Grand Canyon Complete 

Depart Flagstaff early for your scenic drive through northern Arizona. Our destination will be the South Rim of Grand Canyon for a scenic day hike, viewpoints and a picnic lunch. We will choose a classic trail and venture more than a thousand feet below the rim to soak up the majestic views and tranquil wilderness. After the hike we will rest our legs while we take in remarkable vistas including the many colorful layers of the Painted Desert, Little Colorado River Gorge, and Vermilion Cliffs before arriving at Marble Canyon. We will have a chance to get cleaned up before a relaxing dinner at the lodge.

Drive Time: 1.5 hours to South Rim, then 1.5 hours to Marble Canyon

Distance & Elevation: ~6 miles, 1500 foot descent/ascent

Light Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early breakfast we are off for a full day of exploring. Buckskin Gulch is the longest slot canyon in the world. Our access is via another, even narrower canyon where the sculpted sandstone walls are often only a few feet wide. Arriving in Buckskin, the canyon walls now tower 150 feet overhead and widen to about 20 feet. We will spend a few hours exploring this serpentine labyrinth admiring nature’s wondrous creation. If time permits later in the day, we will head to a wonderful expanse of sculpted rocks unknown to most visitors. This otherworldly landscape is unlike anything you’ve seen. After another great day of exploring, it’s back to the lodge for showers and dinner, and perhaps some evening stargazing.

Drive Time: 2 hours roundtrip

Distance & Elevation: ~8 miles, minimal elevation change

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today’s journey will begin early as we drive to the 9000ft Kaibab Plateau and Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Numerous hiking trails offer opportunities to get below the rim or visit isolated viewpoints away from the crowds. We will spend time venturing below the rim as well as exploring remote vistas. If time permits, we will stop by the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, a spectacular example of turn-of-the-century architecture perched right on the rim. Regardless of the exact itinerary, we will spend a full day exploring this remarkable area.

Drive Time: 3 hours roundtrip

Distance & Elevation: ~6 to 10 miles, up to 1500 foot descent/ascent

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

May & June Departures: Today we will pack up and be on our way after breakfast. We then meet our raft guides for a float trip on the Colorado River through stunning Glen Canyon. This flat-water stretch of river features 2000 foot cliffs of red Navajo sandstone, ancient rock art and epic views of Glen Canyon Dam. Our river tour begins and ends at Lee’s Ferry, the official beginning of Grand Canyon. At the conclusion of the float trip, we will begin our drive back to Flagstaff.

September, October, & November Departures: After a final breakfast at the lodge and checking out, we are off for one more day of adventuring. We will drive to nearby Lee’s Ferry, the historic river crossing that marks the geographic beginning of Grand Canyon. Our hike entails a 2-mile, steep ascent to the top of the Echo Cliffs, gaining 1800 feet in elevation. The jaw-dropping views from the top will leave you breathless: the sinuous Glen Canyon to the north and Marble Canyon to the south. Then it’s back down to Lee’s Ferry for lunch by the banks of the Colorado River and some final sightseeing before the journey home.

Drive Time: 2.5 hours total

Breakfast, Lunch

• A professional, licensed and medically trained guide
• All necessary gear: day pack, trekking poles, traction devices (for icy conditions)
• Three nights lodge accommodations in Marble Canyon
• All meals from a light breakfast on Day 1 through lunch on the last day + trail snacks
• Roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Flagstaff, AZ
• Park entrance fees
• 5% National Park Service Commercial Fee (a required fee that passes through to Grand Canyon National Park)

• Transportation to/from Flagstaff, AZ
• Lodging the night before/after the trip
• Clothing, raingear, and footwear
• Personal toiletries, sunscreen
• Water bottles/hydration bladder
• Headlamp or flashlight
• Guide gratuity (suggested 10-20% of trip cost)

*Upon booking you will receive a detailed trip information packet

Most hiking trips in Grand Canyon will accommodate 6 people plus one guide. On occasion, a group may be as large as 9 people plus 2 guides.

Children under the age of 12 are generally not permitted on regularly scheduled trips. This restriction may be negotiable on private tours. Please contact us with any questions regarding this policy.

In order to confirm a reservation, we require an initial deposit of $250 per person, with the final balance due 90 days prior to the trip’s departure. If you book a trip within 90 days of the trip’s scheduled departure, then full payment is due at the time of booking.

Once we confirm availability, you will be provided with an online registration link. Your deposit is payable online by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or ACH transfer.

This trip will begin/end in Flagstaff, AZ and you will need to spend the night prior to your trip’s scheduled departure in Flagstaff. You will want to fly into either Phoenix (2 hour drive) or Flagstaff.

Your guide will pick you up at your Flagstaff hotel the morning of your trip’s scheduled departure, at a pre-determined time. Most trips depart between 6am and 8am. We strongly recommend staying at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff the night prior to departure, where we have arranged discounted rates for our guests.

You will receive an orientation email approximately 5 days pror to your trip’s departure with last-minute details and helpful information.

We will provide all transportation to/from trailheads for the duration of the trip. We will pick you up at your hotel in Flagstaff and return you there at the trip’s conclusion. Guests staying at the Little America Hotel (recommended) can leave their cars at the hotel. The hotels will often store your luggage for you, as well. If not, we are happy to store extra luggage at our warehouse for the duration of the trip. If you are staying at a different hotel, you will need to check with them as to whether you can leave your car there.

Expect to be back in Flagstaff by 5pm at the latest on the last day of the trip. Many trips will return earlier but we cannot make any guarantees. In general, it is recommended that you do not plan to fly home on the same day your trip finishes. Since each trip has slightly different logistics, feel free to contact us with specific questions related to the expected return time for your trip.