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The
Grand Canyon’s river outfitters are well prepared to
accommodate people of all abilities on Grand Canyon river
trips of many different types and styles. If you or someone
you know has a disability and is interested in a Grand Canyon
trip, the most important thing to know is that you can share
in this very special and unique experience.
Our Grand Canyon access program focuses on two areas. The first is specialized access charter trips run exclusively for passengers with disabilities. Such trips are offered each year. These trips involve one or more outfitters working in partnership with an organization that specializes in making backcountry outdoor experiences accessible.
The second area is mainstreaming and such opportunities abound for those with disabilities to join standard Grand Canyon river trips. Individuals with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, paraplegia or other disabilities are routinely integrated into regular trips.
For anyone considering a Grand Canyon river trip, there is
a wide variety of choices that must be carefully considered.
Some trips are motorized and utilize
larger pontoon rafts. Others are row trips and use smaller
human-powered inflatable oar rigs.
Other specifics include the trip’s duration, the expected
weather given the season (spring, summer, or fall), and price.
Please review our trip options page
for more information about the specific trip styles available.
Advance planning of eight months to two years is highly recommended
because Grand Canyon river trips are so popular. Because reservation
procedures vary from company to company, we recommend that
you familiarize yourself with the specific policies of the
outfitter you select. Also, we suggest you consider purchasing
trip insurance, which is available for reasonable rates and
which may help protect your investment in your trip. Ask your
outfitter for more information.
Please refer to our step-by-step guide
to booking a Grand Canyon river trip for more helpful
information.
The Grand Canyon environment poses challenges to everyone,
so all professionally outfitted river trips, including specialized
access trips, are designed so that each individual can make
their own choices as to what activities to engage in, can
set their own personal limits and have them respected by the
group, and can adapt their pace according to their personal
abilities.
The most important thing to understand is that if you have
a disability, even a serious mobility impairment, the same
Grand Canyon river trip opportunities are available to you
that are available to the general public.
If you have questions about the Grand Canyon river outfitters’
access program, please contact us at access@gcroa.org.
We’ll be happy to help.
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Access
Program Charter Trips
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The
following is a list of specialized trips set aside for the
express purpose of accommodating people with disabilities
and their friends and family. Sometimes the trips are opened
up to the general public and, therefore, are more integrated
in nature. All of the Grand Canyon professional river outfitters
can accommodate people with disabilities on their regularly
scheduled trips. To join any regularly scheduled Grand Canyon
trip, read about the various trip
options and call the individual outfitters.
To join one of the following specialized charter trips, please
contact the individual outfitter or partner organization as
specified to inquire about discounts, scholarships, and the
possibility of only joining the trip for either the upper
or lower canyon section. If partial trips are being offered,
they will involve a somewhat strenuous mule ride up or down
the Bright Angel Trail (approximately 10 miles). The individual
outfitters can help you inquire about and coordinate these
arrangements.
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`2006
Season
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August
26 - September 9
15-day Hybrid Trip (oar boats, paddle boat, inflatable kayaks,
and a motor boat) from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek
Participating Outfitter(s): Canyon
Expeditions, Canyon
Explorations and Grand
Canyon Expeditions
Register and make other inquiries through: Canyon Expeditions/Explorations
at 1-800-654-0723.
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A Brief History of Our Access Program
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In 1991, the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted into
law. The Grand Canyon river outfitters immediately responded
to the call by considering how best to provide safe access
to the Grand Canyon river experience for those with even serious
disabilities or mobility challenges.
We developed a Committee to Enhance Access to focus our efforts.
We implemented a special guide training program. We researched,
designed, and acquired new adaptive equipment to address safety
issues and practical problems, like how to roll a wheelchair
across the sandy beaches that line the Colorado River within
the Grand Canyon. And we developed new relationships with
knowledgeable partners already at work making serious backcountry
outdoor experiences available to those with special challenges.
Today, modern boating equipment and modern safety equipment
and techniques coupled with years of hands-on experience mean
that the Grand Canyon river experience is accessible to almost
everyone. We’re proud of our work in this area and we
do it very well. We want everyone to know that anyone, regardless
of ability, can come share in the mystery, the power, and
the sublime beauty of the Grand Canyon by river.
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Methods and Safety
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On all Grand Canyon access program river trips, either charter
or mainstream, we strive to match or adapt the safety methods
and practices used to make sure we accommodate the specific
needs of all guests. In the past ten years, we’ve done
extensive work on how to make our trips accessible. We are
well prepared to provide for the safety and comfort of all
our passengers.
While river rafting does carry with it inherent risks that
can be minimized but not eliminated, the Grand Canyon river
outfitters are very proud of our excellent safety record.
For those with special needs, medical screenings and extensive
pre-trip discussion ensure that each passenger understands
the trip, its inherent risks and how these risks are addressed,
and that the outfitter understands and is ready to accommodate
the passenger’s specific needs and expectations. However,
the Grand Canyon is a remote backcountry environment. On every
river trip, one is removed from the standard comforts of home
and from specialized medical facilities. All passengers must
appreciate this fact prior to departure. When necessary, an
outfitter may require that an individual passenger be accompanied
by a personal caregiver or attendant.
The nature of Grand Canyon river rafting presents physical
challenges. These include circulatory issues related to the
hot desert climate and/or cold Colorado River water. There
is also the need to sit on watercraft for substantial portions
of each day. Mobility issues include deep sandy beaches and
rocky and steep terrain. There may also be toilet or other
privacy issues to address. For those with circulatory and
sensory concerns, trips during May and September have proven
best. The heat of mid-summer and the potential for cold weather
in early spring and late fall can pose special challenges.
Various types of special adaptive equipment are used to make
the ride on Grand Canyon watercraft more comfortable, and
to improve mobility around camp. This equipment includes special
beach tracks used to increase wheelchair usability on sand,
special toilet facilities, equipment to assist with passenger
land to watercraft transfers and to carry individuals up steep
inclines, and hard or soft chairs to provide stable seating
on and off the boats.
Methods and equipment continue to evolve, due in large part
to feedback from passengers and to the resourcefulness and
enthusiasm of professional river guides, who desire to share
the beauty of the Grand Canyon with everyone.
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Financial Assistance
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Through a variety of means, financial assistance is available
to those with disabilities who might not otherwise have the
chance to share in the Grand Canyon river experience. Forms
of assistance include scholarships, free passage for required
personal caregivers or attendants, and supplemented trip fares.
Through the Grand Canyon Conservation
Fund, the river outfitters make financial assistance available
via our access program partners by supporting their work with
financial grants. Many of our partner organizations also have
their own fund-raising capabilities and financial assistance
programs in place.
Deserving candidates for financial assistance should feel
free to contact our access program partners listed below.
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Access
Program Partners
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partner organizations specialize in making serious backcountry
outdoor adventures available to those with special challenges.
These are the groups we work with on a regular basis. Each
is a good source of additional information or possibly financial
assistance.
The Grand Canyon river outfitters continue to seek avenues
through which we can get the word out regarding the accessibility
of the Grand Canyon to those with special needs. If you
can help contribute to this information network, please
let us know by contacting us via e-mail at access@gcroa.org.
We would very much like to hear form you.
• Colorado
Discover Ability
•
City
of Phoenix - Parks and Recreation Department
•
Environmental Traveling
Companions
• National Ability
Center
• River of
Dreams
•
S’PLORE
• Wilderness
Inquiry
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