ABOUT OUR GRAND CANYON
RIVER RAFTING TRIPS

"The library of the gods..." where the layers "form the stoney leaves of one great book. He who would read the language of the universe may dig out letters here and there, and with them, spell words..."

So wrote Major John Wesley Powell after his voyage of discovery down the Colorado through Grand Canyon. Even if rocks and the names of geological epochs and events don't excite you, boating through them is dramatic.

The canyon walls rise incredibly above, and you look up that vertical mile to the rim, knowing there are people up there looking down. But those people don't have a view that changes with every bend of the river. They can't touch rocks that are two billion years old-half as old as Earth itself. You can. But do as much–or as little–geologizing as you want. You don't have to study old rocks to feel awed...and a little superior to the folks who were only at the canyon, not in it.

Included in some Upper Grand & Best of the Grand motorized trips
In 1903, David Rust built a tent camp for hunters & tourists at the bottom of Grand Canyon near the mouth of the Bright Angel Creek. For several years he ferried tourists across the river to his camp in small wooden or canvas boats. In 1907, he strung a cable across the river and that eventually led to the construction of a footbridge.

In 1922, the Fred Harvey Company commissioned Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter to design what is now called Phantom Ranch, located beside the creek in Bright Angel Canyon. The Ranch, nestled among huge robust cottonwood trees, offers the only guest facility at the bottom of Grand Canyon. It is supplied and serviced by pack mules from the rim, & renowned for the family-style meals served in its rustic dining room. You can experience Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Ranch as part of your motorized Upper Grand or Best of The Grand river trip with Canyoneers, Inc.

Dinner, breakfast, & duffel service from or to the south rim are also included as part of the Phantom Ranch package. (A sack lunch is provided to those hiking out of the canyon.)

SPECIAL BOATS

The Colorado River through Grand Canyon is one of the most challenging pieces of runnable whitewater in the world.

It takes very special boats to withstand the river's relentless twisting and pounding and also carry passengers, crew, and the things that make the trip comfortable and enjoyable.

Our motor pontoons provide extra dimensions of comfort and space. There are cushioned seats for 20 passengers (rather than just perches on piles of equipment) and there's plenty of additional room to move around, or lie out and "sun" between rapids. Each motor pontoon has a trip leader, an assistant pilot, and a crewperson. A small outboard engine is used to steer. The boats have a low center of gravity, 64,000 pounds (!) of buoyancy, and a patentable articulating system that holds everything in place, yet lets the boat absorb the river's pummelling energy.

Canyoneers boats look different because they are different, and they're built of all-new, not surplus, materials. They're the right stuff for your Grand adventure.

Canyoneers has adopted the new motor technology and is now using motors that are substantially quieter, burn less fuel, and have far lower emissions than traditional outboard motors.

Canyoneers brings back its yesteryear!

Come with us as we row the Grand Canyon with one of the original Nevills Expeditions cataract boats—the Sandra. Built in 1947, this was the last of the big water cataract boats to be built by Norm Nevills. She was christened by 6 year old Sandra Nevills, Norm & Doris’s second daughter, & launched at Lees Ferry, Arizona on July 12, 1947 for the Grand Canyon leg of the 1,200 mile Wyoming to Lake Mead Nevills Expedition.

The Sandra was used by Nevills Expeditions in Grand Canyon during 1947, ‘48 & ‘49, & then under Mexican Hat Expeditions (the forerunner of Canyoneers, Inc.) during the period between 1950 & 1969. From 1950 to 1957 she was the flagship boat of Frank Wright, Norm’s lead boatman.

The Sandra made her last trip as part of Canyoneers 1969 Powell Centennial Expedition led by Gaylord Staveley from Green River Wyoming to Diamond Creek Arizona and was then retired.

In the year 2000, Norm’s grandson, Greg Reiff, began having the Sandra fully restored &, in 2004, rowed her through Grand Canyon. She is currently the only fully restored, river worthy, cataract boat originally built & run by Norm Nevills.

The Sandra will accompany our 18 foot inflatable row boats on all of Canyoneers’ rowing trips. In June & July, Greg Reiff will be rowing the Sandra. In August, Andy Hutchinson, the master craftsman who led the restoration, will be at her oars.

Come and experience some Grand Canyon living history! Take yourself back over half a century to the days of the river running pioneers in Grand Canyon.

SPECIAL PASSENGERS

For more than forty years our guests have included men, women and children with disabilities, we are pleased to help individuals or representative organizations plan their trips and experience the river.

GREAT CUISINE

The big western outdoor meals that have been traditional with Canyoneers have gotten much easier, and even bigger and better through the years. Gone is the expedition-type menu. Our motor pontoon boats carry fresh and frozen meats, vegetables, desserts, (and a few surprises) that make delicious, multi-course meals our standard daily fare. Your river crew will do the cooking with variety in every meal.

Although we are not able to cater to personal dietary likes an dislikes, our menu does provide healthy, hearty, balanced meals that include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, beef, chicken, pork, fish, seafood, cheeses, salads, snacks, and sumptuous desserts. We are able to accommodate vegetarians on our trips.

PRE-TRIP READING

Most of our guests like to learn about the river and the canyon before starting their trip, and many continue reading about it afterwards.

We stock a fine selection of historic and contemporary guide-books and other publications on Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. A partial list of publications available for advance purchase is given below; a complete list will be found in our River Trip Supply Catalog . The catalog will be mailed to you as part of the trip preparation package sent with the final billing.

A few suggested titles...

Ammo Can Interp, produced and co-written by Gaylord Staveley. Canyoneers' own interpretive encyclopedia. History, archeology, geology, ethnology, tall tales, and mile-by-mile info on the river and terrain.

Broken Waters Sing, by Gaylord Staveley. Retracing Major Powell's route of discovery by rowboat down the Green and Colorado rivers, 100 years later. A Book of the Month Club selection.

Exploration of the Colorado River and its Canyons, by John Wesley Powell. The classic narrative by Major Powell himself, with historic plates and line drawings.

Field Guide to Grand Canyon, by Stephen R. Whitney. An all-inclusive compilation of prehistory, history, flora, fauna, geology, climate, and current facilities and accommodations, with color plates.

Grand Canyon Geology, by L. Greer Price. An entertainingly written explanation of the canyon's formation.

Grand Canyon River Guide, by Buzz Belknap. Geology, prehistory, flora, fauna, map of the river showing rapids and campsites. On waterproof paper.