hualapai river runners

This was an amazing one day trip. The trip included a open jeep tour to the bottom of Grand Canyon. Once there, we boarded our rafts on the Colorado River. The rafting part of the tour is operated by the Hualapai River Runners. After the white water rafting, which was an awesome, adrenaline pumping adventure, we took a helicopter tour out of and over the Canyon Rim. The areial views were picture perfect. Things to know:1. This trip will be an all day trip! We were picked up from our hotel in Flagstaff at 5 am and did not return until 10pm. Although lunch is provided during the rafting trip, bring more food for yourselves. Dry bags are provided and you can bring as much as you want/need. The shuttle drive from the helicopter flight back to Williams is THREE HOURS LONG!!!! You will be famished! 2. Pick an experienced river guide if you can. Our guide, Dennis, was young (18-21) and he must have been relatively new to being a guide because he did not talk to us during the trip. While we saw other guides giving Canyon and River history, ours did not. His assistant was even younger than he was and they spoke more to each other than to us. 3. There is a photographer taking photos for you during the white water rafting. Again, the White Water Rafting portion of the trip is through Hualapai River Runners, not through Old West Jeep Tours. I called prior to the trip to ask if there would be a photographer posted in certain areas to take photos of the rafters and I was told no. The Old West employee did not know this. Our river guide did not inform us of this either. Our guide also ran us through the rapids so fast that there was not one photo taken of us inwhich our faces were seen. The photographer's raft was supposed to go through the rapids first, however, our guide was so eager to beat the other river guides through the rapids, he went through them before the photographer's raft was in place to take our photos! Other rafters were told by their guides that there was a photographer, and the other guides positioned the rafts for photos when they could. When I viewed the other rafter's photos they were great and all passengers could be seen! We were quite dissappointed as out of six photos, there was not one inwhich our faces could be seen, every shot was of our backs!3. Bring sun screen and wear shoes for hiking, not flip-flops!!! There is a short hike up Travertine Falls. The hike involves climbing a rope ladder up to the falls...you need shoes with traction. People were climbing in flip-flops and were getting injured. Wet rock is slippery, be prepared.4. THE WATER IS FREEZING COLD. Wear clothing that is quick drying. Although the outdoor temperature is over 100 degrees, you will be cold.5. Lunch consists of sandwhiches, chips, cookies, crackers, and soda or bottled water. There is extra bottled water on the raft if you need it.6. You CAN bring your professional camera...there are dry bags and dry boxes that you place items that can't get wet in and you can pull them out when you need them. I was able to use my professional camera once we completed the white water rafting portion of the tour and started the floating portion. I am thankful I did, the photos shot are priceless!7. Look for a discount!!! We paid $499 per person, however others in the group paid less than $300 with discount coupons or after watching a timeshare. Though I think the trip was worth the price we paid, finding out that others paid less did not make me happy!8. You will stop 3 times during the rafting portion and there are port-a-potties available at 2 of these locations.Again, this was the trip of a lifetime, we had an amazing time.

I took this rafting adventure with my neice in October what an awesome day from the early 4am start untill the end just magic.The adventure started with a bus ride down to the river on a bumpy dirt road with a very experienced Hualapai lady driver.Once at the river toilet stop,life jackets fitted securely,onto the raft 8 people safety talk by our guideTyler my heart was pounding with excitement than into the first rapids with a drenching laughter was heard through the Canyon that was pretty much all day.We stopped to look at a beautiful waterfall to get there another adventure rope climbing, ladder climbing and a short walk beautiful.Back on raft more rapids more drenching more laughter.Lunch stop food was provided along with drinks time to dry out.Smooth waters and time to take in the beauty of the Canyon over to soon.Helicopter ride out of the Canyon awesome.Tips take the rafting adventure and a water proof camera the rest is fun.

Booked this as part of a long sight seeing trip around USA ,and it was one of the highlights.Yes the early rise and long bus ride from Vegas is not the greatest start, yes the bus ride down to the river is bumpy, but what else would you expect, we are travelling down a canyon to a river.It all adds to the anticipation , then you see the river and the rafts and the fun begins !!Our guide Tyler was informative,witty and made the trip very enjoyable. The trip down river was exhilarating ,we were bounced about,soaked and had the greatest experience and the best possible memories and tales to tell from our trip.A great day, really glad I did it and am now looking to do another one in my own country.I would recommend t.

In October my Aunty and I went on this very exciting adventure. The bus ride down to the bottom of the canyon was great, being on the dirt bumpy road was all part of the awesome adventure and we would not want it any other way. There was 8 on our raft and our guide. The trip down Colorado River in the Canyon was the best experience. Our guide Tyler was unreal, he was so full of knowledge and all he cared about was our safety but also made sure each and everyone of us had an awesome experience. There was great opportunity for photo taking as the scenery was spectacular and impressive, we stopped for a picnic lunch and for a small hike to a waterfall. I would do the whole tour again in a heartbeat.. Nicole

My husband and I took this rafting trip in middle of October. Booked thru "Let's Go Tours". We had a 4:00 am pick up at the Vegas resort for a 3.00 hour drive to the Indian Reservation in Arizona. Once at the reservation, another 45 min or so ride to the bottom of the canyon by van. That ride to the bottom was a very bumpy dirt road. Many people have complained on Trip Advisor about the ride, but I didn't mind it at all. There were 6 on our raft including our guide Tyler, who was absolutely fantastic. He was very friendly and knowledgeable and also very serious about safety. Apparently I had not done my research on the Colorado River in the Canyon as I was surprised to see the water was rushing muddy brown. However the water was nice, not dirty muddy. There is no paddling involved. The rafts do have 40 hp motors on them. We went thru a total of 8 rapids. 3 were smaller, I'm told a scale 3 or 4. 5 were larger and longer in duration scale of 6 to 7. YOU WILL GET SOAKED & COLD. The water is 45 degrees all year round. The days were still hot during our visit, so we were able to dry off and get warm pretty fast. We stopped at a waterfall which was very nice. Had to climb a few rocks and rope ladders to get there, but it was well worth it. There was plenty of time smooth sailing, great for picture taking. Views were breathtaking. Stopped along the way for a picnic lunch of ham sandwich, chips, grapes and soda/water. Perfect for what we were doing. We were on the raft for about 5 hours. Once the rafting was done, we were taken by helicopter back to the top of the canyon to meet our van. About an 8 min helicopter ride. If the winds are too strong the helicopters cannot fly, so the alternate would be to take the raft to Lake Meade which would add about an hour to your trip. We were back at the resort EXHAUSTED by 6 pm. I would bring the following items with you: water proof jacket, water shoes or sneakers with treads, sunglasses with string, hat with string, sunblock, dry box for camera/phone, I wish I would have brought goggles to go over my sunglasses. I couldn't see a thing during the rapids, a change of clothes, also cash for tipping the guide and driver if you desire. A woman on our raft had a "Go Pro" camera that the guide mounted to the raft for the rapids. Boy I hope she emails me the video I am sure its a hoot! This was our first rafting experience and I would highly recommend it. Have fun and hang on for dear life!!!!

In July 2014 we were on this trip as part of a Road Scholar trip for Grandparents and Grandchildren (8-12). I can't improve on the descriptions already written. They describe our experiences well-except there was no husband who fell into our boat!! Our guide, Andre, and a lady bus driver were both very helpful and experienced. Our granddaughters looked forward to this trip from Christmas to July and still remember it with enthusiastic gratitude! I can add that the bumpy 37 mile trip in a school bus was part of the fun with kids aboard. Our guides explained that the driver would respond with more bumps if they squealed and laughed, but would take the smoothest part of the road if they were quiet. Do I need to say we laughed all the way down?

We went on this trip October 4, 2014 and had an absolutely phenomenal time. Both husband and daughter enjoyed it all. It was a scary but great ride through the rapids with incredible views. We walked up to a waterfall and ate lunch alongside the canyon. The staff at the hotel was amazing and the river runners were definitely well prepared and trained. Everyone we spoke to that went, loved it no matter what the age. I recommend it for anyone but young children.

We did this tour in September, 2014, and it was a little over 100 degrees out. We had called ahead and gotten a whole list of things to bring and what to be prepared for, and so we were in good shape with quick dry clothing, hats, and sunglasses on lanyards so we didn't lose them. Many of the complaints I see on this site, and from those I met that day were because of not being prepared and not from the rafting itself. The ride to the canyon completely sucks, but there's no real way around it. Primitive roads with tons of rock, and our van driver did an amazing job navigating roads that had been washed out only days earlier. There's really only one way in and out of the canyon, so no matter how you drive down there, it's a really bumpy ride.Our guide, Ted, was personable and gave us a lot of Native American history. He answered all our questions and gave us a great ride through the rapids. The water is FREEZING (maybe 50 degrees) but you dry off so fast with the heat that it's a welcome reprieve. It was a bumpy ride in the rapids, but so much fun and getting soaked is the whole point, isn't it? The people who complain about getting wet should do the river taxi option that is offered and skip this tour.Lunch is a sandbar with really no shade, but it gave us a chance to reapply sunblock (BRING A TON OF IT, YOU'RE GOING TO FRY OTHERWISE), and relax before the beautiful slow and calm ride to the end of the tour. The lunch is a kind sad sandwich with chips and soda/water, but it was a welcome refueling stop. Best advice is to eat a big breakfast to keep you going all day!Helicopter ride out of the canyon is short, and easy, and overall this was a REALLY long day but so much fun. Make sure you bring money with you to tip the river guide, and put anything you want to take with you in Ziploc bags. I had money, chapstick, and sunblock in my pockets, and our camera in one of the dry packs they have on the boat, so it was readily accessible. You really can't take pictures while on the rapids anyway so it was no big deal not to have it in hand for that part of the trip. You might want to bring something to clean off your sunglasses (we just used our shirts).It's a lot of money for the trip, but was worth every penny. Best bet is to not make plans for that night, because this is a long day in the sun and you'll be exhausted. BEST views of the canyon, though! We swallowed so much river water on the rapids because we were open-mouthed looking at the sights. Overall, a really great experience!

This is just the most breathtaking thing you can do. The sheer scale and size of the canyon is all the more impressive from in the river! The day trip is great, helpful staff and the rapids are great fun too! Two things that weren't particularly good were the communication. The meeting time was not specified clearly and we received three different meeting times!! Two top tips: Make sure you bring warm clothes (it can be surprisingly chilly if it's cloudy) Be prepared for some long waiting times, it's logistically quite difficult I imagine to run something like this seamlessly so be prepared to wait in between! If you're only going there once - do this trip!!!!!!

Cannot say enough about this day trip. Totally worth the price. We drove almost 3 hours from Sedona, Az for this day trip so It was a full day for the 4 of us but we all agreed in the end, totally worth it! Just was others state, you start off the a bus ride down a primitive road and at times feel like you're on a run a way bus. When you reach the bottom of the canyon you'll find your rafts and guide ready for you. Our guide was Larry and he was great. This was his first year as a guide but he was fun, informative and ready to handle whatever came his way (engine trouble). But that didn't matter...all the guides worked together and looked out for one another. They all seemed friendly and ready to show everyone a good time. The rapids were such a blast. You will get very wet!! The hike up into the falls was so amazing. Lunch was a sandwich, grapes, snacks and plenty to drink throughout the day. Not stingy at all!! The rapids continued to thrill us all (7 people on our raft). Once we hit all the rapids, the smooth ride was nice and relaxing. Larry stopped the boat at one point so we could all jump in the river and swim. It was so much fun! He helped us back inside the boat which wasn't easy but he managed!! At the end of the river ride we waited for our helicopter ride out of the canyon. We had read about the wait and how long it can be. There were others waiting for their tour (booked with sundance tours) but we only waited about 20-25 minutes or so. Once on the helicopter, our ride was about 7-8 minutes long which in my opinion was just long enough. Amazing views but still a little scary but so glad I did it!! Really the best day back. Diane our van driver who drives you back to the lodge was professional and very nice to chat with. It's a long drive back to the lodge and we still needed to drive back to Sedona but even with that, we still all agreed it was the best day! We tipped our guide as well as our driver but they were not pushy at all (like other companies can be). And everyone was so nice and friendly. Highly recommend this!! You will not be sorry!

We went on our rafting trip on Sunday Sept. 7th and had a great experience. It was a cloudy day but managed to dodge most of the raindrops! Andre was our guide and was very knowledgeable. He took the rapids head-on to make the best out of each one! Helicopter ride was amazing!The trip back to the lodge hit a couple of road bumps but everyone handled it very professionally. One gentleman in our group hit his head when entering the copter and needed to get stitches. Rain delayed the return of some of the van drivers, and the first van to arrive prioritized getting him taken care of! Our van back to the lodge got stuck between 2 wash-outs due to the heavy monsoon downpours, and our driver-Gina- was in constant communication with other drivers and the management of the rafting co. to get us all back safely and as quick as possible.We met some amazing people on this trip! It was an absolute blast!

my self and three other elderly ladys went on a one day river rafting trip on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.All the staff was very helpful. The ride was no milk run, but our guide Tyler was excellent in running the rapids. We had a great time. Thanks to everyone connected with the Hualapai River Runners that help us on this trip, you were all wonderful!!!

This is a great adventure. Ted was our tour guide.. great wealth of information. He mentioned his great grandparents living along the walls of canyon.. and told family stories from long ago. Loved this local information. He was kind to provide bottled water throughout trip and nice lunch along rocks of canyon. The ride is rough and there were several class 6 rapids. My husband lost his hold and fell into the boat.. glad it wasnt out of the boat.. So be prepared its a little rough at times, but you feel safe.. Boat is substancial and guide experienced. Several seniors on this trip! The walk up to helicopter is steep and difficult, esp in 111 degree August weather. We had to wait for about 35 minutes for helicopter, as the place was crowded. Great way to see the Canyon! Ride in on school bus to bottom of canyon is a bit rough, but overall worthwhile..

What a terrific day we had on the mighty Colorado River! Diane, Melissa Nd Angeline were terrific! The morning runs through the rapid were at first frightening and then exhilarating. Our hike in the waterfall, using ropes and rope ladder made it more interesting if a journey. The afternoon float and the other people we met in the boat were fun and easy to be with. Helicopter transport also a highlight. Lunch was just ok, bus rides were long and unpleasant but worth it. I would bring along fruit and a big hat for the afternoon!

Had a awesome time. You get soaking wet but dry off quickly. It is cold water but bearable. If u book this trip tell them you want the guide Matt aka whitefang. He makes more stops than the other guides he tells the history abt a lot of stuff. Points out a lot of land marks. The other guides didn't do much of that for the other groups. We also stopped and jumped off cliff in the water which was a lot of fun.