OARS Grand Canyon Rafting Trips and Hiking Tours

Compare Grand Canyon Rafting Trips and Hiking Tours with OARS and more!

When it comes to experiencing — not just seeing — the Grand Canyon, no one does it better than the Adventure Collection’s member company O.A.R.S. Founder George Wendt first rafted through this legendary American heartland four decades ago; and in 1969, O.A.R.S. became the first exclusively oar-powered rafting company permitted to operate trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

Since then, O.A.R.S. has gained unparalleled expertise conducting non-motorized trips down the canyon’s lifeblood, the Colorado River. The company’s thoughtful itineraries allow for a laid-back pace, giving you time to soak up the enormity of the canyon’s character. Because the number of travelers on these Grand Canyon tours is strictly limited, you’re sure to enjoy the best possible, least crowded river adventure around. What’s more, you can choose between two means to these incredible ends: eighteen-foot, neoprene rafts; or seventeen-foot, hard-hulled dories.

Because rafts are inflatable, they ride on top of the water and have a certain amount of give to them; therefore, when a large wave hits, rafts tend to flex and roll over the rapids. Sleek and elegant, dories are made of fiberglass, wood, and foam. Their hard hulls have no give; so when a large wave comes, dories are lifted — providing a more pronounced, up-and-down ride through the whitewater.

Whichever watercraft you choose for your adventure in the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River will convey you through places such as Marble Canyon, where half a billion years’ worth of Paleozoic rock will unveil layer upon layer of textures and hues. Spots such as Blacktail Canyon will engulf you with looming, ribbon-fluted walls, while the blue-green pools of Havasu Canyon will refresh your soul.

You won’t be spending all your time in a boat, however. You’ll hike through side canyons with inviting spring-fed streams and Native American ruins whose petroglyphs will tell you ancient stories. Bighorn sheep, coyotes, deer, ringtails, and a variety of birds from raptors to waterfowl will speak to you in languages you will come to understand.

Don’t just see the Grand Canyon. Go into it, get wet, and let its power carry you away.

Browse our full selection of OARS Grand Canyon rafting trips and hiking tours below.