What’s the best way to see the Grand Canyon when you want to explore as much as possible?

Take a rafting trip through it!

If you’ve stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon and you want to see more, we STRONGLY recommend signing up for a rafting trip. You’ll see things hidden in the canyon that you could never imagine from the top. 

Here are three reasons we think a rafting trip is the absolute best way to see the Grand Canyon:

1. Rafting lets you travel through miles and miles of changing Grand Canyon landscape

If you visit one of the Grand Canyon’s rims, you get to see one specific slice of the canyon–the view peering down from the top. It’s a pretty incredible view, but it’s only one dimension. 

If you hike into the Grand Canyon, you get another dimension—the descent into this vast place. If you’re a great hiker, you might cover 10 or 20 miles of ground, and see the changes that take place over that distance. Plus, you’ll see the canyon’s rock formations, biomes, plants, and wildlife up close. (But when it comes to wildlife, don’t get too close!) 

BUT if you go rafting through the Grand Canyon with Hatch, you’ll see up to 188 miles of the Grand Canyon as you float along the Colorado River. That means watching the canyon walls build up until they tower a full mile above you, traveling through billions of years of geologic record, and seeing the environment change as you descend around 1,500 feet in elevation. Along the way, you’ll explore more facets of the Grand Canyon as you stop to hike up side canyons, camp on its beaches, and visit hidden places that you can only access from the river. 

2. An average vacation length is perfect for a rafting trip through Grand Canyon

If you spent A LOT of time, had A LOT of hiking experience, and were willing to take A LOT of risk, you could hike the full length of the Grand Canyon, as only a few people have over the years, but we don’t recommend it. (Neither, we’d wager, would Kevin Fedarko, who wrote A Walk in the Park about trying to do precisely this.)

Apart from this undertaking being pretty darn extreme, it would require you to take a seriously long vacation! If your annually allotted vacation time is more like a week or two, try a Hatch trip instead. Our full canyon motorized trip takes only 7 days to show you nearly 200 miles of everything amazing about the Grand Canyon. 

3. We take great care of guests on our rafting trips!

Guests who go rafting with Hatch consistently report feeling like they were well-cared for on their trips. (Just check out our reviews!) Our guides are true experts at rafting, hiking, cooking, and creating an all-around good experience. Because we handle all the tough stuff, you’re free to put all your energy into enjoying the Grand Canyon. 

Visiting the South Rim is a great place to start your journey of getting to know the Grand Canyon. But if you’ve been there and felt like there just has to be more, you’re right! There’s so much more. Book a Hatch trip, and we’ll show you what the best way to see the Grand Canyon really is!