Get Your Digital Detox in a Place Where Only Canyons Call


Get Your Digital Detox in a Place Where Only Canyons Call

Published: April 22, 2024 by Kam Wixom

Last Updated: April 22, 2024


Hey adventurers,


We need your help to spread the word about a new problem (with an age-old solution). We are talking about endlessly scrolling on your phone... you know, that doom-and-gloom newsfeed that leaves you feeling...blah? Or maybe those "urgent" emails that are draining your joy faster than a leaky raft? (we don't have any of those, but you get the idea). If you've felt that way, it's more than just your joy that's deflating.


Here's the thing: our brains weren't built for the constant bombardment of beeps, likes, and breaking news. All that screen time leads to lower attention spans, worse sleep, and a general sense of being, well, fried.


But out on the river, something magical happens. Suddenly, your biggest worries aren't notifications, but how firmly to grip the rope, or how hard to paddle into that next rapid. The endless stream of info is replaced by the rhythm of the current and the sound of birdsong bouncing off canyon walls. Suddenly, you're 100% present, not checking your phone for updates, but looking for that perfect campsite or the next jaw-dropping view.

Science Says: "There's no vacation like a river trip"


  • Rest AND Reset: Being more "in-the-moment" with your whole body engaged in the focused task sends strong signals to your brain that help it to reset. Your brain wants to be doing something.... anything, all the time. Adventures help it to wonder. New landscapes help it to wander. New experiences help it to become more curious. Those kinds of signals come naturally from a river rafting trip and are stronger than any 5G network trying to undermine your plans to get away. You might find rest at a poolside at a resort hotel, or on a cruise ship, but on the river you get rest... and reset!
  • Forced Focus: No WiFi. It's like giving your brain a vacation from being "on" all the time. When was the last time you deliberately took a vacation where you won't get signal? If never, then you have no idea how much you need this!
  • The Awe Factor: Studies show being in nature lowers stress hormones and reduces anxiety. Think towering canyons, starlit skies, and the simple joy of skipping rocks. That's good medicine.
  • Active + Reflective = Epic Recharge: River days blend adrenaline surges (hello, whitewater!) with quiet stretches perfect for contemplation. This balance is gold for your mental AND physical health.



Don't wait for your brain to send you an SOS – book your digital detox today! Your sense of wonder will thank you.

Prescription #1: Take 5-Days of Desolation Canyon (then call us in the morning ...once you get a signal)!


Rafts moored at a beach camp beneath a colorful Desolation Canyon sunset

Desolation Canyon is so beautiful, and magically paced for a digital detox that we are tempted to refer to it as "Detoxolation Canyon". We think that's what John Wesley Powell had in mind in that first exploratory expedition in 1869. You can't beat a trip that begins with a 30-minute flight to a dirt landing strip on a remote plateau in eastern Utah. How many kid-friendly multi-day expeditions can you find like that? Spend the next five days floating more than 80 miles back toward Moab, Utah where you can indulge in civilization again, if you really want to. We won't tell anyone if you decide to homestead up in the canyon like the old-timers did in the days of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Prescription #2 (with a kick): 4-Days of Cataract Canyon


A couple sitting beside the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon

If slowing down to admire the canyon's beauty, punctuated with an extra intense kick of whitewater is more of what the doctor ordered, then you're looking for Cataract Canyon. If we were to rename this one we'd call it "Crank-it-up Canyon". There are a number of rapids down deep in this canyon (in the heart of Canyonlands National Park) that are notoriously large - the largest whitewater rapids in North America during high water runoff in the spring. Big Drops 1, 2, and 3 are your prescription for being more "in-the-moment" than you may have ever been in your life! Trade epic for epidemic and you're crankin' life to eleven.

Kam Wixom

Kam Wixom

Kam began guiding in the Grand Canyon in 1991, met & guided with his wife in 2000, and is the proud daddy of 5 kids. He now works as the Marketing Director for Western River Expeditions.

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