Grand Canyon National Park attracts nearly 5 million visitors per year to the South Rim, where one can gawk at the largest, and no doubt most grand, canyon on planet earth. What those millions don't know, and could barely begin to fathom, looking from the rim, is that the tiny river below is full of rapids, waterfall grottoes, caverns that could contain thousands, and that there's a way to experience it all with relative comfort.
The Grand Canyon should be seen from river level by everyone. If you want transformational experiences from your rafting vacation, this is it. From the most notoriously fun and intense rapids in the world, to the beyond humbling scale of the canyon itself, you will never be the same again after a Grand Canyon rafting expedition.
The National Park Service keeps tight regulation, limiting the volume of people at any given time on the river in the Canyon, making it difficult to plan a last-minute trip of a lifetime in the Grand Canyon. Top commercial outfitters in Grand Canyon book their seasons typically within a year to a year and a half in advance of travel date. Plan ahead and book early!
The first 187 miles from Lee's Ferry, Arizona (mile 0) to just below Lava Falls cover the most grand sections of the canyon, the most waterfalls and scenic side canyon hikes, and the very best of the rapids in Grand Canyon. This is why it is so popular, and why it's the ultimate multi-day river expedition on planet earth. It is the Grand-daddy of all river rafting trips. You are blessed and lucky if you've had the chance to see this upper section within one trip. Many want to spend even longer in the canyon, and there are ways to divide the upper section in half with a hike in or out of Phantom Ranch as your starting or ending point (which includes the gruelling hike in or out).
In the lower section, from Whitmore Wash at mile 187 to Lake Mead you will still find scenery on a grand scale, with a bit older or more worn geologic features, a travertine grotto and waterfall, and a just hint of the rapids you'll find in the upper section of canyon. It's an excellent introduction to white water rafting, camping, and the Grand Canyon itself!
