Grand Canyon Dory Trips - Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek 15 or 18 Days
Overview
Covering 225 river miles, this trip offers all the scenery, side canyons and whitewater excitement of our full canyon trip with the glories of Marble Canyon, the mysteries of the Inner Gorge, terrific side hikes and Indian ruins, crystalline creeks and waterfalls, cactus gardens and whitewater galore. The whitewater covers the full spectrum of foaming ripples to the notorious churning roar of Lava Falls. We run it all and still have plenty of time to explore the numerous side canyons, which crisscross this magnificent region, each having it’s own unique attractions, just waiting to be discovered. Along the way we may encounter canyon wildlife including bighorn sheep, deer, coyote and a variety of birds. Our last night is spent camping in the shattered Hurricane fault zone before we head to Diamond Creek for our take-out.
Grand Canyon Dories, Inc. is an authorized concessioner of Grand Canyon National Park.
Itinerary at a Glance
- Meet in Flagstaff, AZ then drive to Lees Ferry for put-in
- The Navajo Bridge gives us our last view of “civilization” as we embark on our journey of a lifetime
- The Colorado River carves its route through Marble Canyon unveiling layer upon layer of textures and hues with half a billion years’ worth of Paleozoic rock walls standing before us
- We encounter our first taste of whitewater as we meet up with Badger and Soap Creek rapids
- Our boats float past fern covered oases of Vasey’s Paradise
- As the river bends we see the inviting limestone chamber of Redwall Cavern
- We forge on downstream for a hike up to the Puebloan granaries of Nankoweap with epic vistas below
- Back on the river the rapids of Unkar, Hance and Sockdolager engulf us with excitement
- The canyon grows closer together forming the crimson and black walls of the Upper Granite Gorge
- We navigate some of the biggest whitewater in the canyon including Crystal, Sapphire, Turquoise and Ruby rapids
- At Elves Chasm we encounter fern grottoes with shimmering crystal pools while Blacktail Canyon engulfs us with ribbon-fluted walls looming overhead
- Once again the canyon closes in as we enter Granite Narrows, the narrowest part of the canyon
- A short distance ahead we hear the 125’ downpour of Deer Creek Falls
- We continue gliding through geologic time as we row our boats ashore to the limestone slot canyon known as Matkatamiba where a wide natural amphitheater awaits our arrival
- Upset Rapid gives us one last challenge before we camp for the night
- We visit Havasu Canyon for time to hike or just relax along the blue-green cascading pools
- Run the notorious Lava Falls as we descend into the Lower Granite Gorge
- Depart the river at Diamond Creek, then back to Flagstaff by van
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