Our meals are served 'buffet or family style,' with any custom, per-person preparation limited to questions like 'How would you like your steak cooked?' or 'Do you prefer your eggs scrambled or over-easy?'
Lunch and dinner will be provided on the first day of your trip, followed by breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the other days. On the last day, you will have breakfast on the river and a light lunch at Bar 10 Ranch before you board the planes to fly
back to Las Vegas or Page.
Read more about allergies and substitutions below
MEALS SERVED:
Breakfasts
- Bacon, eggs to order, hash browns, freshly-baked muffins, fresh fruit, and OJ
- Blueberry pancakes with assorted syrups, sausage links, fresh fruit, and OJ
- French toast with assorted syrups, pork chops, fresh fruit, and OJ
- Cold cereal with milk, yogurt, bagels with cream cheese, canned fruit and OJ
- Eggs to order, Canadian bacon, English muffins, hollandaise sauce, fresh fruit, and OJ
- 7-day only: Grilled ham, pineapple, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and OJ
- Coffee (powdered creamer available), hot tea, cocoa, and apple cider are available every morning
Lunches
- Lunch meats (turkey, ham, pastrami, and roast beef), assorted breads, cheeses, lettuce, tomato, pickles, olives, and red onion. This lunch is served three times.
- Curry chicken salad with chicken, plain yogurt, red onion, lettuce, tomato, golden raisins, carrot, cashews, and curry powder served with assorted cheeses, pickles, red onion, and olives
- Tuna salad with tuna, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo, dried cranberries, and sweet relish served with assorted cheeses, pickles, red onion, and olives
- 7-day only: Bean salad with black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, hominy, green chilies, jicama, salsa, shredded cheese, lime juice, cilantro, corn chips, an assortment of cheeses, pickles, red onion, and olives
All lunches include peanut butter and jelly, fresh fruit, chips, cookies, and various condiments.
Dinners
- New York strip steak, fresh seasonal vegetables, spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, and blue cheese
- BBQ chicken, cornbread, green salad, and vegetable side dish
- Chicken fajitas, sautéed peppers and onions, Spanish rice, vegetarian refried beans and fruit salad
- Pasta and sauce include tomatoes, ground beef, sausage, bell pepper, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and seasonings. Italian salad and garlic bread.
- Rainbow trout, baked potato with assorted toppings, coleslaw, and dinner rolls
- 7-day only: Hamburgers with a variety of toppings and condiments, bratwurst, sauerkraut, baked beans, and potato salad
Appetizers
- Crab dip with cream cheese, cocktail sauce and crackers
- Hummus and spinach artichoke dips served with vegetables and crackers.
- Guacamole with corn chips
- Caprese salad containing mozzarella cheese, basil, tomato and balsamic vinegar
- Shrimp cocktail
- 7-day only: Meatballs and vegetables with dipping sauces
Desserts
- German chocolate cake, chocolate brownies, or carrot cake
- Fresh baked Dutch oven frosted cakes
- Bananas Foster with ice cream
- Pecan pie
- 7-day only: Peach cobbler
Snacks may include trail mix, granola bars, Chex mix, Ritz bits, Rice Crispy treats, candy bars, and honey-roasted peanuts. Fresh fruit is also available on request.
Available Substitutions for guests with SEVERE ALLERGIES
If you or any of the participants in your party have special dietary requirements or severe or life-threatening allergies of any kind, a multi-day rafting trip may not be a suitable trip for you. Due to space limitations and the
nature of our buffet-style meal service, we cannot accommodate dietary requests such as Kosher and Vegan. If you cannot find options on our standard meal service (see below) that meet your dietary needs, you may supplement the existing meals where
necessary with some of your own food, as long as it does not require cooking on our limited stove and cookware surfaces.
We take allergies very seriously at Western River Expeditions. You must describe the exact details of any allergies you may have, including symptoms and severity. If you have an allergy that may cause difficulty breathing, anaphylaxis, or other
severe and life-threatening reactions, please read the following points carefully. We want to ensure you know what we can and can't do for you in a wilderness setting.
If you have a severe allergy, you must bring at least two Epi-pens on
your trip.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 1-866-904-1160.
- All reasonable efforts will be made to avoid cross-contamination. We cannot guarantee that our products are free from allergens (including dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and other allergens) as we use shared equipment to store,
prepare, and serve them. For this reason, allergies to commonly used products such as onions, bell peppers, black pepper, garlic, or corn may not be accommodated, as most of these are present in the pre-made products we purchase. Please inform us
about the exact severity of these allergies and whether they are anaphylactic or gastrointestinal.
- Peanut butter will be served on a separate table with disposable utensils. Guests with severe allergies may go through the line first before cross-contamination may occur. When preparing a dish with nuts, part of that dish will be set aside and
covered for you before the nuts are added. More comprehensive information for nut allergies is available upon request.
- It is not our policy to remove an ingredient from a trip when a guest is allergic to it.
- You are welcome to read food labels in the kitchen during meal preparation and check if you are allergic to any meal items.
Available Substitutions for VEGETARIAN GUESTS
Western River Expeditions can provide vegetarian alternatives for many items, but vegetarian dietary menu requests must be made at least two weeks in advance. Please see the list below and compare it with the standard meals for your trip. If this
is not sufficient, you are welcome to bring additional options. Your guides will store any food you get. However, your food items must not require separate cooking by our guides due to limitations of the kitchen facilities, such as the number of
pots and burners. Vegetarian alternative menu items may be as follows:
- Garden Burgers, tofu, or a portobello mushroom to replace steak, chicken, or trout
- Vegetarian pasta sauce will replace the meat sauce
- Curry chicken salad, tuna salad, and green beans almondine can be prepared without meat
Each dinner includes a savory vegetable dish ranging from green bean almondine, fresh green beans, and summer squash to other seasonal vegetables. Peanut butter is always available at lunch, and hummus is provided for vegetarian guests. Whenever
possible, meat will be served separately from other items to maximize options for vegetarian guests. For example, the chicken for the chicken fajitas will not be mixed with the peppers and onions. If you have any questions or concerns, please
contact our office at 1-866-904-1160.
Available Substitutions for GLUTEN-FREE GUESTS
Western River Expeditions will provide gluten-free alternatives for many items as long as this dietary requirement has been given to us at least two weeks before trip departure. Please see the list below and compare it with the standard meals for
your trip. If you need more than this, you can bring additional options. Your guides will store any food that you bring. However, your food items must not require separate cooking by our guides due to limitations of the kitchen facilities, such as
the number of pots and burners. The backcountry does not provide ideal conditions to avoid cross-contamination. All reasonable efforts will be made to keep foods separate, but if your sensitivity is severe, we may be unable to accommodate you. If
you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 1-866-904-1160. Gluten-free alternative menu items:
- Gluten-free bread- Replaces lunch bread, garlic bread, toast, and English muffins.
- Gluten-free pasta- Replaces pasta dinner
- Gluten-free pancakes- Replaces blueberry pancakes
- Corn tortillas- Replace flour tortillas used for lunch wraps and chicken fajita dinner
- Gluten-free hamburger buns- Replace hamburger buns
- Gluten free bagels- Replace bagels
- Corn chex- Replaces cereal
- Gluten-free snack bars- Replace snacks containing gluten
Specific DAIRY information
Many of our meals have alternative options for avoiding dairy. Depending on your sensitivity, consult with your guides and review the brands' labels on your trip. Because of the remote location of our warehouse, we source products from different
vendors each week. The only time we serve milk is with the continental breakfast. We can provide Rice Milk for this meal. We generally avoid cooking with butter, and your guides will be happy to accommodate this if you check with them on the first
day of the trip. Items to watch and avoid are:
- Some of our breads contain whey, but many do not
- Several desserts are cakelike products that contain dairy
- Some of our snacks
If you are highly sensitive, we strongly advise bringing supplemental snacks, desserts, and other foods to ensure you have adequate products to eat. We always have fresh fruits and vegetables available; however, with the additional energy expended
during an active trip like this, you must have ample alternative products you are comfortable ingesting, primarily snacks and desserts. We will have ample storage, dry or refrigerated, available. We hope that this will help you plan accordingly and
that you will have a great trip with us!
Water & Lemonade:
Western River supplies a generous amount of cold water and lemonade. It is always available on the rafts and in camp. You are welcome (encouraged) to fill your water bottle as many times during the day as you can. Hydration (ie. water) is essential to your physical health in the hot desert sun. Drink lots of water! You will be provided with a mug or small capacity (17oz) bottle that is yours to keep. Water in the desert is very precious and not to be wasted.
Soda & Alcohol
Western does not provide soda or alcohol. Each guest may bring up to a case (24) of canned beverages. These will be stored in dry storage on the raft where you will have access to them during the day. You can load the 'drag bag' with a selection of choices for the day. This will make more sense when you arrive at the boats!
If you are on the charter flight from Las Vegas to Page: For reasons of weight restrictions on the plane, it is imperative that you pre-order your alcohol and soda using the link that we will provide. This link will be emailed to you 60 days before your trip departs and must be purchased at least 4 weeks in advance. If you choose to bring hard alcohol on the flight it must be under 140 proof and in its original and unopened container.
Guests meeting us in Page are also welcome to pre-order their alcohol and soda using the link or they may purchase them before the trip at one of the many stores in Page.
Remember that once you are on the river, you will not be able to replenish these supplies. It is better to bring more than you anticipate needing than to be downriver wishing for more.
You may bring your own snacks, but we provide a variety of snacks on every trip. They are generally served mid-morning and mid-afternoon while traveling down river. If you would like to bring some of your own snacks, small, pre-packaged items are best. We can provide dry storage space, or you may pack them in your personal duffle or day bag.
If you have special dietary needs, bringing some of your own snacks that work well for you is a great idea.
If you have allergic or dietary reasons to be concerned with the food we will prepare and serve, please refer to the 'Physical & Dietary Requirements'section above, where you will find accepted substitutions for our regular fare. If these listed substitutions are desired, then they must be specifically requested as part of your reservation when you disclose your personal information.
Hard alcohol is allowed at your own discretion. Storage will be provided on the boats. Be aware that FAA guidelines require liquor to be in unopened (sealed) containers during flight, even if packed in your bags.
Note: Hydration (ie. drinking enough water to offset diuretics such as alcohol or even caffeinated beverages) is especially vital to your health and safety on the river in the hot desert sun. Also, be aware that intoxication on a rafting trip, along the river and in camp can be particularly dangerous, so we advise prudence!
Controlled substances, such as Marijuana, are illegal to possess in Grand Canyon National Park.