History & Overview (Under Construction)
Colorado River Through Grand Canyon National Park
The modern float on the Colorado River though GCNP begins at Lee's Ferry, approximately 15 river miles below Glen Canyon Dam. From the put-in the river travels 225 miles to the first available take-out at Diamond Creek. Boaters have the option of traveling another 71 miles to South Cove on Lake Mead (and will have the chance soon to use a refurbished take-out at Pierce Ferry near RM 279). Within those two hundred plus miles is found one of those most coveted whitewater adventures in the world.
Life Below the Dam
Beginning in 1963 the waters of the Colorado River began filling Lake Powell behind Glen Canyon Dam. The 710 foot concrete structure forever changed life downriver; thermal and flood regimes that defined the course of the river for centuries were altered in way that would affect how both boatman and resource managers interacted with the environment.
The Colorado was once a warm, silt-laden river that deposited sand and debris along benches and eddies. Its behavior affected every organism in its ecosystem, including some of the most endangered species of fish in the west. Now, water sucked from the bottom of Lake Powell shoots out clear and cold (roughly 50F year round). For boatman this means year round concerns of hypothermia, fewer beaches for campsites, and dam/hydroelectric regulated flows. On an average day the flows in the Grand Canyon can change as much as 10,000 cfs, or several vertical feet. Oscillations this large require unusual techniques to secure personal rafts to avoid both floating away and being stranded on beaches.
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Graph: pre-dam & post-dam temperatures. USGS graph: normal post-dam winter flow regime
Whitewater & Rapids Photo: © Copyright 2009 Blake Tennet
The Grand Canyon is known for its many big water rapids, rated uniquely from 1-10. Each rapid is dynamic, changing with time and fluctuations in river flow. Some of the most respected rapids include:
House Rock (4-6): First Big Rapid encountered
The Roaring Twenties: ten plus miles of fairly continuous rapids
Hance (7-8): Long & hydraulic filled
Hermit (7-8): Massive wave train, most common place to flip
Crystal (7-10): The Hole of legends and nightmares
Lava Falls (8-10): The most celebrated rapid & the place of carnage
This incomplete list represents the most commonly whispered names in Grand Canyon whitewater lure. Dam releases, floods, rock slides, personal experience, and fatigue can all conspire to make any of the 80-plus rapids in the canyon risky and flippable. Every mile of the river offers its own challenges and chance for excitement.
Winter Conditions
