Outdoor Adventures in Grand Canyon National Park
Note: Starting in 2021, we’ve changed the names of some of our Grand Canyon trips to more accurately reflect their beginning and end points. River trips that formerly referenced Phantom Ranch have been updated to reflect our meeting/ending location at Pipe Creek and trips that formerly referenced Lake Mead have been updated to reflect our take out at Pearce Ferry.
Is there any one American landscape that that defines the U.S. West more than the Grand Canyon? Is there any other national park that more precisely defines the ultimate national park experience than Grand Canyon National Park? Approximately 5 million annual visitors agree that a visit to the Grand Canyon is a must-do and there is NO question that a Grand Canyon rafting trip on the Colorado River is one of the best ways to experience the Grand Canyon. And don’t worry, you won’t have to compete with the crowds on the river. Less than one percent of all annual visitors to Grand Canyon National Park ever venture below the rim.
The Grand Canyon
One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon covers an area of 1,900 square miles, includes 277 miles of the Colorado River (446km), is up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep. Five Native American tribes populate the region, including the Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai, Paiute and Hualapai.
The Grand Canyon was initially protected in 1893 as a Forest Reserve and in 1919—three years after the creation of the National Park Service—it became a national park. The canyon began forming some six million years ago with the beginning erosion of the Colorado River. The river, which averages about 300 feet in width and 100 feet in depth, flows west at an average speed of four miles per hour through the greatest canyon in the world.
OARS has been guiding Grand Canyon rafting trips for more than four decades. Rafting the Grand Canyon is our signature trip, offering you options to experience the canyon via a raft or aboard a sleek fiberglass dory, from 5 days to 18 days.
Step out of your car, away from the park’s scenic overlooks, and into the heart of Grand Canyon National Park. Experience the world-famous rapids such as Crystal and Lava—the ones to which all other rapids are compared. Hike the trails once inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloan, Cohonina, Hopi and Zuni Indians. Camp alongside the U.S. West’s most famous river and enjoy an unimpeded night sky.
O.A.R.S. Grand Canyon, Inc. is an authorized concessioner of Grand Canyon National Park.
