The Ultimate Grand Canyon Experience by dory

This is the ultimate river adventure… truly the trip of a lifetime. Experience some of the biggest whitewater in the world and explore the beauty of the Grand Canyon on world-class side hikes.

It's all here on this classic Grand Canyon trip by Dory - 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.

For nearly three hundred miles across Arizona, the Colorado River has cut a chasm over a mile deep through a rainbow of ancient rock. Nowhere on earth is there a more complete or dramatic geologic storybook. This full Grand Canyon Dory trip gives us time to stop, to look, to listen and explore the treasures this wonderland has to offer. You won't be "seeing the Grand Canyon" - you'll be living it.

Your whitewater guides enrich your experience with tales of geologic wonders, natural history and Canyon folklore. We're also likely to encounter bighorn sheep, deer, ringtail cats, coyote and a large variety of birds from raptors to water fowl. Our amazing Grand Canyon adventure comes to an end at Lake Mead where we return by van to Flagstaff.

Grand Canyon Dories, Inc. is an authorized concessioner of Grand Canyon National Park.

1-209-736-4677

Itinerary / Highlights

We pride ourselves in running a relaxed and always flexible schedule. Every trip is different depending upon the group, other trips on the water and the occasional effects of the weather.

The Day Before Your Trip. . .
• We’ll meet at 7:00 PM at the Radisson Woodlands Hotel in Flagstaff for a pre-trip meeting. This is an
opportunity to meet your fellow travellers and guides and ask any last-minute questions. Your guides
will give you a thorough trip orientation and then pass out your waterproof river bags so that you can
pack your belongings that evening.

Your Trip Begins. . .
• At 7:00 AM you'll board our van at the Radisson Woodlands Hotel. By this time your waterproof bags
should be packed, luggage stored, cars parked, breakfast eaten and room keys turned in. Our van will
drive you to Lees Ferry (2½-hour drive) where we'll load the dories, give a river safety talk and fit you
with a personal flotation device (PFD) before putting on the river. Our apprehensions are quickly
converted to exhilaration as we splash through Badger & Soap Creek Rapids. The desert’s warmth
quickly dries us again before we reach camp. After a delicious dinner we stretch out in our sleeping
bags to drift off to sleep under a starry sky.

The Adventure Continues. . .
• The river twists between rising cliffs, offering new vistas at every bend. At North Canyon we walk
across folded layers of sedimentary rock which leads to a pool trickling down from the polished funneled
canyon. Our afternoon of lazy drifting is enlivened by the rapids of the “Roaring Twenties.”
• Vibrant coloured walls of Marble Canyon tower overhead as we continue our float past the fern-fringed
springs of Vasey’s Paradise for a stop at Redwell Cavern. This vast half-circular chamber, carved out by the river, offers a cool recess to rest. A few miles down river we scramble over short steep rock
formations into Nautiloid Canyon where we find a unique display of fossils exposed in the smooth rock
canyon floor.
• Relaxed drifting occupies much of this day interspersed by a few good rapids. A stop at Nankoweap
Canyon gives us an opportunity to climb to the Anasazi Indian granaries that rest high on the cliff
overlooking the Colorado River for a spectacular view of the river and vibrant canyon hues below. We
continue downstream. If we are lucky, the Little Colorado will be flowing with opaque turquoise (instead
of muddy brown) water, which will invite us to stop for a swim.
• For a few miles the canyon opens up, revealing ancient volcanic rocks and the cliffs of the South Rim.
We then go through a series of challenging rapids which drop us into the narrow, rugged trench of the
Inner Gorge. We’re drenched in turn by the big waves of Unkar, Nevills, Hance, Sockdolager and
Grapevine rapids. We arrive at Phantom Ranch where we may trade partial trip passengers. While
we’re trading “uppers” for “lowers” you’ll have time to shop for goodies and postcards at Phantom
Ranch. Postcards mailed from Phantom Ranch bear the postmark, “Carried by mule from the bottom of
Grand Canyon.”
• Sensational rides and dramatic pictures are produced in Granite, Hermit and the rapids of the “Jewels” –
Crystal, Sapphire, Turquoise, Ruby and Serpentine. We camp after a refreshing swim in the pools and
waterfall at Shinumo Creek.
• Those with sharp eyes and quick cameras may be rewarded with shots of desert bighorn sheep in this
portion of the Canyon. The emerald paradise of Elves Chasm, with its chain of linked pools and
waterfalls, invites us to explore and swim. A sand and gravel floor serpentines through the cool narrow
slot of Blacktail Canyon. Here we have an up close look at the Great Unconformity where ancient
erosion removed millions of years of rock to create a gap in the Canyon’s geologic record.
• Fluted walls of jet black schist enclose us for a few miles before Bedrock and Dubendorf rapids. We
drift lazily through Granite Narrows (a mere 65’ wide!!) and soon come to Deer Creek Falls, a 125’
cascade that tumbles almost directly into the river. A hike above the falls brings us to an oasis with a
huge open patio. En route we discover handprints on the side canyon walls, evidence of those that
visited this canyon centuries ago.
• We begin our morning gliding through some calmer stretches of river as we marvel at the walls towering
overhead. A few quick strokes of the oars pull us into the mouth of Matkatamiba Canyon. We venture
up the narrow limestone slot canyon into an overhanging amphitheater. Wading through the warm
waters we explore the beautifully carved channel and relax in the coolness of its grotto. Back on the
river we conquer Upset Rapid and then stop to camp.
• Before sunrise we snack on yogurt and granola while packing sandwiches, fruit and candy for our
lunches. An early start gives us a long day to enjoy the blue-green pools and numerous waterfalls of
Havasu Canyon. Some linger all day at the pools near the river while others hike to see the falls several
miles away. (A day pack or fanny pack are a “must” on this day.) After dinner the evening stars pale as
our guides tell us tales (some real, some perhaps only “tall”) of the Colorado’s most legendary stretch of
whitewater, Lava Falls. Tomorrow comes our turn in this fabled rapid.
• Pulling our dories to shore, we follow a short, steep trail to scout this whitewater giant. Each dory in turn is swept into the churning, spitting power of the largest rapid in the Grand Canyon, battered by huge
waves and flushed into calmer waters. Knuckles still white, we beach below the rapid to laugh at our
fears and relive each shudder.
• Today we pass Whitmore Wash. Pictographs can be found under a rock overhang a short distance
from the river. As the canyon opens up we cross into the shattered Hurricane fault zone and then head
west.
• 205, 209 and 217 Mile rapids discount the myth that all the good whitewater occurs above Whitmore
Wash. We spend a delightful, splashing, fun-filled day discovering this.

Our last full day on the river, we slip past Diamond Creek and then enter the lower Granite Gorge. We
make our final camp at, or just above, Separation Rapid. As we setup our final campsite, we feel a
strange sense of loss – our adventure is coming to a close. The stars seem extra lovely tonight.

The Last Day of Your Trip
• After an early breakfast, load your gear into the jet boat. You’ll bid farewell to your guides and then
head across Lake Mead (a 1½-hour, 40-mile ride). Arrive at the take-out point on Lake Mead by midmorning. After equipment is loaded into our vehicles you will be driven back to the Radisson
Woodlands Hotel in Flagstaff, arriving between 3:00 and 4:00 PM.

Departure Dates, Options & Prices

April 14-May 2; August 19-September 2

$5011 - $5628

For Specific Prices and Availability call: 800-346-6277

Prices subject to National Park Service Approval

1-209-736-4677