Grand Canyon Rafting
 

We are thinking of rafting the Grand Canyon in August. Is that a bad time of year relative to dry season and water levels of the river? Also, we appear to go out of the Bar 10 Ranch. Should we spend a day at the ranch or is it hokey? Thank you for your assistance.

The water levels are controlled by the dam. The bigger issue is can you take the heat at that time of year? On many trips, you stop and do side hikes. I would not want to go hiking at the bottom of the GC in August. You could also face monsoon season that time of year--mid to late August. It may or may not rain at the bottom, but the rain could impact the creeks that flow into the river. I have only been to the GC in April or September. The water levels on the CO in Sept were very good.

I have rafted the GC through the national park and consider it the best vacation I've ever had.

Can you post a link to the trip you are considering?

If you are going out of Bar10 ranch then it would appear to me that you would be rafting a portion of the GC downstream from the national park. The final stretch of the trip I took was outside the NP and paled in comparison to the first ~200miles.

River levels this past August ranged from 11,000 up to 13,500 cfs - so I would expect it to be similar next year.
By starting your river trip at Bar 10 Ranch, you will be missing the best part of the river where nearly all the river trips go - Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek.
To do a full river trip you will need at least a week (7 or 8 days) on a motor boat, or 13 days + for an oar trip.
The odds of getting rain in August will be pretty high - late afternoon thunderstorms mostly. Temperatures will be very hot at the bottom of the canyon - ptobably over 100 degrees.

11,000 to 13,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) is perfectly fine for rafting. Since the trip from Bar 10 will be in a motorized raft you won't be stuck in any slow water. Some rapids are better at higher water and some a low. I'm not familiar with the rapids below the national park.

The good thing about the heat is the water is always refreshing. At Lee' Ferry, just below the Glen Canyon dam the water temp is in the mid 50's in August, and will warm up to high 50s low 60's by the time the water enters Lake Meade. Refreshing at any time.