Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

• 1893: Became a forest reserve
• January 11, 1908: Became a National Monument
• February 26, 1919: Became a National Park
• October 26, 1979: became a World Heritage Site

Grand Canyon National Park is 1.2 million acres in size and is located in the state of Arizona. The 277 mile canyon in which our rafting trips occur separates the park into North and South Rims. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is open year round and receives about 90% of the parks visitation. The North Rim of the park is open seasonally from May 15th thru October 15th and receives 10% of the parks visitation. The Bright Angel Trail, where our partial river trip passengers depart or arrive from is located on the South Rim.

The Colorado River is America’s fifth longest river and flows through seven states. Named by Fray Francisco Garces, c1776, Rio Colorado, or red river, refers to its pre-dam natural state of red silt flowing from miles of desert drainage. The outside world knew virtually nothing of this place until 1869, when John Wesley Powell led the first exploration of this uncharted marvel, surveying the last remaining blank on the map of the United States.