GENERAL INFORMATION

Campsites in Grand Canyon are most often large sandy beaches broken by natural landscape elements including vegetation, large boulders, sand dunes, etc. Each camp is a beautiful, unique home-away-from-home. The kitchen will be established in a central area; a table with drink mixes, teas, and appetizers will be near by. The kitchen is often a fun place to hang out as the cook crew prepares dinner. The boats are another comfortable gathering spot for the group.

CAMP SET UP

Most camps offer plenty of space for privacy and usually there is a lot of distance between the areas each of us might find to call home with our sleeping bag, tent and personal gear; many camps feature some honeymoon camp sites for those willing to hike a little farther away from the kitchen area and the rest of the group.

The water filtration system will be near the river and near the kitchen. The set-up consists of a Katadyne Filter (filters bacteria to something greater than 99.0) and buckets filled with river water awaiting filtering. Clorox drops used in small quantity to kill any remaining viruses are stored nearby as is alum, which we use to settle sediment in the event that rain has stirred up the river.

There is a handwash system set up next to the kitchen and another set up next to the bathroom. The bathroom will be set up on one end of camp or the other for privacy. Sometimes it can be a mini-hike to get to it, but you are almost always rewarded with a stunning canyon or river view.

CAMPING EQUIPMENT

One of the first things to come off the boats after arriving at camp will be your Personal Waterproof Bags. One has the majority of your clothing in it and the other has your sleeping kit in it. The sleeping kit consists of a tarp, a Thermarest sleeping pad, a sleeping bag, and a sheet. The tents are stored all together in a larger sized Dry Bag. You’ll grab tent and your personal gear and head off to find a piece of real estate with a view to call home.

Your guides will demonstrate how to set up our tents on the first night. As with any piece of new equipment, you may find the demonstration makes the first time you use it easier. As long as the sky is clear, sleeping under the stars (instead of in the tent) is always an excellent choice, allowing you to feel the night air on your face and to witness shooting star trails in a sky filled with millions of sparkling lights. Either in or out of your tent, the camping is world-class.

THE KITCHEN

Our six burner propane stoves make cooking a cinch. In addition to the stove-table, our river kitchens include a “prep table” used to chop vegetables, make salads and combine ingredients for dutch ovens. Finally, the serving table completes our kitchen; this is the table we’ll serve ourselves from, deli-style. Several dry-boxes situated near the stove and prep tables contain all the pots, the hot mitts, the stirring spoons and spatulas, the tinfoil etc. Plates, bowls and silverware are stored in a smaller box as are the drink mixes and teas; these items are all put out on to the appetizer table or at the “starting end” of the serving table. A separate box containing the dutch oven comes off the boats on dutch oven nights. (Lasagne or enchilada pie, brownies or cakes, etc.)

You are always welcome in the kitchen and for those who like to cook or just to help out, we’re happy to share our secrets of river-cooking.

MEALS

Breakfasts begin with fresh, shade-grown organic coffee from Toucanet Coffee, of Flagstaff. Meals like pancakes, eggs to order, french toast or hot cereal also include bacon, sausage, or fruit.

Deli style lunches include selections such as dagwood style sandwiches, hummus & tabouli, and our delicious tortilla salad. Fresh fruit, chips and cookies are standard.

Nightly appetizers precede dinner from the dutch oven, grill or skillet. After a day on the water filled with hard exercise and fun, everything is especially tasty. You'll have to work not to gain weight! Fair warning, this sample river menu may make you wish you were on-river right now.

We are experienced in accommodating vegetarians on our trips and are happy to do so. Click here for an overview of vegetarian accommodations.

Although we are not able to cater to personal dietary likes and dislikes, our menu does provide healthy, varied and balanced meals that include a variety of choices. The meals include plenty of fresh meat (natural, hormone and anti-biotic free beef and chicken, and seafood including wild-caught salmon), rice/pasta/bread, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and salads right up to the last day! Please review the sample river menu if you have any concerns about what we'll be serving.

The variety of choices within our regular meals allows for selections that accommodate most food allergies and medically restricted diets. If you need any special foods like soymilk or wheat-free bread, we are happy to bring along such items for you. We do request that you be prepared to perhaps eat differently than at home. Please review the sample river menu which may help you consider what an extended river trip would be like for you and give us a call if you have any questions.

"Food was unbelieveable. Far exceeded my expectations. Four star dining at every meal." - Steve Dickenson

"I was very impressed by the quality of the food and very pleased by the options for vegetarians." - Beth Smith

"Amazed at how fresh the food was." - Betty McCallum

WATER PURIFICATION

During the trip, we will all be drinking lots and lots of water to stave off the dehydrating effects of the desert’s dry climate and heat. While there are many beautiful swimming pools and springs in many of the side canyons we will visit, the water is not safe to drink. The fact is, ground water anywhere, world-wide is apparently no longer considered safe to drink without filtering. Therefore, we spend a lot of time filtering drinking water on our trips. The water filter is one of the first things to be set up when we arrive in camp each afternoon, and it is one of the last items to be broken down the next morning.

The water filtration system will be set up centrally, near the river and near the kitchen. The set-up consists of a Katadyne Filter (filters bacteria to something greater than 99.0) and buckets filled with river water awaiting filtering. Clorox drops used in small quantity to kill any remaining viruses are stored nearby as is alum, which we use to settle sediment in the event that rain has stirred up the river.

THE TOILET SET UP

The toilet facilities will be set up at a discreet distance from the central camping area. The toilet area is often surrounded by some natural landscaping (very large rocks, shrubbery, etc) providing both privacy and scenery. A roll of toilet paper or other marker is positioned at the "trail head" to the facilities location. The marker is carried to the facilities when they are being used; the absence of the marker indicates that the bathroom is not available. Because we carry out all garbage (including human waste) the facilities set-up includes two "units", one for liquid waste and one for solid waste, each topped with a toilet seat. The guides will strive to provide a beautiful upstream or downstream view at every toilet site; at some campsites, this requires a mini-hike to the facilities but it's always worth the view!

WEATHER

Rain, heavy winds, blowing sand, extreme heat…

These are weather conditions that you may experience and that can, at times, produce uncomfortable camping conditions. Should we experience a rain storm while we are in camp, the crew will set up a Para Wing (a huge rain cover) which spans our entire kitchen area and provides plenty of space for the whole trip to gather under.

CAMPFIRES

During the months of April and October, we are permitted to gather driftwood during the day to build a campfire with each night. With the chill of evening, campfires provide a focal point for gathering together, telling stories, or listening to music. The addition of campfires during these cooler months is a very special addition to the trip and is one of the reasons why October is such a popular month.

Campfires are elevated and contained in fire pans to mitigate any potential impact to the beaches.