Canyon REO News

Winter Trip Availability

October 12, 2011

While fall and spring trips remain the priority of many seeking launch dates, winter trips have become increasingly popular over the years. With (sometimes) surprisingly mild weather launching a winter trip is no longer just for the Alaskans.

Keep your eye on the cancellation lotteries and give us a call with any questions. Remember that there are steep discounts on gear for these trips. Look forward to hearing from you!

Self Support Kayak Trips

September 28, 2011

There has been a lot of chatter recently about self support kayaks trips in the Grand Canyon. In our eyes this is a great way to experience a Canyon trip, especially with a short notice cancellation permit. REO can provide a number of shuttle options that are designed specifically for self support kayak trips. Give us a call to talk about which option works best for your group.

Canyon REO on Facebook

June 3, 2011

Check out our Facebook! A great way to get to know us through photos and stories. Like us on Facebook.

Share stories about your trips, read testimonials, and ask us questions all on our Wall. We'd love to hear from you now that we're a part of the social network!

Canyon REO Videos on YouTube

August 6, 2010

Check out our videos on You Tube. The first one is a great introduction to Canyon REO and the services we provide. Meet Canyon REO.

We also took our Orientation video and broke it down into 12 segments. These videos outline our systems and are packed with helpful information to make your trip run smoothly. Topics covered include Food, Toilets, Water, Emergencies, Kitchen, Boat Maintenance, Critters, and Camp Systems. Start at the Welcome Video and work your way through all 12 of them.

Diamond Creek Road Condition Report

August 3, 2009

Drivers on Diamond Creek Road are experiencing some monsoon-related washouts and flash flooding, but the Hualapai Tribe is repairing the road as needed by regrading.

At its best, this road is rough; we recommend that you only attempt this road with a high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle, and be prepared for less-than-optimal road conditions. At its worst, the road becomes impassable, and may be closed for hours or even days at a time.

Call Hualapai River Runners 928-769-2219 or 929-769-2210 for up-to-the-minute information, or our office at 928-774-3377.

Havasu Flood and Canyon REO’s Mythical Rafts

Monsoon rain created a major flash flood in the Canyon a year ago, in August 2008. News of the flood hit Flagstaff television that night, and to our surprise we were staring at a group of 16 people we had dropped off at Lee’s Ferry days earlier. This particular group had arranged for Canyon REO’s All-Inclusive Deluxe package, with five 18’ rafts.

During a routine lunch break and hike at Havasu, the group was relaxing on the rocks, when a roaring thunder shook the canyon walls. They turned to each other, puzzled since there was not a cloud in the sky. The roaring became constant and increasingly loud. The sixteen river runners looked up just in time to see the wall of water rush through into the main Colorado. What had been a creek they could jump over was now a roaring torrent of water separating and stranding the party.

The rafts had been tied both to each other, and to the shore by one of the boats middle D rings, just below the oar tower. The raging impact of the uncontrolled water slammed into the tied rafts, causing the D-ring to blow off, releasing the rafts from shore, and sending them into a very muddy Colorado.

A cold overnight camp on the rocks with no supplies was what our group was now facing. They had only the clothes they were wearing, personal Nalgene bottles, and minimal leftovers from lunch. They were trapped, forcing an evacuation the next morning via Blackhawk helicopter. All were taken to the Red Cross in Peach Springs that next morning. Other river runners had already begun to find boats which had now come apart from one another, tying them up, and calling the park service, only to have the knots come undone and the rafts lost once again before any rescue mission could take place.

The park service spent that next day locating the rafts and towing them to Diamond Creek where we met them to retrieve our gear. Eerily, four of the boats remained upright and seemingly untouched. Maps were still open, sitting untied on top of kitchen boxes and coolers. Hats were lying on the boats; straps were undone and partially de-rigged from the lunch stop. All that was lost was a duckie paddle and few other random items!

All five boats were picked up between Havasu and Tequila Beach (just past Lava Falls). One of our rafts ‘ghost floated’ though Lava Falls and stayed upright. Since then, these particular rafts have become major celebrities among employees. The river gods were with our group and our boats that day, allowing all involved to come out with nothing but stories to tell. If you are interesting in renting the magical Havasu fleet, just let us know. The Black Pearl, Zambezi, Hells Gate, Potomac and old Stills are waiting to give you the ride of your life. (But if anyone tells you that Canyon REO has boats that row themselves don’t believe them!)