After my Colorado River float trip through Canyonlands National Park, I knew I had to find a way to float the Grand Canyon. I decided my 40th birthday would be the perfect excuse to splurge on a Grand Canyon whitewater trip. Since I’ve used OARS Whitewater Rafting for all of my adventure travel, there was no question about who runs the best Grand Canyon rafting trips.

Spots on any Grand Canyon whitewater trip are highly coveted and must be reserved months in advance, so if you are even slightly considering it, give them a call to see what’s available. I booked my trip about 20 months in advance.

Float Trip Preparation

I flew into Phoenix and then caught the Groome Transportation shuttle to Flagstaff, where the pre-trip meeting takes place the night before departure. I met some of my fellow boaters on the shuttle bus, and they kindly invited me to join them for dinner before our trip orientation that evening. Soon, it was time to meet our trip leader at a nearby hotel, get a brief orientation, and receive our dry bags for packing. Then back to our hotel rooms to figure out how 11 days of gear could fit into 1 large dry bag! (I got an extra dry bag because I brought my own tent and sleeping bag.)

Check out my whitewater rafting packing list!

Grand Canyon Whitewater Launch

On the morning of our departure date, we gathered again at the Flagstaff hotel to board shuttle vans to Lee’s Ferry, where we met the rest of our guides and began our journey down the Colorado River. There were a few other trips loading at the same time, including these monstrous blue motorboats which held a small village of passengers. We were all glad we chose the OARS trip and didn’t have to listen to a motor or smell gasoline the whole trip. If you have limited time for a Colorado River float trip, you might consider one of these options as they are faster!

We quickly settled into the rhythm that became our daily life for the next 11 days (or 5 days, for some of us.)

Each morning, the coffee call comes, which I treated as my snooze button since I don’t drink coffee. A while later, the breakfast call finally gets me moving. After breakfast, it was time to break down camp and re-load the boats.

The guides have so much work to do each morning, that we were never rushed in packing our tents and personal belongings. One of our guides, Galena, often led us through a morning yoga practice, which was the perfect way to start our day!

Mid-morning usually brought us to a hiking spot or scenic stop. The guides were super great about setting expectations – they’d let us know the length of the hike, whether we might want hiking boots vs water shoes, snacks, etc. While the whitewater is amazing, the hikes are truly what make this trip special. We had so many cool hikes to interesting waterfalls, swimming holes, and caves. It’s a cool feeling to know you’re one of the very few people to have this experience.

Somewhere around mid-day, the guides would look for a good lunch spot and set up the lunch table and a snack table with fresh fruit and any breakfast leftovers. PB & J on pancakes makes for a pretty excellent snack!

After lunch, we’d have more rafting and sometimes another hike, or we’d paddle on to our next campsite, depending on the day. Upon arrival in camp, we would disperse and set up our campsites, while the crew set up the common areas, like the toilet and the kitchen. There was usually time for relaxation – reading, napping, “laundry”, horseshoes, bocce ball, or enjoying some adult beverages. Every meal on this trip was top notch – you can’t imagine the delicious food you are being served miles from any civilization!  Not to mention fresh avocados every day!  How do they do that?! I can barely get them right at home.

As we settle into eating our dinner, Ryan, our lead guide, gives us an overview of the following day’s activities so we know what to expect and can pack our day bags accordingly. On several nights, we were treated to a campfire, guitar-playing guides, and even a group pedicure one night!

Many people slept out under the stars each night. My tent is mostly mesh, so I got the same effect, but one night (my 40th birthday) I chose a little ledge for my campsite. No room for the tent, so I slept out in the open. I loved it!

Midway through the trip, we reached Phantom Ranch, where 13 of 16 travelers would hike out and head home. Ten new travelers joined us for the remainder of the journey. It was bittersweet to bid goodbye to my new river friends so soon, but the 2nd group was just as great to travel with! (If you aren’t going to do the whole trip, it’s worth considering whether you want to hike down to meet the group or hike out of the canyon…it’s seven steep miles! I think the rapids in the second half were better, and personally would prefer to do the downhill hike at the start of my trip)

In addition to magnificent scenery, geology, history, we had amazing night skies, shooting stars and one day we were treated to a rainstorm which created thousands of waterfalls all around us. The only downside of this gorgeous monsoon storm was that we weren’t able to hike up Havasu Creek and see any of the falls as planned that day. So, Havasu Falls will wait for another trip!

For a taste of what I missed, check out Wandering Queen’s Mooney Falls hike!

After 10 nights in the canyon, I was sad that this whitewater rafting Arizona adventure was coming to a close. We said our goodbyes at the last beach and then hopped a helicopter out of the Grand Canyon, which was an extra special treat in and of itself!

Encie and Joe were the only other 2 passengers who were on the whole trip with me. They are avid train travelers so I hope to see them again as they pass through Union Station in Chicago. The last day of our Colorado River float was a day of mixed emotions, for sure. I could have lasted another 10 days, with the only drawback being my eyeballs – after so many days of putting in and taking out contact lenses in the desert environment, my eyes felt like sandpaper!

After our Grand Canyon helicopter ride, then showers(!) at the Bar10 Ranch, we boarded a charter flight to Vegas. Again, pretty spectacular scenery and a unique Grand Canyon experience!

The “river blues” are no joke! I was so sad to see this trip come to an end, especially when I was dropped into Las Vegas! Luckily, I had a few more days to unwind in Zion National Park before I had to rejoin the real world.

I can’t recommend a Grand Canyon whitewater rafting trip highly enough! I would do it every single year if I could afford it. I know I will be back to finish the last leg of the trip from Whitmore Wash to Lake Mead, hopefully, sooner than later!

Grand Canyon Rafting Tours

There are several options for rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. If you don’t have the time or money to float the Grand Canyon in its entirety, you can still raft a section or two. Here are the options that OARS (and most outfitters) offers for Grand Canyon River Rafting trips:

• Lees’ Ferry to Phantom Ranch (hike out of the canyon) – 6-7 days
• Phantom Ranch to Whitmore Wash (hike into the canyon) – 8 days
• Whitmore Wash to Lake Mead – 5 days
• Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead covers the entire canyon and takes 15-17 days
• If you are looking for a day rafting trip, you will need to go upriver to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Page and Lake Powell, or downriver to the West Rim where the Hualapai run river trips in addition to zip line tours and helicopter rides.

Check out these other options for whitewater rafting in Arizona!

How Much Does a Grand Canyon Float Trip Cost?

• Total Cost for this portion of trip ~ $5000 (does not include the time in spent at Zion) $4636 to OARS – included all meals, shuttle to Canyon, helicopter and charter flight!
  • $43 PHX to Flagstaff shuttle
  • $300 Guide Tips (whatever I budget, it never feels like enough – amazing guides!)
  • My flights and Flagstaff hotel were paid with hotel points and airline miles

Visiting the Grand Canyon with dogs? Find out where you can take them!