Spotting Desert Bighorn Sheep on Your Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

On every river trip I’ve taken through the Grand Canyon, the animals that get people the most excited are the desert bighorn sheep. And with good reason—these impressive mammals are fascinating to watch as they climb steep rock faces, clash horns, and trot around with their adorable babies. Even after seeing hundreds of them, I’m still in awe every time. So before you set off on your Grand Canyon rafting adventure, here’s a bit of background on these incredible creatures.

The Grand Canyon is home to one of the largest, most genetically diverse, and healthiest populations of desert bighorn sheep in the world. These animals are remarkably adapted to the Canyon’s rugged and seemingly treacherous terrain.

Male bighorn sheep are called rams, and females are ewes. While they look fairly similar—both have tan coats with white bellies, muzzles, and rumps—there are a couple of key differences that make it easy to tell them apart. First, rams are generally larger and more muscular, typically weighing in at over 200 pounds, while the females weigh a little over a 100 pounds . Second—and most noticeably—their horns are much bigger. Both sexes have horns, but the rams’ are thicker, longer, and can even curl into a full spiral depending on their age.

Desert bighorn sheep typically live 10 to 15 years, with ewes often outliving the rams. Ewes give birth to one lamb per year, and because bighorn sheep are social animals that live in herds, all the females help look after the young. So don’t be surprised if you see a few lambs trailing behind a single ewe.

Like elk or wolves, male bighorn sheep have a dominance hierarchy. Their horns aren’t just for show—rams charge at each other and engage in headbutting contests to establish status. Their skulls are incredibly thick to absorb the impact. Watching them in action is a dramatic and loud spectacle. If you’re lucky enough to witness it, you might want to plug your ears—the echoes bouncing off canyon walls can sound like a rockfall.

Once dominance is established, the herd generally lives in harmony, roaming the canyon in search of food. Their diet consists mostly of grasses and shrubs, though they’ll happily snack on cacti too—luckily, the Grand Canyon has plenty to offer.

Bighorn sheep are incredibly agile. They scale cliffs, leap across ledges, and balance effortlessly on narrow outcroppings. Even the lambs learn to navigate this tricky terrain just days after birth. Watching them scamper after their mothers is a real treat.

Desert bighorn sheep are truly one of the coolest animals you can see in the Grand Canyon, so keep your eyes peeled—and your camera ready!

Check out some other animals you might see!

5 Birds You Might See in the Grand Canyon

Freaky Friday: Snakes!

Butterflies and Moths