A River Trip on the Grand Canyon: Thoughts from Guests

"What has taken place in the last week has been nothing short of phenomenal."

"I don't know of a better way to see this creation than floating through the middle of it."

"The guides are fantastic. They fed us the most incredible food and they were fun and funny and helpful."

"Five stars all the way."

"Feeling the life of the river really relieves the cares of everyday living."

Guide Comments on the 6 or 7 Day Grand Canyon Vacation

Coming down here on a six or seven day Grand Canyon river trip with Western River is an amazing experience. You could travel all over the world and thereʼs nothing that really encompasses the adventure, the excitement and the soulfulness of a Grand Canyon river trip with Western River. Our six or seven day river trip is amazing from mile 0 to mile 188. You see the upper 2/3 of the Grand Canyon, from Lee's Ferry to Lava Falls and everything in between.

That is the classic Grand Canyon vacation experience! The best part of the six or seven day rafting expedition for me, is the hikes. It's the side canyons that you go explore. These are just very unique places that not many people get to see and experience.

Up on top of Deer Creek is a little area we call the patio. If you just sit quietly and close your eyes, you can really feel a really strong energy that's there.

The Little Colorado is breathtaking. People immediately take out their cameras and start taking lots of photos saying, "My friends at home are never gonna believe this!"

We have Redwall Cavern, which is a beautiful cave in the side of the limestone.

We'll hike to Indian ruins and see remnants of civilizations that are thousands of years old.

And then there's always the rapids. Some of the biggest rapids in the whole world live in the Grand Canyon. Hermit Rapid is a big rapid on day three. It's rated only a seven on a one to ten scale, but it's about a fourteen. It is mostly just waves, but the waves are about 15 feet tall. And it's epic, everybody sitting up front is holding on, everybody sitting in the back is hoping that everybody up front is holding on. One of my favorite parts of the river tip is after Hermit Rapid. You can just see the adrenaline just goes through the roof. Everyone knows they have just done something huge. They know that this was an epic experience that they just were involved in.

There are a lot of stop options, you can see Vasey's Paradise. There are some amazing little side canyons all over the place.

As you come around the corner to where you actually see the waterfall at Elves Chasm, you see people's jaws just drop. Beautiful cascading falls, beautiful vegetation, ferns and things hanging off the rock, little toads swimming through the water, just a beautiful beautiful spot.

You are going to stop at Havasu. It's probably the highlight of the trip for most people. It's a beautiful side canyon, and lots of little pools and waterfalls. One of my favorite moments in the canyon is when the sun has just set, when everyone has settled down, and you can just sit on the beach in camp and watch the reflections in the water, watch the stars at night. It's something that you can't experience anywhere else. And it is one of the most peaceful experiences that I have ever had.

The best part of a six or seven day rafting expedition is the amount of time spent in the canyon and the ability to withdraw from all of those things that tether us back at home. Iʼve not had a single person in 18 years come off a trip that did not say it was the best trip of their life.

See more Grand Canyon rafting vacation videos from the gallery below.