How to raft through the Grand Canyon

No one warns you about “The Groover,” and maybe it’s better that they don’t. If you join a commercial rafting trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, you’ll become intimately familiar with this metal-sided chamber of horrors that passes for a porta-potty, but more on that later…

The Groover was one of several surprises on my 8-day adventure, which I completed in June 2022. Ahead of my trip, my river outfitter, Grand Canyon Expeditions, emailed me a helpful pre-trip checklist, but I discovered that planning a trip along the Colorado River can be almost as opaque as the waters themselves. Here’s what to expect if you decide to paddle through the Grand Canyon yourself.

Rafters’ tip: If your schedule is flexible, you might still be able to snag a reservation with one of the canyon’s rafting outfitters in 2022 (the commercial season runs from April through October). 

Why I chose a commercial rafting trip to the Grand Canyon

Rafting the Grand Canyon had been on my bucket list for decades. I’d visited the canyon numerous times, and its beauty and immensity always recharged my psyche like no other place. I’d hiked from the South Rim to the Colorado River three times, camped at Bright Angel Campground, and bunked in the hiker’s dorm at Phantom Ranch on two separate trips, as well as exploring the North Rim. But rafting? I’d never found the time, but 2022 was finally my year.

Grand Canyon National Park allows two types of recreational boating trips through the canyon: commercial and noncommercial. The park has approved 15 river concessioners to guide commercial trips on the river, while noncommercial trips – also called “private trips” – are self-guided. Guiding your own trip is challenging and often dangerous, and it’s not recommended for those unfamiliar with the river.

Why did I choose commercial over private? Convenience, first and foremost. My undergrad college, Washington & Lee University, organizes more than a dozen educational adventures annually for alumni, including a Grand Canyon rafting trip about once every five years. It’s wildly popular; a geology professor comes along, and their lectures add scientific context to the natural beauty on all sides.

Picking…