Grand Canyon Whitewater trips offer two modes of transportation and each has its unique advantages. Our motorized rafting trips are the most popular. Our guests have told us that they like the comfort of the motor boat, the safety of its size and strength and the opportunity it provides to socialize with the greatest number of people at one time. Oar-powered trips are for those who want their Colorado River rafting experience to be more personal, more “one with the river.”

Motorized rafts are 35 feet long and hold around 14 passengers and 2 guides. The guides drive the boat from the back (or stern). Motorized rafts allow people to see more of the Canyon because they can go about double the speed of the current. We aren’t talking major speed here; the current averages about 4 miles per hour, so we cruise along at 8 miles per hour. The motor boats give passengers a fun and exciting ride. You can choose to sit up at the front and be right in the action or move towards the back to dry off and have a less wild ride. 8 years old is the minimum age for a motorized rafting trip.

Oar-powered rafts are different. Many people confuse oar-powered rafts with paddle rafts, which are a small rubber raft on which everyone has their own paddle and is expected to help propel and steer the raft. Oar-powered rafts, the kind we use, are 18 feet long and carry up to 5 passengers and one guide to row the raft. The guide sits in the middle and has two long wooden oars to steer the raft through the river and rapids. The raft will float along at the speed of the current, about 4 miles per hour. For this reason, oar-powered trips are typically longer, unless you choose to do only half of the trip, and either hike into or out of the Grand Canyon. 12 years old is the minimum age for an oar-powered rafting trip.