Grand Canyon Rafting

I don’t know if you will find anything that short.

In 2017 we rafted from Lees ferry to Phantom ranch. It was 7 days. Spent the night at Phantom ranch and hiked out the next day.

The hike is 11 miles with 1 mile elevation gain. We trained a LOT before the trip to be able to make it to the rim.

We used Oars guides. Great company. I would recommend it to anyone.

If you do the lower leg, you need to hike down that trail. Really rough on knees.

Sounds like you need to do a lot more research.

Good luck

Google Nantahala Outdoor Center. They offer a Grand Canyon trip (not sure of the date) as well as trips on other western riviers. We've been using them for all sorts of outdoor activities since the early 1980s and highly recommend them for their professionalism and attention to safety.

I don't know where you live, but if you're near Grants Pass, OR, the Rogue River offers shorter trips. You can camp alongside the river or you can sleep in hosted cabins along the way. It wasn't unusual to see bears on the banks of the river as we went down it. If you've never done a river trip, this is a great one to start with -- and it has fun that appeals to kids, teens, adults and those with gray or little hair...

An alternative is Cataract Canyon. You leave from and return to Moab, UT. Though you'll be on the Colorado River and go into Lake Powell, you'll be mezmerized at the confluence of the Green River where for some distance the rivers DON'T merge. Half of the river is green and the other half is red. It's almost a week long - 46-ish miles - trip, but great, great fun. And it's a hint of the Grand Canyon.

Of longer duration than a run down Cataract Canyon, is a run down the middle fork of the Salmon, leaving from Stanley, ID. If you fly fish, consider a guided trip down the river on dories. Bald eagles swooped our boats, and the water is chilly, but the days aren't as scorchingly hot as those in the Southwest. Play Beethoven's 6th every morning with your coffe as you sit and silently savor the scenery.

If you've got the financial wherewithal and the time, the entire trip down the Grand Canyon is one of the great river trips in the world. It goes right down a slit of the Earth. Oars, mentioned above, is a good company and runs all of these rivers, and as I understand, on the Grand, their guides have to have a degree in geology, archeology, astronomy and so on. Ours did and their knowledge enhanced the trip terrifically. If you only do part of the trip, well, be prepared to work for it. If you run the first part, you walk UP from the river at Phantom Ranch and if you do the second part, you walk down to the Ranch. I was too lazy, so we opted to do the entire river.

I've run all of these rivers as a passenger on guided trips, as well as trips in California and down the Zambezi - another of the world's great river runs - just after it was opened to tourists. I highly recommend them all. You miss out on castles and churches, but the cathedrals that nature has built are better than anything humankind has done. The trips are aweinspiring.

Thank you all for your replies! I do not have a lot of time -- but you have given me a lot to aspire to!

I looked into Oars and they do have a shorter trip, we are beginners...so we have to start somewhere...
I will also look into Cataract...the only thing is that we are coming from either Flagstaff or Las Vegas. We live in Florida but will be in Flagstaff for a conference and thought we would take advantage of being out west.

Please keep the recommendations coming.

As I mentioned, we are beginners...we like to hike and are down for adventure, but need to keep it simple.

There are companies that offer a 4-day “Upper Canyon” trip (Lees Ferry tomPipe Creek/Phantom Ranch in motorized rafts. Oared boats take longer. Note that this trip requires hiking out of the canyon up to the South Rim, a 9-mile hike on the Bright Angel trail with 4400 feet of elevation gain. That can be tough in the summer heat.

There are also 3-day trips in the “western canyon” well downriver, starting with a helicopter ride into the canyon at Whitmore Wash and ending at Lake Mead ( whatever is left of it these days). This is a somewhat less scenic, less thrilling part of the river, but there is no required hiking out of the canyon.

https://www.riversandoceans.com/3-day-grand-canyon-rafting-trips/

There are a number of rafting companies that offer Grand Canyon river trips of various types, but the trick at this point is to find one that is not fully booked. The company Rivers and Oceans works with all the rafting companies to help you find a trip that works for you. They do not charge for this service. Their website also has a good description of the various trips. I suggest you read this and then either call them or fill out the web form to find availability.

https://www.riversandoceans.com/grand-canyon-rafting/

https://www.riversandoceans.com/grand-canyon-rafting/#sections

The Grand Canyon national park site lists all the companies who offer rafting trips. Your rafting experience is not a factor as you are paying them for your safety. The motorized trips will cover more ground in less time. The short rafting trips(eg the one where you take a helicopter in) is expensive and no where as awe inspiring as other trips. If time is a consideration this is probably the only way you will fit this into your schedule. The second half of the Grand Canyon from Canyon Ranch has the best rapids, hikes and views IMO. I have rafted the river 3 times. This is the premier rafting trip in our country. The water, canyons and hiking…wow! Camping under the stars and food prepared for you are also special. At this time it may be difficult to find space with a rafting company. People make reservations 6 months and more ahead of time.

River rafting is a kick, even for non-outdoor adventure people, like me. I have only rafted on the Kern River and the south fork of the American River, both in California. Due to the smaller amount of snow in Colorado this year, I don't know how much water the Colorado River may have for rafting. I do know that the rivers coming out of the Sierra Nevada in California, flowing west, are really full, so rafting will be great this year. Our favorite rafting experiences have been with Earthtrek Expeditions on the American River. It is class 3 to class 4 level, so inexperienced rafters can handle it. You are in a boat with a guide who tells you when to put your oar in on one side or the other, and which way to paddle. We go for the weekend. Stay overnight in your tent on Friday and Saturday (you can rent gear as well). Dinner is provided Friday night, three meals on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. Raft all day Saturday, picnicking for lunch, and have dinner again at the camp. Next day, breakfast and a half day of rafting. There is a shower building, all meals are prepared for you and you have no clean-up of the meals. When you leave midday Sunday, you can visit Sutter's Mill (site of the gold discovery) and other neat spots in the Sierras. If you decide to go with the American River, you would fly into Sacramento and rent a car there for the (approximately) one hour drive to Earthtrek's camp. There are other good outfits on the American River as well. The Kern River is further south, and to my mind the surrounding area isn't as beautiful, but the rafting there is fine.
Whatever you decide, rafting is a thrill, even for lazybones like me. There is a real rush when you hit certain rapids!

The section of the raft trip described above is generally listed in the trip offerings as a “Lower Canyon” trip. It starts at Phantom Ranch (which you must hike down to) and heads down river from there. You will be taking the places of people who did the “Upper Canyon” trip, fromLees Ferry to Phantom Ranch, with a hike up to the rim from there.

It is generally regarded as having the more exciting rapids, as racquet says. But it takes longer than the Upper Canyon section, even in a motorized raft.

There are two things that I feel I should mention here, as they might affect your decision-making. The first is that, as you may know already, the Colorado River basin is experiencing extreme drought conditions, and both Lake Powell and Lake Mead—the dammed reservoirs at the start and finish of the Grand Canyon raft trip—-are at dangerously low levels. However, water will still be released into the river from Lake Powell, although at somewhat reduced volume (like 6% less). According to Rivers and Oceans, this will not have an adverse effect on raft trips in 2023.

https://www.riversandoceans.com/grand-canyon-rafting/colorado-river-flows/

However, there is a fear that if the drought continues, Lake Powell could in the near future reach “dead pool level”, in which no more water can flow over the dam. This might weigh in favor of doing the trip this year if you can.

On the other hand, you should be aware that there was an outbreak of sever gastrointestinal illness (probably norovirus) early last summer. It affected mainly rafters but also a few backpackers in the canyon. The source was, to my understanding, never determined, and according to the CDC it was over by late June.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7138a2.htm

No one is speculating whether it will occur again this summer, but the possibility exists. I am not mentioning this to discourage you, but to suggest that you question the trip providers regarding their plan for preventing contamination and spread of the virus if it appears again.

And if you are still concerned, consider bringing your own small water treatment device (one effective for viruses) to purify the water provided before you drink it. Most filters, like the popular Sawyer, will not inactivate norovirus. A Steripen, which uses UV light, is effective, and easy to carry and use.

Just reread your post. Southwest Airlines has several flights daily from Las Vegas to Sacramento, non stop available, about 90 minutes in length. Can't find much from Flagstaff. (Just in case you decide on the good-for-beginners south fork of the American River.)