleep inside tents.)
Booze: You may bring as much booze (beer, wine,
spirits) as you want. Everything should be in non-glass containers (however,
if you do have a special bottle in glass that you want to bring, your guides will
find safe space for it). Soft drinks, Gatorade, juices, mixers, lemons &
limes, and ice will be provided. Daily supplies of drinks are kept cold in drag
bags in the river. Note: If you have specific mixers or soft drinks that you
want, bring your own. There is a liquor store near our hotel in Las Vegas, so
you can buy what you need the day before departure.
Everyone’s booze gets stored together in a hold under the deck of
one raft. It gets soaked, so any paper (e.g., beer cases, labels, wine boxes)
disintegrates. Ideally, to keep your stash from getting all mixed with others,
bring in a marked nylon bag. And a marker to brand your cans. You’ll have
access to the booze storage only when in camp. For day drinking, you’ll load
the drag bags with your desired cans each morning. As a courtesy, please drink
only your own booze and mixers.
Snacks: Plenty of fruit and snacks are provided all
day on the rafts, including gluten-free snacks.
Mosquitoes & ticks: None.
Scorpions & snakes: Rare, plus you’re sleeping off the
ground on a cot atop a tarp. (Mice & ring-tailed cats can be a minor nuisance.
Ravens will steal anything they can lift.)
Cell phones & emergencies: Bring your cell phone (in a Ziploc).
Even though there is no reception on the river, in the unlikely case of an
emergency helicopter evacuation, you definitely will want your phone. Same with
wallet, credit card, etc. Also, you may wish to use your phone for other apps
& music (w/ headphones). (For birders, we recommend the Sibley eGuide to
Birds and the Cornell Lab Merlin Bird ID.) Conserve power in airplane mode. Bring
fully-charged, pocket charger, with cables.
Cameras: If you need more than your phone’s camera, a waterproof
camera is best, of course, but any kind can be accommodated. Bring waterproof
bag. Bring pocket chargers or extra batteries.
Smoking: If you smoke anything in camp, please do so
downwind and away from nonsmokers.
Music: Please, headphones only, in all locations.
Singing, however, is encouraged, especially at sunset.
Toilet: The last official bathroom you’ll see is at
Lee’s Ferry, from where your rafts depart. After that, you stand or squat in
the river to pee – never on shore, not even on wet sand. (Women: for that
reason, think two-piece swimwear and dresses/skirts in evenings.) You’ll be
amazed at how quickly you adapt, since 31 other rafters will be doing the same
thing as you, all day long.
In camp, the portable toilet, placed in a private (usually,
unbelievably scenic) nook, is the first thing the guides set up and the last
thing packed in the morning. If you have issues during the day, the guides will
give you a portable contraption (swag bag) for you to use privately on shore. Everything
gets packed out. When you see the pristine environment of the canyon,
notwithstanding 30,000 rafters camping there every year, you’ll appreciate that
leave-no-trace ethic.
Lights: You’ll definitely want a headlamp (keeps
your hands free) for nighttime navigating from your camp to the river or toilet,
and probably also a small flashlight. Remember extra batteries. One good thing
about our trip’s timing: days are long and nights short.
Medicine: The guides can keep medicine cool, if
necessary.
Fishing: Trout fishing in camp can be excellent,
especially the first couple days of the trip. Spinning gear (pack rod
preferable) with spinners is best. Your guides can cook any fish caught. If
you’re going to fish, you must purchase an AZ license on-line prior to
your trip. (A three-day license, starting June 25, is all you should need.)
There will be no chance to buy a fishing license once you get to Las Vegas.
Camp routine: Finding and timing our late-day arrival at a
good, vacant camping beach is an art; your guides know best; they will set our
agenda. On arrival in camp, you first will quickly find and claim your own
camping spot; then back to the rafts where bags, ammo cans, cots, chairs, and the
kitchen gear are unloaded via conga line (bad backs excused); then you go set
up cots for the night; then dinner; then a wash line for your plates &
utensils; then marvel at the night sky (full moon mid-trip!); then sleep. The
guides always appreciate volunteers to help with kitchen cleanup.
You can wash and shampoo in the Colorado River at camp; no special
soap required. However, no soap allowed in any side stream or waterfall.
Compact, quick-dry camp towels are best.
Everyone gets a foldup chair, great for when eating as well as
relaxing after dinner.
You’ll be up early for coffee, breakfast, etc., then quickly packing
your camp – one bag for your sleeping gear and a second for personal gear, then
carry your two bags, ammo box, life jacket, and collapsed cot & chair to
piles near the rafts. A conga line shuttles everything back onto the rafts,
which the guides pack.
On-raft routine: On most motorized trip, you will spend eight
days together on two rafts, sitting on cushions atop your bags of gear (so be
careful packing squeeze bottles or anything fragile in your bag), or on the
rafts’ floors or side tubes. On average, about two-thirds of the day will be
rafting and about one-third for lunch stops and hikes to waterfalls and other amazing
sites.
You will not have access to your personal bag during the day, but
you will have access to your ammo can for incidentals, camera, etc. In
addition, a large day-bag on each raft is accessible for stashing rain gear,
etc. Whatever you carry onboard during the day, make sure everything loose
has a clip to attach to the raft.
Guide tips: GCE suggests tips, to be spread among our four
guides, of 10% of trip costs (a minimum that we strongly concur!). That may
seem like a lot, until you see how hard the guides work for you. Plan to
bring cash or a blank check (and a card/envelope), and give whatever amount
you can. Tips are a private matter (there’s no “group” tip), typically given to
the lead boatman on the final night in camp.
Physical conditioning: Almost anyone can do this trip.
Nevertheless, the better your condition, the more you will be able to
experience and enjoy. All day-hikes (waterfalls, side canyons, etc.) are
optional, but they can be among the highlights that you won’t want to miss. On
the other hand, hanging out on the beach while others hike has its own rewards.
You’ll be climbing on and off the big rafts several times each day, carrying
your gear, and setting up camp. In other words, it’s physical; regular walks
and conditioning prior to the trip will be a worthwhile investment.
Las Vegas trip hotel: The Residence Inn by Marriott hotel, where
you’ll stay the night before and after rafting, is very comfortable. (Costs are
included in your payment to GCE.) Good restaurants are a quick walk away. The
Strip is a short ride. The hotel has a free (shaded) parking ramp to leave your car
during the trip, if you drive. You may leave luggage at the hotel during the
trip (small fee). You’ll be contacted via email directly by GCE closer to
departure regarding room reservation details. It will include info on
extending your stay, before or after, if you wish.
Getting to the Colorado River: Brace yourself! The bus leaves the
hotel on Thursday morning at 5:00 am, sharp. You can get a hotel continental
breakfast before leaving. It’s a scenic, five-hour ride to Lee’s Ferry, with
two brief stops: Walmart for last-minute incidentals, and another at Jacob Lake
for cookies and cool tchotchkes .
Advance reading: We hope the long lead time before our raft
trip will give you a chance for some reading about the Grand Canyon; it will
enhance your trip. The more you know, the more there is to know about the Grand
Canyon. We recommend:
*****Belknap’s
Grand Canyon River Guide – 2023 edition.
The
Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons (J.W. Powell).
Down
the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy
Through the Grand Canyon (E. Volnick).
Stay in touch with Grand Canyon Expeditions via Facebook: Grand Canyon
Expeditions Co. | Kanab UT | Facebook
Follow a recent raft trip down the Green & Colorado Rivers to
learn the status of the water crisis facing the Colorado River, on this entertaining
YouTube video: A River
Out of Time.
Visit GCE’s website for great videos and info: https://gcex.com
Our final advice:
“This wonderful river er nearly four
centuries of discovery and exploration still flings defiance at the puny
efforts of man to cope with it, while its furious waters dash on through the
long, lonely gorges, as untrammeled to-day as they were in the forgotten ages.
Those who approach it respectfully and reverently are treated not unkindly, but
woe and disaster await all others.” – Frederick S. Dellenbaugh (member of John
Wesley Powell’s second-ever, 1872 descent through the Grand Canyon), “The Romance of the Colorado River,” 1902.
Also, this one we heard before our first trip together in 2014: “When
you hit a big wave and it feels like you are underwater, don’t let go.”
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