Passenger Reviews

This trip should be on everyone’s to-do travel list or bucket list! Best experience and memories made by far This was an amazing trip! I highly recommend putting this trip on your bucket list! The views of the... read moreThis was an amazing trip! I highly recommend putting this trip on your bucket list! The views of the canyon, the history, seeing rocks that were billions of years old, experiencing the rapids, doing the side hikes, swimming in the LCR, hiking Havasu, the river guides, the food they provided and the new friends we met. All of it, made this trip the best of our lifetime.

I initially communicated and booked my trip with Advantage Grand Canyon (AGC) who helped connect me with the Arizona River Runner (ARR). I guess you could call AGC the Cupid of the Grand Canyon because our river guides at Arizona River Runners and the group I ended up with was a perfect match for my boyfriend and I.

Prior to the trip ARR sent lots of informative emails as far as packing lists and what to expect. They totally prepared us for our trip. They also have a group page that you can post introductions on, to see who you will be traveling with. You basically have to follow the packing list and show up. They did all the rest!

My boyfriend and I were amongst a total of 24 travelers on this trip. Our group consisted of age groups between 30 to late 50’s, we even had a sweet, adventurous 86 year old couple.

We chose the 6 day full canyon motor trip. I think it was the best choice for us. We got to experience rapids rated up to level 10, we saw the best views of the canyon, we hiked to a 180 foot tall waterfall, swam and saw the beauty of the turquoise colored Little Colorado River, and hiked along Havasu Creek.

Our river guides provided us with coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner! As a part of the group we helped carry our bags on and off the raft and set up our own cots and camp area. It was a pleasure to be camping out there and not have to work as hard as a our river guides did.

The one thing that I really enjoyed was seeing how passionate our river guides were about the canyon, the river, rafting, the environment, and the stories and history of the canyon. The excitement and passion in their voices as they told the canyons history and geology showed us their love for the place and their job. Our river guides were Rachel, Amanda, Katie and Noah. They did an excellent job with making this trip worthwhile.

I can’t think of anything negative to say about ARR. My entire trip experience was phenomenal! If I was rich I would pay for all my friends and do this trip again.

TIP #1: Follow their suggested packing list!! Even if you don’t think you’ll need them, it’s highly recommended that you follow their list.

TIP #2: Bring 2-3x more then the alcohol you normally drink…. Trust me. The river makes it flow thru you like water.

TIP #3: Sunscreen and lots of lotion (Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream works best).

TIP #4: Bring cash to tip your awesome river guides at the end of the trip. Trust me, they’ve earned it!

Below is brief day to day stops on our 6 day trip:

DAY 1:
We met at Marble Canyon Lodge and got to meet the others we were traveling with. We loaded our personal belongings into dry bags then loaded our alcohol and bags onto the raft.
Lunch on big beach just below Badger Creek Rapid
Ran the Roaring 20s – series of rapids
Camped at large dune on right at Fence Fault. They made grilled salmon, salad and rice for dinner!!!
We traveled about 30 miles this day

DAY 2:
Stopped at South Canyon to check out petroglyphs
Played at Redwall Cavern on river left
Visited Marble Canyon Dam Site with headlamps
Lunch on the right at Lower Saddle – where the wind began…
Picked up our NPS (National Park Service) friend
Dropped off camp at Science Camp
Swam in the LCR (Little Colorado River) and then drove back upstream to camp.
We traveled to Mile 62 on this day

DAY 3:
Gorge Day part 1 (Hance, Sockdologer, Grapevine, Zoroaster, to name a few). We stopped and scouted Hance on the right.
Dropped NPS friend off at Phantom Ranch Boat Beach
Ran Horn Creek Rapid (biggest drop in shortest distance) and had lunch in the wind storm at Horn Hospital (up in the trees on river right)
Gorge Day part 2 (Granite, Hermit, Boucher, Crystal, the Gems series, Hakatai, Waltenberg)
Camped at Garnet (Liar’s dice, burgers and brats for dinner and Bloody Mary bar at breakfast)
This day was full of thrilling, wet and exciting rapids!!! We traveled to about Mile 91 this day.

DAY 4:
Elves Chasm waterfall on river left (photo shoot prior to swim)
Bedrock Rapid and Dubendorff Rapid (we stopped and scouted Dubie)
Lunch at Stone Creek – waterfall hike and lunch in another wind storm
Deer Creek – option A was the big waterfall (180’ tall), option B was the Patio hike
Camped at Poncho’s Patio (the epic windstorm with the kitchen around the corner, Fajitas, Tunnel run, and Liar’s Dice) We traveled to about Mile 137.5 this day

DAY 5:
Dressed for success in the Ice Box, Upset Rapid
Havasu hike on the left
Lazy river afternoon...with a little boat separation mixed in the there 🙂
Lava Falls (one of the larger rapids, so much fun!!!!)
Camped at Chalk Rock (awesome bathroom location, steaks, and disorientation) . We traveled to Mile 186 this day.

DAY 6:
Short boat ride to Whitmore International heli pad. We unloaded our personal bags and was airlifted via helicopter to Bar 10 Ranch.

From there we were flown back to Marble Canyon Lodge by small plane. Others were flown back to Las Vegas.

I’m at home in Hawaii writing this review. My sunburn healed, my dry skin subsided and my weight is falling back off. However, the memories made on this trip will last me my lifetime. Thank you Arizona River Runners for such a wonderful experience! read less

Unbelievable We went on the 8 day Grand Canyon Rafting trip. This was definitely a trip of a lifetime. ... read moreWe went on the 8 day Grand Canyon Rafting trip. This was definitely a trip of a lifetime. The guides handled the rafts with incredible skill and did everything possible to make the trip fabulous for me and my family. This is really a professional group. They took precautions even though the group was fully vaccinated. read less

Awesome River Trip! The folks at Arizona River Runners really have the leading edge on providing a fantastic river runner experience with safety,... read moreThe folks at Arizona River Runners really have the leading edge on providing a fantastic river runner experience with safety, fun and adventure on top of their list. They were very knowledgeable about the Grand Canyon and provided us with the best experience possible along with lots of laughter fun and great food!! read less

Awesome guide service in an awesome place. The Grand Canyon is an awesome trip, and Arizona River Runners did a great job making it fantastic. They... read moreThe Grand Canyon is an awesome trip, and Arizona River Runners did a great job making it fantastic. They don't nickel and dime you with "sleeping packages" like some other outfitters (charging extra for necessities such as sleeping bags), the food is fantastic, and our guides were awesome. read less

Loved It I really enjoyed my 3 day trip. I am planning to do it again. I would love... read moreI really enjoyed my 3 day trip. I am planning to do it again. I would love a 4 day trip. 2 nights on the river would be perfect. read less

Rafting the Grand Canyon We took a 3 day tour with Arizona River Runners that included a stay at Bar 10 ranch and a... read moreWe took a 3 day tour with Arizona River Runners that included a stay at Bar 10 ranch and a night camping on the river. The Bar 10 ranch staff were helpful, cooked a great dinner and gave us song, dance and stories as evening entertainment. Then we helicoptered down to our rafts and were with the rafting crew for two days. The views of the canyon were amazing and the staff was helpful in getting us off/on the raft - the hardest part of the trip. They had to call and get a helicopter in to pick up our tour leader due to medical issues. While that put a damper on the evening, they did what was needed to take care of the situation. We transferred to a jet boat which took us to the bus for the trip back to Las Vegas. I would take the trip again! More read less