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31 October 2022
Many consider the Grand Canyon a bucket-list trip. A spectacular way to experience its beauty, solitude, and unique environment is to take a rafting trip on the Grand Canyon’s Colorado river. While rafting, you can hike to Ancestral Puebloan sites, see waterfalls, swim in turquoise waters, and spot wildlife such as bighorn sheep. Over 22,000 people take commercial raft trips down the Colorado River each year, which runs through Grand Canyon for 279 miles.
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Rafting the Grand Canyon can take anywhere from 7-18 days, depending on how fast the river runs, how many stops you make to camp along this 279-mile stretch of river, and whether you’re using motorized rafts or oar boats. You can raft the Grand Canyon in about seven days with motorized boats, depending on how many stops you make. For those in oar boats, plan on 15-21 days.
You can raft the entire Grand Canyon at Lee’s Ferry, 42 miles south of Glenn Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona. Historically at Lee’s Ferry, people crossed the Colorado River by ferry before 1929. You can still walk across the Historic Navajo Bridge even though a wider bridge was built in 1995.
Within 60 miles, you’ll reach Marble Canyon, where the Little Colorado River meets the Colorado River. Because of their towering cliffs, canyons like this one are home to many wonders. For example, ancestral Puebloan storage granaries can be found in Nankoweap Canyon. In addition, more than 4,000-year-old figurines and the remains of the extinct Harrington mountain goat has been found here. The canyon is part of the Grand Canyon National Park.
Your first whitewater rapids will be Soap Creek and Badger rapids. Soap Creek is located at mile 11. After leaving Marble Canyon, you’ll encounter your first Class 8 rapid, Hance Rapid. Located at mile 76.5, this rapid has the most significant drop (30 feet), making it one of the biggest on the river. Finally, at mile 87.5, you’ll pass Phantom Ranch, an iconic set of historic cabins and dormitories with a canteen you can only reach by boat, foot, or mules. You can even mail a postcard from the Grand Canyon by walking to the Phantom Ranch canteen.
After that, Crystal (with large holes in the center of the river), Sapphire, Turquoise, and Ruby rapids follow. One hundred seventy-nine miles of rapids await you, including the infamous Lava Falls rapids. This is a 9-10 on a difficulty scale, with one being the easiest and ten being the hardest. There are steep drops and large waves like the Big Kahuna (yes, it is named after a wave) that can flip boats.
The starting point for shorter “Diamond Down” rafting trips through the Hualapai tribe’s section of the Grand Canyon is at mile 225. After that, Haulapi River Runners’ signature blue motorized boats will ford the rapids.
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From Lee’s Ferry, your trip ends at Pearce Ferry, 279 miles away. Previously, Pearce Ferry was located in Lake Mead’s Pearce Bay. However, drought has reduced the lake’s water level. So today, Pearce Ferry lies along the fast-flowing Colorado River.
Every day in the Grand Canyon is one to savor for years, but it takes a hardy soul to do so. So in your dreams and memories, this river will haunt you, calling you back again and again.
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