taitai

One of the trips I have on my "Dream Trip" list is rafting the Grand Canyon. My sons are approaching the age where I believe this is a trip we can start planning. I am starting to look at outfitters and trip options and lengths. What should I be looking for? Anyone who has done one of these trips or is very familiar with the canyon have any hints? Thank you!

J62

I did a 2 week rafting trip 3 years ago.

Your options are motorized & non-motor. Motorized you can get through the entire Grand Canyon in 1 week. Oar/paddle boat takes a full 2+ weeks. For those you can do a 1/2 trip - either the first half then hike OUT of the GC from Phantom Ranch (full day hike UP, 5000' elevation gain), or second half, and you hike DOWN to the river & meet up with those doing the full 2 week hike.

If you can do the full 2 weeks then I definitely recommend it. If you only had 1 week, then I'd say it depends on you ability to hike out - that is a very strenuous hike, and you'll be carrying all of your clothes & gear with you on your back. If you can only do 1 week then I'd suggest a motorized trip so you experience the whole GC.

Hiking down is not as hard, but is also a very long, strenuous hike, loaded down with your gear.

The company I used was AZRaft https://azraft.com/, and did the classic trip. There were 5 oar boats, powered by a guide, and one paddle raft, powered by the customers. It gives the option of paddling some days, and other days just being a passenger.

Here is a thread of mine on this topic.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-motorized.cfm

you can also see what it is like on the river using google maps. They have a "street view' of the entire river through the GC.

Several things I was not prepared for were.

1. The cold water. Even on the hottest days the water in the river is in the high 40's to low 50's. You do all your bathing / washing / urinating directly in the river.

2. Sand, everywhere. You camp on a sandbar every night, and hence live, eat, drink, sweat, sand from every pore. You get used to it, but

3. The high quality of the food. You are not roughing it when it comes to food with a professional outfitter. They will accommodate any dietary special needs, with advance notice.

4. The quiet. Amazing quiet. Beautiful. NO wifi, No radios, no contact with the outside world, No TV. Absolutely fantastic.

Let me know if you have any questions & I'll let you have my 2c.

Gilbert56

Agree with J62.
Leaving for my 3rd raft trip next week.
How old are your sons? There are age limits on the rafting trips - 10 years of age for the motor trips and 12 years for the oar trips.
It is best to do the full canyon trip (7-8 days) on a motor boat.
June, July & August will be hot hot hot in the canyon - with temps reaching up to 110 to 120 degrees. But the water is always cold, around 48 degrees.
My trips have been with Grand Canyon Whitewater.
All the companies are good, it will just depend on your dates and where your trip starts & ends (ie: Flagstaff or Las Vegas or Marble Canyon).
Start looking now for 2017.

taitai

Thank you for the advice. I am actually thinking of 2018 for this trip. I understand that you often need to book 12-18 month in advance so I am just starting my research now.

Is the motor trip fun? I have only done an paddle trip and so I worry that the motor trip won't be as enjoyable or interactive. I do like the idea of doing the entire canyon being able to skip Bright Angel (I am afraid of heights).

Thank you for the feedback.

J62

On both the motorized & paddle trips you spend roughly half a day on the water each day and the rest on dry land. Some days you will do long hikes to explore ancient ruins or hidden rivers or canyons or scary heights. Or you may take short hikes/walks to places closer by. There is always the option of taking it easy on land each day - you will never be required to hike, or do anything beyond your comfort level.

For the upper half, where there is less still/quiet water you move along pretty well with the current in a paddle raft, so there is no advantage to a motor. There is plenty to do to occupy a full week that you won't get to do if you zip by.

In the lower half there is a lot more still/quiet water so a motorized trip for the lower half is probably more enjoyable especially in the hotter summer months when the heat can be blazing.

I did my trip in early May so we never had blazing heat. It also meant that when we got wet (which was frequently - nearly every rapids) we got a chill. The several times I jumped in the river to float through a rapids I was happy to get plucked form the water downstream. Very few people on my trip spent any time in the water - it was just too cold. Even bathing was a chore for many. If it was hotter I can imagine wanting to float along beside the raft every now and then just to cool down.

The weather was perfect for sleeping, and perfect for long day hikes. I would think that mid May to early June would be overall perfect weather.

Fear of heights should not be a deciding factor whether to do a half trip - being able to hike in or out with your gear on a very strenuous hike is what matters.

Regarding kids, while 10 or 12 may be the minimum I think young adult is a better age. On my trip we had several 20 yr olds and they were all self sufficient, as well as enjoy adult company & nightly beverages (nicely chilled to 48F). This is not the place for kids who can't tough it out & carry their own weight. I would put 15 or 16y/o as absolute minimum advisable.

emalloy

If you decide on a half day trip, you might be able to get the mules to carry your gear in or out if you don't want to. They do train mules by carrying loads.

RVvagabond

Just follow J62's advice - solid recommendation

Vaga

PS:
Powered boats v paddle boats
It is like touring on a motorcycle or in a train.
Rafts are the best

Podie

I'll be going on a motorized 7 day trip with Arizona River Runners next September. At the end we're helicoptered out. Camping sites and food seem to be a lot better than what I had in summer camp. Just another company to consider...

J62

Interesting tidbit I learned on my trip. The rules of the river are that camping sites are all first come/first served, and the general rule is no sharing (at least for large groups) - especially since most of the camps are a narrow strip of sand between the river and the cliffs.

If the spot you think you will be camping at is occupied, you float/paddle/motor on to the next one. I think it only happened to us once on the 2 week trip. The guides are prepared for this daily routine and know the river well enough to plan ahead.