Have a life changing adventure on a Grand Canyon Rafting Trip.
How our trip came to be….
My hubby was newly retired, and we were going over our plans for travel for the coming months. A friend brought up a Grand Canyon rafting trip his father had taken him on years earlier and how we needed to go do it ourselves. This sort of trip wasn’t even on our radar. On the drive home we both mentioned how intrigued we were. I got home and googled Hatch River Expeditions, the company our friend recommended. It looked so amazing we booked it that day for a year in advance.
Here is the link for Hatch: (I am not being compensated by Hatch. We just really enjoyed their tour. There are several others to choose from as well)
We were surprised to see how far in advance you needed to book your trip. We managed to get one of the last trips the following May. They usually start the trips in late April and go into early fall. We were also surprised to realize you can only take one Grand Canyon rafting trip a year. We opted for the 7- day, motorized full canyon trip. We were interested in the oar powered trips but we wanted to see the whole canyon and didn’t want to take 14 days to do it. The motorized trips allowed you to get the whole canyon in 7 days and we didn’t want to miss anything. Now we had a year to wait!
In the year leading up to our trip there were quite a few details to deal with. There were forms to fill out, gear to buy and travel arrangements to make. You had to either get yourself to the Hatch office location in Lee’s Ferry, Arizona the night before your Grand Canyon rafting trip or to Vegas where they would fly you into Lee’s Ferry the night before. You also ordered any drinks you wanted delivered to the raft for your week on the river. Your fee included all your food and water, gatorade, lemonade, tea & coffee. Any other drinks you ordered in advance, and they were delivered the day of your trip.
The day before we set off on the Grand Canyon Rafting trip
We drove ourselves to Lee’s Ferry the day before we were to leave. We had been on a 6-week cross country adventure and it was easy to take our own vehicle and park at Hatch for the week. Before we left civilization, I made sure to get my last fountain Diet Coke for the next 7 days. This was a pretty big deal.
We spent the day exploring the Lee’s Ferry area. There is a lot of history here. Early Mormons were the first people to settle in the area and start a ferry service across the Colorado River. It was a harsh life, and it was interesting to visit the old homestead and see how they must have lived.
That evening we stayed at the Cliff Dwellers Lodge in the Lee’s Ferry area where all of our fellow Grand Canyon rafting participants were staying. I literally had a hard time sleeping because I was so excited and nervous. There were lots of things I was wondering about during the year of preparing as I was reading up on the adventure. Read my post about the 10 things I learned on a Grand Canyon rafting adventure
The Grand Canyon Rafting day arrives. After a bit of a sleepless night, we awoke early for our last real bathroom break, last shower, last email and text message for a week. We packed up our gear and headed out to the parking area to meet our fellow passengers. The Hatch employees were great and spent a lot of time answering questions and getting us prepared.
We were issued a large night dry bag for our clothing and toiletries and a small day dry bag for the things we needed on the raft. The night bag was packed on the raft each morning and you couldn’t access it. They were numbered and you needed to remember your number to know which bag (pumpkin) was yours. Several people used a sharpie to give themselves a number tattoo to remember.
And we are off on our Grand Canyon rafting adventure……
We loaded into 3 different vans to head to the river at Lee’s Ferry. Picking your van for the 15 -minute ride proved to be very important. We bonded in that little bit of time with the 2 couples in our van and they became our new best friends on our Grand Canyon rafting trip. We loved getting to know them. Once down at the river there were two rafts waiting and we needed to get all our bags on board. We formed a fire brigade line and got them loaded up quickly. This was a great precursor for the week ahead.
We were allowed to pick our raft and we made sure to get on board the ones our new friends boarded. We stayed on the same boat with the same guide all week. There were 14 of us on our raft and our guide. The other had 15 and 2 guides. The people on our raft were a hoot and there was a lot of laughter.
Everyone was so excited to be heading out from Lee’s Ferry and starting our adventure. Just a couple miles down the river we came upon the Navajo Bridge which we had driven and walked over the day before. There is an old bridge built from 1927-28 and which is really narrow and now a walking bridge. Then there is also a new bridge, completed in 1995 that is for all the driving traffic. I highly recommend visiting them from both above and from the river below. This is the last road crossing the Colorado River for several hundred miles.
We got to ease into our Grand Canyon rafting adventure rapids with some tiny ones at the start, and not long into the journey we stopped for our first lunch of the trip around MM 14.5. Lunches are great from Hatch and there are lots of great choices for everyone. PB&J is also available every day.
The afternoon brought more rapids that were increasingly bigger, and we were loving it. Our rafts were amazing and there were lots of great viewing locations depending on how wet you wanted to get. The front, or bathtub, was a favorite of the 4 or 5 people who wanted to get soaked.
A Grand Canyon rafting trip means camping each night on a beach. The beaches were just what you are imagining, small areas of sand on the river in the canyon. It was really pretty and there was a LOT of sand. When the guides decide it’s time to camp, they pull in, tie up the rafts and the fire brigade line begins. Everything needs to be unloaded, including all the food, cooking utensils for dinner and breakfast, tents, cots, chairs, and pumpkins. Oh, and all the drinks.
It’s about a 20-minute job if everyone is involved which is the goal but didn’t always happen. That could be a different blog post. Suffice it to say that you need to go into this adventure with the knowledge that while you are on a vacation you need to earn your keep in some regards. The guides are amazing and work their butts off. They can’t do it all though. We all had to do our part and honestly, it’s amazing to eat a meal after a day on the river full of beauty and a little hard work.
When we were reading up on this Grand Canyon rafting adventure my biggest concern by far was peeing in the river. You cannot pee in the canyon because it gets very little rain and there are very few beaches. The bottom line is that if everyone pees in the canyon it stinks. So, no peeing in the canyon. This is much more stressful for women than men.
The first day or two you are self-conscious and trying to figure out how to accomplish this without getting all wet and having some privacy. By day 3 you literally walked into the river and peed. Right there in front of the world. You just need to get it done. Everyone is in the same boat (pun intended) so you just do what you need to do.
Number 2 is a different issue. Groover was not a word that was in my vocabulary until I signed up for a Hatch Grand Canyon rafting trip. Think primitive can with a toilet seat on it. Bless the hearts of the river guides who take the groovers on and off the raft and set it up each time we made camp. Not a job anyone would enjoy. Remember before when I mentioned the process for peeing on a river trip? Well, you definitely can’t poop in the sand or in the water so the groover is all you get.
Once the rafts are unloaded at camp the guides set up the groover first. We actually had two of them and they put them at the far ends of each camp. They try and tuck them away so that no one can see you but even still, you are using the facilities right out there in front of God and the world. It’s disconcerting for sure.
They set up the groovers, some toilet paper and a bucket. You take the bucket from the end of the path to the groover so that everyone knows it’s in use. If you think you need to pee first, you go in the bucket and do the rest of your business in the groover. All toilet paper goes in the groover. Then you bring the bucket back out, dump the pee in the river and use the hand washing system they have set up.
There is often a line for the groover which makes it even more stressful. I mentioned that peeing in the river was easier than I thought it would be? Using the groover takes a lot more time to get used to. But, I will say that I’ve never had a better view while using a potty
The first night you don’t really know what to expect with camping. Once you get to a camp spot it’s a free for all with everyone running to find the place they want to camp. We had made fast friends with LeeAnn & Kelly and Brittany & Matt, so we all ended up camping together through the week.
We did learn on the first night that you don’t want to stray too far from the rafts because then you have farther to schlep your gear, but you don’t want to be too close to the kitchen or you are awake too early. You also do NOT want to end up anywhere close to the groover. It was a balance we figured out by the 6th night for sure. Once we had camp set up dinner was served and then it wasn’t much later that everyone was getting ready for bed. Our campsites had amazing views and most nights we didn’t even use the tents but slept under the stars and loved it.
Day 2 of our Grand Canyon rafting adventure
We were up and out before 8:00 a.m. after a decent night’s sleep. Breakfast was plentiful and yummy. We were excited to see what we were going to encounter today. A few miles down the river at MM 32 we saw Vassey’s Paradise named for botanist, George W. Vassey. It was named by John Wesley Powell the first person of European descent to travel the whole way down the Colorado River following the Civil War. (He did it with one arm) It was a stunning view of a gorgeous waterfall into the canyon.
At MM 33 we took a morning break to explore Redwall Cavern which was super fascinating with SO MUCH SAND. It’s nice to stop and see things, get a potty break and get out and move around as you go down the river.
Not much further down we came upon the Monkey Flower Waterfall. It was tiny but really unique. Even if a sight is not a place to stop, the guides are great about showing us all the amazing things in the canyon.
On Day 2 afternoon we stopped for a late lunch at MM 47.5 in Saddle Canyon. This was the first hiking expedition we took. We went a 4-mile round trip hike with some decent elevation gains and steep drop offs up to a small slot and a neat little waterfall you could climb up in. It was well worth the hike and the river sure felt cool after we returned back down.
We pulled into Kwagunt Creek camp at MM 56.5 and set up for another relaxing evening. There was a great sandy area to get in the river and take a river bath.
As we were researching our Grand Canyon River rafting trip, we were concerned about being stinky all week. It’s hot in the canyon this time of year. How would we get clean? We were told we could wash up in the river if we brought environmentally safe soap. So, I was sure that would be the trick. Guess what? The river is cold in May. Like, REALLY cold. We took one river bath all week and rinsed our hair in a couple waterfalls.
I had heard that bringing wipes along would be a good substitute and it was. I always take Combat Wipes with me on hikes and had some on this trip. They did the trick. Each night I cleaned up with the wipes and that was better than bathing in the river. Yep, I’m a weenie.
Day 3 morning views
Today we went through a lot of great rapids. We also passed the place at MM 63 where two commercial planes crashed into each other in 1957. We stopped for lunch at Grapevine Creek and Josh, our Grand Canyon rafting guide, told us that the afternoon would bring our first rain and together with the big rapids to come that had everyone getting into our wet weather gear! We passed where the Bright Angel Trail meets the river and the location of Phantom Ranch. This afternoon we saw some of the bigger rapids of the week and some storms.
After surviving the last 2 big rapids of the day, Granite & Hermit we pulled into camp at MM 96.5 at Boucher Creek camp. The weather had cleared a bit, but we set up tents to sleep in tonight just in case it came back.
Day 4 Grand Canyon Rafting views!
Day 4 began another day filled with rapids but thankfully the weather was back to being gorgeous and warm. You wouldn’t think you could get cold down in the super warm canyon, but you really can if you throw together clouds, rain and rapids. It’s really hard to even begin to show and explain the amazing sights we saw on this Grand Canyon rafting adventure. Each bend in the river was no exception.
We got to do an awesome short hike this afternoon. We pulled in at MM 117 and headed up about 1/2 mile to Elves Chasm. The hike wasn’t too hard, just some narrow places and some rock scrambling along the way and the views were pretty. But the falls were the big deal. You could climb up behind them, pop out a rock area and jump. It was amazing, cold and tons of fun! One of the best things about Grand Canyon rafting is the ability to see things you can’t otherwise get access to.
After our amazing afternoon stop, we went a few more miles and camped at MM 132 in Galloway Canyon for the evening. Let me tell you the Mexican Night tasted AMAZING! The food tastes so good after a day on the river!
Day 5 of Grand Canyon rafting!
Grand Canyon rafting day 5 was full of the most amazing views of the week. There is so much to see in this section. How is it possible that it keeps getting better and better? Our first stop at MM 137 was a quick walk to Deer Creek Falls. It was SPECTACULAR!
Our next stop was at MM 146 and was called Olo Canyon. A small trickle of a waterfall was another pretty spot to check out.
Day 5 of the Grand Canyon rafting trip had the most gorgeous spots of the whole trip. After lunch we stopped at MM 157 to hike up Havasu Creek. It was a truly spectacular afternoon. At MM 157 Havasu Creek meets up with the Colorado River. At this point in our Grand Canyon rafting trip the Colorado River is quite brown and silty. But Havasu Creek is a stunning clear blue.
The confluence is amazing to check out. As we hiked up you could see small waterfalls, fish swimming down at the bottom of deep pools and the prettiest water ever. We hiked up the creek about 1/2 a mile and were able to swim in a pretty pool with a waterfall flowing into it. This really was one of the highlights of the whole adventure. After seeing this part of Havasu Creek, we added hiking to Havasu Falls to our bucket list.
Photos do not do this spot justice but here are a few:
After our amazing afternoon we pulled into camp at MM 164 and there was a nice big canyon at the back of our beach. A small group of us went for a pre-dinner hike to see what we could find. There were lots of interesting rocks and nooks and crannies in the canyon walls. It was a lovely evening to explore until the canyon ran out in a pile of rocks we couldn’t get over.
One of the best parts of our Grand Canyon rafting trip was meeting lots of new people and fast friends. By the end of the week our group of 6 friends seemed to be hosting the whole camp for fun and sharing the week’s stories.
Day 6 of our Grand Canyon Rafting adventure
Today was our last full day on the river and we had to reach our final camp because that is where the helicopter landing pad was to take us out of the canyon from our Grand Canyon rafting trip. Other nights campgrounds could be more arbitrary but tonight was a have to get to it camp. We did stop for one hike adventure at MM 167 in National Canyon.
This was a neat canyon that had a little trickle of water near the river and led back into a small slot canyon with a bit more water flowing through it. It was a beautiful hike, and the slot was interesting to explore. Under a rock in the slot canyon about 6 inches above the stream I found a sweet little bird’s nest with 4 eggs in it. Our guide told us it was an American Dipper nest and that they have seen them in the same spot in previous years. There was a neat small waterfall in the very back.
After today’s hike we booked our way to the last campground at MM 187 and the Whitmore Helipad. We got all set up and they had just gotten our yummy spaghetti dinner out to serve when the sky OPENED up on us. The most rain we had seen in the entire trip. It was pretty incredible. We hid up under a little overhang and waited it out. Eventually it cleared out and we could eat and get ready for our last night of camping and our trip out in the morning.
We waited out the rain and the rest of the evening was beautiful. We had a lot of packing to do this evening as we were heading out early. After the rain we needed to get our gear dry so it could be packed, and sand was definitely an issue. The camp looked a little bit trashy, and we got a good laugh out of what a mess we all were. A week without a shower and we were just getting used to it.
Grand Canyon rafting Day 7….Heading home!
We had to be up EARLY for our helicopter flight out of the canyon. It was 7 minutes to reach Bar 10 Ranch where we got a small airplane flight back to Lee’s Ferry and our vehicle. It was such an amazing week, and it was sad to say goodbye to the new friends we made. We had made plans for the 2 other couples and us to meet up next year and we still keep in touch weekly. It was a definite bonding experience.
I can’t recommend a Grand Canyon rafting trip more! It was truly the trip of a life-time and the memories are amazing. Just putting it all down here is a great memory!
If
If you want to read a great book on Grand Canyon rafting I highly recommend The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko. It’s a super story.
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Keep exploring,
Stephanie
seymoreoftheworldwithme