My husband and I were, until recently, quite active. Recent injuries have permanently rendered hiking impossible and extremely painful for my husband. It cannot be fixed, so will not improve. He can go for short (less than 1/2 mile) distances on FLAT territory, but that's about it. I am having quite the time planning active vacations that involve no walking. We kayak, have rafted the Gauley, snorkle, etc. He wants to go to the Grand Canyon, but what could we do there? And could we do things around there with no hiking?
1. Are there rafting trips in the GC that involved no hiking out or in? I haven't seen any so far that don't involve some sort of hiking also, so don't want to bang my head on a wall is such a thing doesn't exist.
2. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what we can do to still have a nature-based GC experience without the walking? Or is this just something that's not possible?
3. Our time and money (within reason HA) are not an issue. We're retired. Would like to keep it within 2 weeks, but what ever you guys suggest I'll take to heart.
4. Flying out of Virginia. Can stop at other places you suggest to or from GC either by renting car or via airplane.

Thanks a lot for ANY help. This is a new world to us to not be able to just do anything we want. Humbling.

Unless you decide to hike down the GC for however short a distance, most of the tourist viewing is from the rim, meaning flat trails.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm

A quick google search:

https://azraft.com/disabilities/
http://www.grandcanyonwhitewater.com...-disabilities/
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm
http://www.frommers.com/destinations...al-park/781829
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/plan-...ped-15309.html

Sorry to hear about your injuries.

You could visit nearby places outside the Park itself which are dramatic, such as Lee's Ferry / Marble Canyon.

http://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/lees-ferry.htm
http://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm

You can drive right to the Colorado River there, it's impressive, as is the bridge over the river. The walk up to the Lonely Dell Ranch Historic Site is 700 level feet one way, quite interesting and worthwhile.

Good luck.

I did a rafting trip with AZRAFT (the 1st link by mmeperdu) and they are a great company. Personally I can't fathom how someone with limited mobility could do such a trip as there are physical rigors involved without even hiking. I suppose if DH is mobile but just can't hike then it'd be ok.

Best thing would be to contact them directly. The office staff are knowledgeable and very helpful.

We went with Arizona River Runners. I know that they do handicap trips with folks even in wheelchairs. On the trip we did(the shortest they offer)--This starts out in Vegas, you then take a very scenic flight to Bar 10 Ranch. Every seat is a window seat and you land on a dirt runway(which is exciting enough, unless you've done this often). You then spend the night @ Bar 10 Ranch. They offer horse rides, 4 wheelers, a couple of meals. The next morning you take a short helicopter ride to the bottom of the canyon. This is very neat too!!!. You then spend the next day days/nights on a large motorized raft. Usually 2 rafts that take about 10-12 people on each raft. There are a couple of side-hikes each day that you may or may not be able or want to do. It is an amazing trip. This covers about the last 1/3 of the Canyon. It is probably the least spectacular part of the canyon. Perhaps the other part of the canyon is a 10, then I would guess the last 1/3 to be a 9. So, still very awesome way to see and truly experience it. Meals are very good, guides are great, night sky is something you'll never forget. GO FOR IT!! I bet they may even do "special trips" with groups that would fit you exactly.

Is horse or mule riding out of the question too?

If you were to raft it, you are seeing far more of it than 99% of the folks that visit there.

The rim trail is pretty flat and there are a bunch of shuttle bus stops at various points, but almost all of the stops are more than 0.5 miles apart. Your best bet is to go the more remote stops and just walk a little way in either direction.

Also, can he ride a bike? There are a couple sections of the rim trail that are bikeable so if he can do that, rent a bike and do those sections. The link below has a map of the shuttle bus routes and shows which Rim Trail sections allow bikes.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/upl...map_letter.pdf

We went to the Grand Canyon (south rim) as a family about 7 years ago. I do not hike, even a little, and we had a great time. It was early summer and except at immediate area of hotel, not all that crowded. Stay at El Tovar or Bright Angel cabins - they are a very short walk to beautiful views. We spent arrival afternoon just admiring the view. Both evenings there were fairly common summer thunderstorms that gave us unique night views. Next AM we hopped on one of the shuttle buses described above and spend a good part of the day getting off at various stops. There are 2 main loops - one goes along the Rim and the other to the Visitors Center and some re-created Native American areas. Both were interesting.

Early on final AM husband and teenage son did a short hike below the Rim - they were gone an hour or so and not having done that I don't feel like I missed anything.

Flying out of Virginia, probably your best bet is to fly into Las Vegas. It is quite a nice drive from there to Grand Canyon.

Another trip you might consider is Yellowstone. There is a great deal to see within 1/10 mile from the Figure-8 Park roadway system. I would think a float trip from Grand Teton area (south of Yellowstone) and/or rafting trip from northern part of Yellowstone (around Gardiner) might be doable with his activity level.

My preference would be to fly into Flagstaff, with a change in Phoenix. Much closer to GC than Las Vegas and a prettier drive, I think. For added interest, Sedona is not far from Flagstaff driving through beautiful Oak Creek Canyon.

spirobulldog: Wow - thanks for the info. Those 3 day River Runner trips look fabulous. Helicopter ride, rafting, etc -- I think I'll try to combine one w/ a trip I'm taking to Vegas and Zion next Fall.

I so understand your predicament, and am sorry. I am driving myself crazy because of some limitations, having been very active all my life. I HATE sitting around. Am hoping mine can be fixed one of these days but am scared to death of the process. Anyway, I totally understand the dilemma!

Not knowing the nature of your husband's limitation, I have two suggestions. One is the mule ride to the bottom...the full experience without the hiking. Another would be just to do the rim trail, combo walking and shuttle with stops for scenic overlooks. The trail is completely flat and mostly paved.

Even if these suggestions are out, it is so peaceful sitting and enjoying the canyon as it changes throughout the day. Stay in the Bright Angel cabins, right on the rim...or an easy walk. Eat in El Tovar's dining room overlooking the canyon.

Again, I'm sorry for your situation. You just do the best you can within his limitations. It beats sitting home! I've hiked in the GC 3 times, but we never had the time to get to the bottom and was on my bucket list for retirement. Probably not going to happen now.

Janis,
We did the 3 days. We weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into, so opted to not do the 4 day. I think I would have enjoyed the 4 day more, but my wife said 3 was enough for her. It is the exact same trip, just slower paced, a little more sidetreks, and another night sleeping in the canyon. The whitewater and views were plenty enough wow for us. I probably will eventually do a longer trip, but certainly was a nice experience. The only negative thing I would say is that they just kept all the drinks floating in the water. While this keeps the drinks cool, they weren't cold(i'm picky about my drinks)(perhaps they do it differently now, this was about 5 years ago) I think all the companies operate similarly and our guide said he had worked for 2 or 3 different companies and that some had slightly better gear, some better food, etc. But basically all very very similar.

>>While this keeps the drinks cool, they weren't cold(i'm picky about my drinks)

Considering the river temp is about 50 degrees at that point, maybe a few degrees higher in summer, that's still quite a cool drink...

I cannot express my gratitude to all of you for replying. This is EXACTLY the info I need to plan a fun & active trip.
Mules are definitely an option! Their legs are fine!

My husband has great upper body strength, does a lot of gym work, so I believe the rafting would be terrific since I now know that there are some with no hiking "uphill both ways"! HA.
The side trips you all mentioned are all great too. I wanted to do more than the GC since we can't do the hiking.
This forum has THE BEST AND MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE travelers; it's like having your own personal concierge service!
I like the trip mentioned by "spirobulldog". Sounds PERFECT. Also, OO your comment "Even if these suggestions are out, it is so peaceful sitting and enjoying the canyon as it changes throughout the day. Stay in the Bright Angel cabins, right on the rim...or an easy walk. Eat in El Tovar's dining room overlooking the canyon." That is exactly what I was wondering. You don't have to run to and fro to get something out of this. And yes, it's better than sitting somewhere whining that you cannot do what you used to. At least we can do something. Apparently A LOT of somethings!
Thanks again to you all.

I was just going to suggest a mule ride to Plateau Point ....but then I googled it to find the website and discovered that trip is no longer offered. From the South Rim you can either ride to the bottom for 1 or 2 nights, or take a 2 hour ride along the rim.

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/thi...do/mule-trips/

If you go to the North Rim it's a different company that offers mule trips.

http://www.canyonrides.com/grand_canyon_rides.html

Oh yes, also we do a lot of biking so that was valuable info WhereAreWe. We would like to do that. Wasn't sure about renting, but that answers that. Again, thanks.