[hikeaz]

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – The National Park Service is now accepting applications for noncommercial (= self-outfitted) river trip permits to raft the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. The permits are for specific launch dates within calendar year 2011.
A total of 274 permits will be awarded for 12- to 25-day river trips. Eligible individuals may apply online at the weighted lottery web site. To access the web site, start from the park's main web page at http://www.nps.gov/grca and select "River Trips/Permits" then "Weighted Lottery". Applications will be accepted online through noon on February 24, 2010.

Each year in February, a main lottery is held to assign launch dates for river trips occurring the next year. Public notifications regarding main lotteries are made by both e-mail and press release. In addition to the annual main lottery, follow-up lotteries are held as needed throughout the remainder of the year to reassign canceled and/or left-over river trips. Public notifications for these follow-up lotteries are made solely through e-mail.

The weighted lottery web site can be accessed for free year-round to create or modify an account and to sign-up to receive email notifications. Individuals who are interested in a future river permit are strongly encouraged to create an account. Lottery applications are accepted through the weighted lottery web site only when lotteries are open.

Individuals must be 18 years or older to apply for a river trip permit. Noncommercial river trips must be self-guided, and technical whitewater experience is mandatory on each trip. Individuals may participate on a maximum of one river trip per year (commercial or noncommercial).

For more information about the 2011 weighted lottery, please visit the Grand Canyon National Park web site at http://www.nps.gov/grca or contact the River Permits Office at 1-800-959-9164 or 928-638-7884.

[Rob del Desierto]

Anyone thinking about putting in for this? Not sure if my skills are up to The Grand yet... but it is a little ways away...

[imike]

Anyone thinking about putting in for this? Not sure if my skills are up to The Grand yet... but it is a little ways away...

Go for it... it will inspire you to get ready, and unless the river is flowing at high levels, it is not that difficult, at least regarding the boating...

[azbackpackr]

I wanna go!

[nonot]

Wow, that would be a dream, if only I had the gear and experience to pull it off!

[imike]

... I had a friend who floated through on an innertube some years ago (he was also the first person to run a solo canoe through) and a lady friend of mine did the canyon on a buggie board... so, minimal equipment trips are a possibility... well sort of... there are those pesky regs to follow...

[azbackpackr]

On a boogie board? That has to have been a long time ago, or she must have done it on the sly. And the water would have been cold, because boogie boards were not invented until the early 70's, after the dam was built. I heard about the guys who swam it, but that was back before the dam was built, and back then, the river was warm enough in summer to swim in.

[hikeaz]

3 gals ran the river on RIVER boards (3' x 5') in '01. They initially were denied access, but after two years of wrangling with the NPS and associated gub'ment red tape they were allowed on the River. As River Boards are 'Coast Guard approved watercraft' they (eventually) qualified.

re. the 2 guys who 'swam' it in the 1950's (yes, pre-dam), the water temp was 51 when they set out from the Ferry.

[imike]

Ah, wetsuits!

The girl was also internationally known as a world class boater, and for teaching wild river safety courses...

[Jim Lyding]

I'm trying to help put together a 2011 guided trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado through CRATE (Colorado River Adventures and Trail Expeditions). June or July in 2011, and hiking-oriented. Al_HikesAZ has already expressed interest. Anyone else who's interested should let me know. Put in at Marble Canyon & get helo'd out below Bar Ten Ranch where we catch fixed-wing aircraft back to our vehicles @ Marble Canyon. It's not cheap, and will probably be at least $4K. 8 days/7 nights. I did this trip in 2004 and 2007. Not for kids. Have to be an early-morning self-starter. Food is good. Top-notch guides who do 10+ mile hikes in flip-flops. User participation makes the trip because the guides aren't bellhops.

[hikeaz]

For $4K you can go with AzRA for 16 days on their 'Hiker's Discovery trip'. http://www.azraft.com/gc_info-hikersdiscovery.cfm (That's their 'list' price - as with all travel-related businesses, they are hurting for business - deals abound) They also offer 'upper' and 'lower' 'hiker discovery' trips for about 60% of that.
I've been down the Grand 2x in June - not my prefered month to hike in the Canyon.

Using Donnie @ Canyon REO to rent rafts & gear; shuttles and food we did a 21 day private trip for $850 ea.

[Jim Lyding]

I'm interested in months other than June/July. I guess the tradeoff would be the water splashing on the boat vs. the hiking conditions. However, the hikes are all done early as we typically started before 7 a.m.
April would be great from the standpoint of ambient temperatures, but that water would be awfully cold. This whole thing is up in the air as it was supposed to happen this summer, but the economy precluded getting enough folks to make it work.
The $4K/trip is only a guesstimate. I'll ask John for more info and get back to this forum.

[azbackpackr]

I have been invited on several private trips in the past couple of years, had to decline due to time issues. If I were going to do it, I'd get with a private group. WAY cheaper that way--$600 to $1500 for 3+ weeks. Not that hard to find one if you know where to look...