Grand Canyon Rafting Experience 

I just returned from an eight-day, seven-night motorized rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with my parents and two sisters. To say it was an epic experience would be a massive understatement.  This is one of those trips that leaves a lasting impression. It truly is once-in-a-lifetime. In fact, our guide and boatman, Ben Martin, told us the trip would not be a vacation. Rather, we should think of it as an expedition. The next eight days 100% delivered on that expectation!   

There is no way to sum up everything I loved about the Grand Canyon trip in one blog post, but keep reading for some of the highlights.   

The Outfitter 

Grand Canyon Expeditions is the clear-choice winner for your outfitter. Our group of twenty-seven guests was divided between two thirty-seven-foot motorized rafts, captained by Ben Martin and Don Bacco, who had many decades of rafting experience between the two of them. Our swamper, Julie Cahill, and helper, Randy Cook, assisted with all other aspects of the trip, including hikes, camp kitchen, securing the boats, and general safety. All four members of the crew exercised infinite patience in answering our hundreds of questions about the Grand Canyon and their experience taking groups from top to bottom. The stories Don, Julie, Ben, and Randy told us were absolutely priceless – unlike anything you can find online or in a travel book.    

The People 

While we were on the boats and at camp, we socialized with other passengers, who included retired teachers, an aerospace engineer, a retired fire chief, three children and teenagers (ages nine, fourteen, and seventeen), a retired physician, a former public defender, and two women who had obtained their PhDs in the field of Neuroscience. The group was chock-full of interesting people, most of whom shared a love of the outdoors and adventure. Everyone was pumped to be seeing the Grand Canyon and whitewater rafting at the same time.   

The Colorado River 

Before it was dammed, the portion of the Colorado River that ran through the Grand Canyon was often twice as high as current levels. Even so, the water flow is still incredibly powerful and, at times, unpredictable.   

I knew, prior to the trip, that we would be whitewater rafting. What I did not realize was that, on average, we should expect rapids about once every mile. The rapids ranged in size from small waves that were barely detectable in the sturdy rafts, to areas of massive disturbance in the river flow, like Lava Falls and Hermit.   

Hermit and Lava Falls 

We ran Hermit about halfway through our rafting trip. It was the first time one side of the raft really lifted out of the water.  I did not feel unsafe, but I was glad to have a good grip on the boat! We went through Lava Falls on the last full day of our trip. There is no question that the waves are massive. For the rest of the trip, the members of our group debated whether Lava Falls or Hermit was a wilder ride. My vote is for Lava Falls, but I think I was in the minority.   

The Canyon Itself 

It is impossible to understand the scale of the Grand Canyon without rafting the whole thing. Others may argue, but this is my take. A hike, a helicopter ride, or a three-day rafting trip provides only a snapshot, not the whole picture. The canyon is about 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point and boasts an official length of 277 miles. I could read statistics about the Grand Canyon all day but never fully understand the scale. It is absolutely, unequivocally giant!   

I am prone to appreciating forests and temperate climates over dry, desert landscapes. This trip convinced me, however, that the Grand Canyon truly is one of Mother Nature’s greatest masterpieces.   

Geological Wonder 

I was completely in awe of the variety of colors and textures we experienced in the canyon walls, which inspired me to start taking notes about how to describe the rock from the perspective of someone who knows virtually nothing about geology. The rock ranged in color from very light (a white akin to vanilla bean ice cream) to the blackest black (mainly toward the end of the trip, where volcanic activity left massive deposits of lava). 

We saw cliffs of burnt orange, that looked like rose gold in the late afternoon. There were boulders that looked like French toast, with cinnamon sprinkled on top and syrup running down onto them. Some cliffs had veins of rock the color of cranberries, and the Little Colorado River, which flows into the Colorado River, was as blue as ocean water in Bora Bora or Hawaii. Its color is attributable to calcium carbonate leached from the stone upstream. 

The texture of the stone walls and boulders also varied widely. At times, the canyon walls were as smooth as the frosting on a cake right before the last spin of the cake turntable. Other areas reminded me of thick baking chocolate that had been broken into large pieces with a knife. As we progressed through the canyon, the stone was often the texture of an impasto painting by van Gogh or Pollock.   

We all regularly commented on the shapes of the walls and boulders, like our own special version of pointing out the shapes in clouds. We saw cars, faces, Rafiki (from The Lion King), a couple embracing, video game characters, Greek ruins, and a chick perched on top of a cliff wall.   

Fluting

Ben and Don pointed out various geological phenomena, including fluting, which is caused by a rock wedged in a crack of the cliff face. When water rushes over the area, the rock spins and carves it out. The lower part of the canyon includes many examples of columnar jointing, the same volcanic phenomenon that created the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. 

The Wildlife 

The section of the Colorado River that runs through the Grand Canyon is not very rich in nutrients. Still, we saw various species of fish, including trout (not native) and Humpback Chub (native and endangered).   

We were lucky to spot many birds as well. The first day of our trip, we saw endangered condors perched on the frame of a bridge. Later in the trip we saw a peregrine falcon and a golden eagle soaring through the canyon. The coolest bird-related experience, however, was watching an adult great blue heron feed its babies in a giant nest built on an outcropping of the cliff wall. The babies were so big that they could easily be seen from a distance without binoculars.   

Recommendations for Planning Your Grand Canyon Rafting Trip 

Whether you have always wanted to raft the Grand Canyon, or you were recently inspired, just make it happen! I am very happy to recommend Grand Canyon Expeditions, without reservation, which might save you time researching various outfitters. If you have to do a shorter trip for personal reasons, any rafting experience would be worthwhile. However, I advocate making time for the whole thing. The motorized trips make it possible to maximize your time in the canyon.