5 Reasons to Choose April for Your Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - Especially if You Love Photography

The best time of year to raft the Grand Canyon may depend on the lens you’re looking through.Photographers are picky. Cacti are prickly.

Cacti display their true colors in the early season, and photographers love it. Greener slopes and cacti in bloom, which fill an entire wide-angle lens, are only ONE reason to love Grand Canyon rafting in April. Here are four MORE reasons why you should not overlook April trips—even if you’re still snapping the scenery with your trusty iPhone:

In April, golden hours come later in the morning and earlier in the evening. This means you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the light cascading down the cracks of the canyon walls. In the evening, there’s time to relax after the final rays illuminate the cliffs. Want to photograph the night sky? Stars come out early in the early season. On a Grand Canyon trip in June, it’s often “go, go, go” out of camp because shady campsites quickly transform into hot, sandy desert islands.

When you realize that the bottom of the Grand Canyon is part Sonoran and Mojave Desert (think Death Valley), suddenly hiking in April instead of June or July seems like a genius move. For June and July hikers, the cool Colorado River offers respite, but April hikers enjoy comfortably mild temperatures without the scorching heat.

April trips benefit from fewer crowds, enhancing both your photos and your journey. During peak-season months like June and July, popular waterfalls and pull-ins can become bumper-to-bumper with boats. In April, you’ll find more space to enjoy the stunning scenery and the serenity of the canyon.

April trips are all about vibrant colors. Green slopes, blooming cacti, and blue skies, possibly sprinkled with April showers, create a palette photographers dream of. It’s a feast for the eyes and the camera lens, offering a unique vibrancy that’s only available in April.