The whole crew at the start of our Grand Canyon journey

225

. . . the number of river miles between the Colorado river access at Lee’s Ferry to the access at Diamond Creek, the main river rafting section of the Grand Canyon. For us, this equated to a 16 day river trip floating from one access to the other. Our family of 4, along with 11 others took this journey as a part of a celebration commemorating my oldest son’s graduation from high school. For all of us, it was a trip of a lifetime and one we frequently think and talk about. The Grand Canyon truly lives up to its reputation as one of America's greatest natural treasures.

There are basically 2 ways to visit the Grand Canyon: from the outside looking in and from the inside looking out. We obviously opted for the latter. Some folks hike down inside the canyon to experience it from the inside out, but we lived inside of the canyon for 16 days. In this post, I will share some of our trip highlights and I will share the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about how to best experience the Grand Canyon from the inside.

Ed and the boys tackling Lava Falls, one of the two class 9 rapids on the Grand Canyon.

It’s Not Just About the Whitewater

Rafting down the Grand Canyon is not for the inexperienced boatperson, if you intend to captain your own boat, that is. You may be familiar with the whitewater rapid rating system (1-6) common to most US rivers, but the Grand Canyon has its own 10 point scale for its rapids. Throughout our 225 miles, we encountered four class 8 rapids and two class 9 rapids, which we fretted about for the many days leading up to them. Also in the mix were numerous class 6 and 7 rapids. Needless to say, the whitewater is very exciting! For whitewater enthusiasts, rafting the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon is a bucket list trip - a way to put their skills to the test. But, in between the big rapids are calm and beautiful stretches perfect for staring at the canyon walls and at the Great Blue Herons that frequently accompanied us down the river.

How the Grand Canyon won me over wasn’t with the thrilling (scary!) whitewater, but rather with the magical moments discovered along the way. The canyon offers up treats in the form of hikes down side canyons, caverns, waterfalls, unique campgrounds . . . to name a few.

A Few Canyon Highlights (aka the Magical Moments)

Redwall Cavern

In the early days of the trip (day 4 for us), we came to the Redwall Cavern - a giant natural ampitheater carved out of the limestone. At approximately 400 feet long, 250 feet wide and 200 feet tall, it is an impressive stop. As is often the case, our photos do not do it justice. We got out the frisbees and a guitar to explore the space and the acoustics of this magnificent cave. One of the my favorite moments was when we had a Desperado sing-a-long - it brought tears to my eyes.

The Little Colorado River

Where the Little Colorado joins with the Colorado was easily a trip highlight for everyone on our trip. The main Colorado river, when we were there, was a beautiful green color. At other times of the year, it can be brown and muddy. This can be the case with the Little Colorado as well. But, we lucked out. It was an electric light blue color and hardly seemed real, especially in contrast to the green of the “Big” Colorado. The temperature of the Little Colorado was a warmer than the main river as well, so we spent at least an hour walking upstream and floating down the Caribbean blue loveliness over and over again.

Elves Chasm

Sprinkled throughout the deserty canyon are tropical oases. We hiked a short distance up a side canyon and suddenly we were in Fern Gully, or in this case, Elves Chasm. A cool, shady, green waterfall replaced the dry rocks to create a lovely afternoon stop. There was some swimming, some jumping into the deep pool from the upper watery platform, and some kicking it in the shade. This wasn’t the only oasis we found, but it was probably the favorite.

Deer Creek

We hiked along the narrow twisty slot canyon of Deer Creek until we arrived at a surprising shady zone full of cottonwood trees and mini waterfalls. There are several great “side hikes” along the Canyon, but we were experiencing really high temperatures and mainly chose the shorter and shadier hikes.

Ledges Camp

The majority of our campsites during our journey down the Grand Canyon were beautiful sandy beaches. Some were large and flat, while at others we had to trudge to an upper tier to find sandy camping spots and a flat area for our camp kitchen. Ledges, however, is located in a narrow section of the canyon and is comprised of multiple levels of flat limestone. There was even a natural “shower” where fresh water trickled over a ledge high enough to stand under. The canyon walls were close and created stunning visuals. I distinctly remember sky gazing that night with the silouette of the canyon framing the starry scene.

Camp Life

The rhythm of river living is pretty easy to drift into. Wake as the sun does, pack up, float all day, find a new camp, unpack, enjoy the evening. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I make it sound simple, but it is definitely work setting up and breaking down camp, packing and unpacking the rafts day after day. And, someone has to cook meals - we have to eat! On our Grand Canyon trip we divided up into 4 crews, or cook teams. There was a 4 day rotation our teams cycled through - cook night, dishes night, groover duty (which involved setting up the backcountry toilet in a private and scenic location, and packing it up the next day) and rest night. Of course, rest night was the best, but groover duty started to feel a bit like a rest night as well - quick and easy. Even the teenagers got used to dealing with the portable commode.

We brought along a number of games to be played in the sand, variations of cornhole and bocce. We also traveled with a guitar and a ukelele for evening singalongs, and a cribbage board for games over cocktails (if you weren’t on dinner duty). We loved to get into camp early enough to have some play time. It is fairly standard on multi-day river trips to have theme (or dress up) nights. Everyone knew the themes ahead of time and threw in clothing to participate. For our trip we had a luau night, ‘Merica night with plenty of red, white and blue, and the Final Party night theme was open to interpretation as you can see in the photo below!

FAQs

How can someone arrange their own self-guided trip down the Grand Canyon?

If you have the whitewater skills and would like to be your own river guide, you have to apply for a permit and get lucky enough to win the permit lottery.

What is the best way to pack all the gear and food needed for a 16 (or more) day river trip?

We called the professionals at Ceiba Adventures to take care of all the details. The fine folks at Ceiba shuttled us to the put-in and helped out set up and pack our rafts, all the while giving us a comprehensive orientation of the gear. They packed all of our meals - providing a cherished folder with the meal schedule, cooking instructions and where to find all the ingredients (i.e. “get the chicken out of cooler 5”). At the end, they were waiting at the takeout to shuttle us back to Flagstaff. Once we removed our personal items, they took over the final unpacking and cleaning up while we headed to town for showers and margaritas!

How can I experience this sort of trip as a person with limited whitewater experience?

There are numerous river concessioners that offer trips down the Colorado river in a variety of lengths and styles, oar-powered and motorized. I highly recommend doing an extended oar-powered trip like we did. Life slows WAY down and you are disconnected (literally) from the outside world. You definitely start to become “one with the canyon”. Besides rafts, some companies offer up river trips in dories, smaller wooden whitewater boats that some consider to be the “purist” way to experience the river.

What if I don’t have time to take a 16 day river trip?

We encountered many motorized commercial rafting trips that were much shorter in length, 3-8 days. The link above will direct you to some of these options.

Is there a good book to learn more about the history of the Grand Canyon?

Before our trip, someone recommended that I read The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko. This meaty read covers everything from John Wesley Powell’s harrowing journey of discovery to the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam to a record-setting thrill ride through 277 miles of treachorous whitewater and everything in between. I loved knowing so much history about the Canyon before undertaking our on thrill ride.

For me, the Grand Canyon became so much more than a whitewater adventure. It was 16 days of unplugging from everyday life, waking up to spectacular scenery, sharing meals around a campfire, laughing with new friends, and experiencing one of America's greatest natural wonders from a perspective few people ever get to see.

Whether you're celebrating a milestone, checking off a lifelong bucket-list dream, or simply looking for an unforgettable adventure, rafting the Grand Canyon is one of those rare trips that stays with you long after you return home. Years later, my family still finds ourselves reminiscing about the rapids we conquered, the hidden waterfalls we discovered, and the quiet moments spent floating beneath towering canyon walls.

If a Grand Canyon rafting trip has ever crossed your mind, I'd be happy to help you explore the different options, from guided motorized expeditions to slower-paced oar trips, and find the experience that's the right fit for your travel style. It just might become the adventure you'll still be talking about years from now.

Contact Me

Rafting the Grand Canyon: Whitewater, Camps & Canyon Magic

225

It’s Not Just About the Whitewater