Alternatives to Rafting the Grand Canyon

17 million years old, and the Grand Canyon’s still selling out like a young rockstar.

Western River Expeditions recently announced that all of its rafting slots for 2019 have been claimed. Hamstrung by limited permits and high demand, the guides unfortunately have to cap their list of bookings extremely early.

Fortunately for us, though, they’ve imparted some insider info on how to secure a worthy alternative.

western (3 images)

Western Expeditions offers Grand Canyon-like adventures in Cataract Canyon and Desolation Canyon. Located just south of Moab, Cataract covers four days and 100 miles through Canyonlands National Park. Expect Class III-V whitewater, a Native American ruin or two and literally the same water (it’s the Colorado River) that you’d encounter a state farther south. Desolation, meanwhile, offers 88 miles of Class II-III rapids in Moab, with a heavy sideshow of ancient dinosaur habitats. If either of those does it for you, you’d be wise to jump on bookings now.

And if your heart is dead set on rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, make sure to hound Western River’s website at 10AM EST, November 15th, when slots for the 2020 season will be made available.

FYI: cancellations for the 2019 Grand Canyon season could happen — make sure to follow Western on social here.

All images from Western Expeditions

Meet your guide

Tanner Garrity

Tanner Garrity is a senior editor at InsideHook, where he’s covered wellness, travel, sports and pop culture since 2017. He also authors The Charge, InsideHook’s weekly wellness newsletter. Beyond the newsroom, he can usually be found running, skating, reading, writing fiction or playing tennis. He lives in Brooklyn.