Grand Canyon 6 OR 7 Day Travel Planning

• Transportation to Boulder Terminal from Las Vegas Marriott
• Charter flight from Las Vegas to Marble Canyon & return from Bar 10 Ranch (extra cost applies)
• Motor coach return from Boulder Terminal to Las Vegas
• Professional, licensed guides
• All meals between trip departure and return
• All eating utensils and souvenir insulated bottle
• Unlimited water and lemonade
• Freshly laundered sleeping bag and sheet
• Cot (28” x 74”)
• Tent and ground cover
• Water-resistant dry bag for sleeping gear and personal duffle bag
• Custom rafts
• US Coastguard approved whitewater life jackets
• Wilderness First-Aid kit
• Sanitary Facilities

Duffel bag (approx. 12”x13”x24”), packed with personal items outlined on the packing list

Extra drinks, if desired. Water and low-calorie lemonade are available in unlimited quantities on the boats, and in camp. Western does not provide beer, liquor, or soda pop. Each guest may bring one case (24) of additional canned beverages. For guests flying on the charter flight from Las Vegas to Marble Canyon, all beverages other than hard liquors can be purchased after your flight at the Service Station/Convenience Store across the street from the airstrip at Marble Canyon Lodge. Beer and boxed wine are usually available. Hard liquor is not available at the Marble Canyon Lodge, and must be purchased in Las Vegas before your flight. Liquor will be included in the 25 lbs limit per person or there will be $15 charge. TSA regulations require that liquor be under 140 proof and stored in the original container. Glass containers of liquor may be stored in a protected place on the boats, but glass containers of beer and soda are not allowed.

Extra snacks, if desired. (Snacks will be provided during the trip)

Photo ID, a major credit card, and cash for gratuities.

Camera(s) - Phones as cameras in waterproof cases/sleeves (Cell service unavailable)

Medications - Each year a few of our guests traveling on airlines arrive without luggage. With this in mind, we suggest you carry with you medications, prescription glasses, and anything you may not be able to replace the evening before your trip departs.

• Car keys can be left at your hotel front desk, or with stored luggage while away
• Unnecessary electronic devices (game devices for kids, etc.)
• Valuables such as jewelry, rings, etc.

Transfer all your personal clothing and gear which you will need on your rafting trip to a small, lightweight duffle bag. Identify duffle bag with label, and leave any extra suitcases or luggage in your vehicle or at the hotel. Please DO NOT BRING SUITCASES on your river trip. As part of your camping equipment package, we provide a water-resistant bag in which you will place your duffle bag as well as the sleeping bag that we provide.

Through several decades of experience on the river, Western knows what clothing and gear will keep you smiling every second of your adventure. Specifically, we’ve bundled “The Works” for him, for her and one for gear in general. Get a FREE item with a “Works” purchase. For your convenience, you can order all these items online with Western’s retail division Red Rock Outfitters.

1. Arrive in Las Vegas at least the day prior to the trip's departure.
2. Review details in the WHERE/WHEN TO MEET section below.

NOTE: Book your room on the Western River block as soon as possible. We will alert you by email when the block of rooms are available to book for your given year of travel.

1. Set your alarm to arrive in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel at 4:40 am (Pacific Time).
2. You should receive a boxed breakfast, provided graciously by the Marriott Hotel.
3. Under the direction of the bus driver, you will load your duffle, board the bus, and be on your way to the Boulder Municipal Airport by 4:45 am.

NOTE: The Marble Canyon airstrip is located across the highway from the Marble Canyon Lodge.

1. Flight will arrive at the Marble Canyon Airstrip at approximately 7:30 AM. Your guides will greet you under the pavilion adjacent to that air strip.
2. Place your duffle in a trailer that the guides will direct you towards.
3. Purchase last-minute items, soda, beer, etc. at the convenience store across the highway near Marble Canyon Lodge.
4. Participate in a role call, then load the vans for a quick drive down to the river's edge at Lee's Ferry.

NOTE: There will be several rafts prepared by the guides the day before your arrival. Listen carefully as your guides point out which boat(s) are assigned to your group.

1. Help unload duffle bags and beverages from the trailer.
2. Identify your bags and beverages.
3. Bring your duffle to the rubber dry bags lined up in front of your assigned boat(s). Your beverages should be placed on the ground in front of your boat(s).
4. Separate your day items (camera, sunscreen, rain gear, etc.) from your duffle bag. Place them in the smaller rubber dry bag, and the duffle in the larger dry bag. Your guides will be there to help you.

By the evening of your first day, you'll feel a world away from all the instructions and inputs required to get you here. It only gets better as you settle into the rhythm of the river. Below are a few tips, generated by years of input from both guides and guests, aimed at getting you into that rhythm even quicker:

• First chance you get, relax! You've had a big day! HUGE!
• Keep your sleeping bag sand-free inside your rubber dry bag until the moment you crawl into bed.
• Changing out of wet clothes may be your first inclination when you get into camp, but consider that getting wet in the river is the best way to stay cool if it is still hot in the evening. You can always change just before bedtime (in the cover of dark).
• Sarongs, bedsheets, and/or sleeping bags make great changing rooms. Tents are great for rain, wind, or cooler temperatures.
• Bathing in the river before sunset is an awesome way to ensure a good night's rest. Even if the river is silt-laden, it feels great to rinse your body of sweat, sunscreen, spilled mustard from lunch, etc. TIP: Using a synthetic loofah sponge and liquid biodegradable soap/shampoo is the very best way to lather up in the insta-drying air in the Grand Canyon.
• Dip your bedsheet in the river on hot Grand Canyon nights and lay under the wet sheet for natural evaporative cooling on your cot. It may seem strange at first, but it works!