RV & Camping Products from Camco: Sewer T Adapter, Pocket Saw, Mosquito Coil Holder, Laundry Reel & Tent Whisk
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General RV Center to hire 150 new employees
“We’re proud to be known as one of the best employers in the industry, which is how we’ve been able to build, retain, and continually grow our talented General RV family,” said Loren Baidas, General RV’s president. “We invest in our employees by providing industry-leading compensation and training, and we’re eager to add new members to our team.”
Of the 150 new positions, approximately 100 will be located at Michigan’s six General RV locations in Birch Run, Brownstown, Mt. Clemens, Wayland, White Lake and Wixom.
General RV is seeking sales representatives, financial services managers, RV technicians, service writers, porters, support staff, and administrators to fill these open positions.
“Even if we don’t have the exact position an applicant is searching for, we welcome talented job-seekers to contact us and explore potential opportunities,” said Corey Burns, recruiting manager at General RV. “The recreational vehicle industry, and specifically General RV Center, offers career options that many are not aware of. In addition to our store-level associates, our corporate team is comprised of extremely talented individuals whose skills range from digital media and marketing to IT and accounting, to name a few. Due to its zero-debt model, our company has historically been very stable and is a great career choice.”
For more information about our benefits package, most popular positions and current job openings, visit GeneralRV.com/about/careers. The new positions will be posted online over the coming months.
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Go Deeper into the National Parks with Eight New REI Adventures Signature Camp Vacations
(Source: REI Adventures) Throughout REI Adventures' nearly 30-year history, the national parks have been the backdrop of life-changing adventures for its guests. With already the broadest national parks offerings of any active travel company, REI Adventures is expanding its popular REI Signature Camping assortment beyond Zion and Bryce Canyon. Eight new adventures now await solo travelers, couples, friends and families in Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain and Yosemite national parks.
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REI Signature Camping is a deluxe experience, where camp is a destination rather than an activity. Complete with an oversized REI tent for each couple or solo traveler, there is plenty of room to spread out. Tents are outfitted with REI cots, REI plush sleeping pads, floor coverings, lighting and more. A community area with comfy furniture, hammocks, covered dining area, outdoor games and twinkle lights set a fun atmosphere as guests reflect on their day. Thoughtful extras include French press coffee delivered to tents every morning, hearty meals that highlight regional cuisine, and appetizers and beverages that await guests' arrival in camp. Where available, camps have bathrooms with running water, showers and flush toilets. Where not available, personal hygiene kits and access to campground bathroom facilities are provided.
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REI Signature Camping is a deluxe experience, where camp is a destination rather than an activity. Complete with an oversized REI tent for each couple or solo traveler, there is plenty of room to spread out. Tents are outfitted with REI cots, REI plush sleeping pads, floor coverings, lighting and more. A community area with comfy furniture, hammocks, covered dining area, outdoor games and twinkle lights set a fun atmosphere as guests reflect on their day. Thoughtful extras include French press coffee delivered to tents every morning, hearty meals that highlight regional cuisine, and appetizers and beverages that await guests' arrival in camp. Where available, camps have bathrooms with running water, showers and flush toilets. Where not available, personal hygiene kits and access to campground bathroom facilities are provided."REI Signature Camping is the perfect combination of exceptional gear, knowledgeable guides and active exploration where our guests are immersed into the destination," says Cynthia Dunbar, general manager of REI Adventures. "Our trips are truly one-of-a kind experiences. For example, our Utah National Park Ultimate Adventure explores five national parks in the state, including Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion."
New trips include:
Arizona Ultimate Adventure – Grand Canyon & Beyond
Arizona's defining geologic feature is surely its breathtaking canyons of every shape and size. This landscape is the backdrop of an eight-day hiking and kayaking adventure that begins with two days in the Grand Canyon. Explorers kayak the emerald-colored waters of Lake Powell and explore Antelope Canyon, a magnificent sandstone slot canyon. The itinerary visits the towering monoliths of Monument Valley and wraps up in mysterious Canyon de Chelly National Monument where a local Navajo guide enlightens guests on the history of the canyon and cultures that thrived here over the centuries.
Arizona Ultimate Adventure – Grand Canyon & Beyond
Arizona's defining geologic feature is surely its breathtaking canyons of every shape and size. This landscape is the backdrop of an eight-day hiking and kayaking adventure that begins with two days in the Grand Canyon. Explorers kayak the emerald-colored waters of Lake Powell and explore Antelope Canyon, a magnificent sandstone slot canyon. The itinerary visits the towering monoliths of Monument Valley and wraps up in mysterious Canyon de Chelly National Monument where a local Navajo guide enlightens guests on the history of the canyon and cultures that thrived here over the centuries.
Great Smoky Mountains Adventure
The Smokies have the distinction of being America's most visited park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. By day, visitors explore the old growth forest along the classic Appalachian Trail and picturesque viewpoints that many hikers dream about. By night, the forest comes alive during hikes to experience fireflies, bioluminescent foxfire and owls. After three days of hiking, the group's final adrenaline-pumping day includes zip-lining between mountain tops, followed by whitewater rafting down the Nantahala River. A Great Smoky Mountains Family Adventure is also available.
The Smokies have the distinction of being America's most visited park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. By day, visitors explore the old growth forest along the classic Appalachian Trail and picturesque viewpoints that many hikers dream about. By night, the forest comes alive during hikes to experience fireflies, bioluminescent foxfire and owls. After three days of hiking, the group's final adrenaline-pumping day includes zip-lining between mountain tops, followed by whitewater rafting down the Nantahala River. A Great Smoky Mountains Family Adventure is also available.
Rocky Mountain National Park Adventure
Over six days, guests have an immersive experience through this park well-known for its alpine lakes carved into rugged mountain peaks. They hike along meadows and tranquil lakes contrasted by massive rock formations formed by glaciers. Mid-way through the trip, the group sets off on a whitewater adventure on the Cache la Poudre, Colorado's only designated "Wild and Scenic River" for an exhilarating change of pace. A scenic drive follows on Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the America, and a hike that crosses the Continental Divide Trail. A family itinerary of this adventure is available, including young guests taking part in the Junior Ranger program.
Over six days, guests have an immersive experience through this park well-known for its alpine lakes carved into rugged mountain peaks. They hike along meadows and tranquil lakes contrasted by massive rock formations formed by glaciers. Mid-way through the trip, the group sets off on a whitewater adventure on the Cache la Poudre, Colorado's only designated "Wild and Scenic River" for an exhilarating change of pace. A scenic drive follows on Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the America, and a hike that crosses the Continental Divide Trail. A family itinerary of this adventure is available, including young guests taking part in the Junior Ranger program.
Utah National Parks Ultimate Adventure
REI's Utah trip is a comprehensive itinerary through five of Utah's national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion. Over nine days, guests stay at four deluxe camps while they hike through awe-inspiring landscapes sculpted over thousands of years by the powerful forces of erosion. Highlights include learning about ancient cultures that once called the region their home, visiting the ruins of an ancestral Puebloan village, witnessing the mighty Colorado River, and deciphering the meaning of Newspaper Rock's petroglyphs.
REI's Utah trip is a comprehensive itinerary through five of Utah's national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion. Over nine days, guests stay at four deluxe camps while they hike through awe-inspiring landscapes sculpted over thousands of years by the powerful forces of erosion. Highlights include learning about ancient cultures that once called the region their home, visiting the ruins of an ancestral Puebloan village, witnessing the mighty Colorado River, and deciphering the meaning of Newspaper Rock's petroglyphs.
Yosemite Hiking & Camping
From the iconic granite peaks of Yosemite Valley to the wildflower carpeted meadows of the High Country, this six-day hiking adventure includes taking in the best views of El Capitan, navigating 600 stone steps down to the 317-foot Vernal Falls, experiencing Tuolumne Grove's giant sequoias, and tackling Yosemite's second highest peak, Mount Dana. On evening hikes, guests witness the alpenglow on the High Sierra peaks, also known as John Muir's "Range of Light," panoramic views of Lembert Dome and more. REI's Yosemite Family Adventure, also six days, will impart a lifelong appreciation of the national parks among young travelers.
From the iconic granite peaks of Yosemite Valley to the wildflower carpeted meadows of the High Country, this six-day hiking adventure includes taking in the best views of El Capitan, navigating 600 stone steps down to the 317-foot Vernal Falls, experiencing Tuolumne Grove's giant sequoias, and tackling Yosemite's second highest peak, Mount Dana. On evening hikes, guests witness the alpenglow on the High Sierra peaks, also known as John Muir's "Range of Light," panoramic views of Lembert Dome and more. REI's Yosemite Family Adventure, also six days, will impart a lifelong appreciation of the national parks among young travelers.
Honoring the Centennial
As the "Official Outdoor Retailer" for the National Park Centennial celebration, REI is donating 10 percent of the retail price for each REI Adventures' national park trip to the National Park Foundation through 2016. With the addition of the new Signature Camp itineraries, REI Adventures now offers more than 45 trips to national parks.
About REI Adventures
Award-winning REI Adventures has been a global leader in worldwide guided active adventure programs since 1987. The company offers unique itineraries focused on sustainable, human-powered outdoor adventure including hiking, biking, kayaking, climbing and more. Guests will experience iconic destinations as guides take them off the "beaten path" and provide opportunities to explore a destination, get to know the local people, their culture, the flora and fauna and discover things they would not be able to duplicate on their own or with another travel company. REI members receive a special discount price on most trips. For more information, full itineraries and trip reviews provided by guests, visit http://www.rei.com/adventures.↧
RV Videos: Entegra Cornerstone, Heartland RV Plant Tour, Leisure Travel Vans Unity Twin Bed, & Open Range Ultra Lite
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Gone with the Wynns videos: Eliminating Graywater, Alaska Fishing, Gas vs Diesel, Glacier Hike,
Jason and Nikki Wynn are a couple of perpetual travelers, RVers and modern day documentarians. Their RV is the home of their discoveries and adventures, all depicting the unscripted tale of the quirky couple who traded in everyday life to satisfy their wear-out-your-shoes sense of adventure. Visit their website.
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Reese Towing videos: How to Select & Set Up a Weight Distribution Hitch & RV Towing
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RV Travel videos: Escaping an RV fire, Getting prescriptions filled, Beautiful (but tacky) Niagara Falls, Specialty RV licenses & Foldable boats
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Top RV Parks for Fishing by the Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide
The RV parks featured below provide guests with great angling opportunities on rivers, lakes or off ocean coasts. Some parks provide boat fishing, others offer fish-rich shorelines. Need to replenish your fishing supplies? Some parks even offer tackle and bait services.
The editors and consultants of the Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide chose the list of Top Fishing Parks from the annual publication’s database of more than 7,000 private parks.
Top Fishing RV Parks
AlaskaEagle's Rest RV Park & Cabins, Valdez
Arizona
Willow Beach Marina & RV Park, Willow Beach
California
Mad River Rapids RV Park, Arcata
Rio Bend RV & Golf Resort, El Centro
Florida
Pleasant Lake RV Resort, Bradenton
Chokoloskee Island Park , Chokoloskee (see video above)
Upriver RV Resort, Fort Myers
Live Oak Landing, Freeport
Rainbow RV Resort, Frostproof
North Lake Estates RV Resort, Moore Haven
Brighton RV Resort, Okeechobee
Silver Palms RV Resort, Okeechobee
Idaho
Redrock RV and Camping Park, Island Park (see video above)
Mountain Home RV Park, Mountain Home
Missouri
Basswood Resort, Platte City
North Carolina
Fort Tatham RV Park, Sylva
Oklahoma
Marval Resort, Gore
Pennsylvania
Mountain Creek Campground, Carlisle
South Dakota
Oasis Campground, Chamberlain
Texas
Spring Creek Marina & RV Park, San Angelo
Virginia
Gwynn's Island RV Resort And Campground, Gwynn
New Point RV Resort, New Point
12 Months of RVing
The 12 Months of RVing lists celebrate the diversity of the RV lifestyle. Regardless of RVing travel preferences, the Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide helps consumers find the parks that support their interests.Parks participating in this program are featured in press releases, enewsletters and blog posts. Each of the parks will have Top Parks badge in their park information page. Click here for a list of all parks included in the 12 Months of RVing.
In addition to in-depth listings of RV parks and campgrounds across North America, the Good Sam RV Travel & Savings Guide features RV lifestyle articles, travel tips, helpful maps and informative itineraries that RVers can use for a journey anywhere in North America.
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Love Your RV videos: RV Roofs & Eternabond, RV Battery Bank Upgrade &'Not So Easy RV Winterizing Kit' Installation
About Love Your RV
Three and one half years ago Ray and Anne Burr sold their home in Victoria, British Columbia, and bought a brand new fifth wheel trailer. They set off on an amazing one-year journey traveling all around the U.S. and Canada. About three months into it, they knew this was the life for them and became full timers traveling south in the winters and retreating to the north for the summers. They regularly update their blogsite of their travels and adventures.↧
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Technomadia video: Summer Travels to Alaska & Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2015
Technomadia is the "adventures and musings" of Chris Dunphy & Cherie Ve Ard. Perpetually on the road since 2006 embracing nomadic serendipity, the two are now traveling in a "geeked out vintage bus conversion" and working remotely as app developers, technology consultants and strategy advisors. The two have a great sense of humor and really know their stuff whether its technology, RVing and how to have fun.
Visit their website, follow them on Twitter, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and like their Facebook page.
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Austin Adventures Embraces 2016 National Parks Centennial
Austin Adventures Embraces 2016 National Parks Centennial With Free Travel for 4th Graders, Donations to Tourism Cares and Death Valley Conservancy
(Guest Post) Perhaps Austin Adventures’ premier claim to fame over 40-plus years is the company’s commitment to sharing the beauty and lore of America’s National Parks, celebrating a milestone in 2016 that Dan Austin, Founder and President, can’t pass up.
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(Guest Post) Perhaps Austin Adventures’ premier claim to fame over 40-plus years is the company’s commitment to sharing the beauty and lore of America’s National Parks, celebrating a milestone in 2016 that Dan Austin, Founder and President, can’t pass up.
“At Austin Adventures, National Parks are what we do best. Our homegrown guides have been leading small groups through America’s most pristine and protected lands for decades. Combine our legacy with that of Xanterra Parks and Resorts– who first hosted guests at the Grand Canyon in 1901 – and you can rest assured that when it comes to behind-the-scenes access and insider’s knowledge, our National Parks’ experience is simply unbeatable,” Austin said.
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To mark the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation and companies such as Austin Adventures (http://www.austinadventures.com/) will be lending financial and promotional support to a variety of national initiatives. Specific to Austin Adventures will be ...
4th Graders Travel FREE in 2016: The National Park Foundation and the White House are launching an Every Kid in the Park initiative whereby 4th grade students across the country have free access to National Parks throughout the 2015-2016 school year. As advocates of this program, Austin Adventures is waiving trip fees for all 4th graders traveling on any National Park adventure with them in 2016. (Offer subject to certain conditions, see: http://www.austinadventures.com/find-your-park/)
Preserve A Park Program: Since 2010 Austin Adventures has helped honor and protect “America’s Best Idea” by sending a portion of specific National Park program bookings to a designated non-profit organization dedicated to national park preservation and education. In 2016 each booking of Austin Adventures’ Death Valley National Park adventure will generate a $100 donation to The Death Valley Conservancyhttp://deathvalleyfund.com/ a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support and private funding for projects that preserve, protect or enhance Death Valley National Park by improving the area's natural, cultural and historic resources as well as the visitor experience.
In past years Austin Adventures sent checks to Glacier National Park Fund (Montana), the Yosemite Conservancy (California), Canyonlands Natural History Association (Utah), Crater Lake Natural History Association (Oregon), and Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota). In 2015 the recipient was the Grand Canyon Field Institute.
Tourism Cares, Inc.: As a participant in The Centennial Tour Operator Program for upcoming National Park Service Centennial, Austin Adventures will donate $2 from each guest booked on one of if its National Park trips in 2016. Donated funds will be used by Tourism Cares and the National Park Foundation to bring more than 1,000 industry volunteers to aid restoration projects at five National Parks engaging hundreds of companies for tens of thousands of dollars of labor and materials. The program will also help promote National Parks and will make grants directly to support park priorities and projects. Tourism Cares, Inc. is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit public charity that benefits society by, among others, preserving the travel experience for future generations by awarding grants to natural, cultural and historic sites worldwide.
Nearly a dozen National Park trips are on Austin Adventures’ 2016 schedule. All adult rates are per person, double occupancy.
- Grand Canyon National Park: 6-days/5-nights from $2,798; children from $2,238.
- Kenai Fiords National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $3,498; children from $2,798.
- Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks: 6 days/5 nights from $2,498; children from $1,998.
- Yellowstone National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $2,498; children from $1,998.
- Grand Teton National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $2,998; children from $2,398.
- Yosemite National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $3,298; children from $2,638.
- Glacier National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $2,898.
- Arches & Canyonlands National Parks: 6 days /5 nights from $2,698; children from $2,158.
- South Dakota – Black Hills (Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monuments / Wind Cave NP): 6 days/5 nights from $2,498; children from $1,998.
- California – Death Valley National Park: 5 days/4 nights from $2,598.
- Oregon – Crater Lake National Park: 6 days/5 nights from $2,798.
To receive print and or digital copies of the newly released 2016 Family Adventures and Adult Adventures catalogs, please go to: www/austinadventures.com/request-catalog/ . For more information about Austin Adventures programs in National Parks please see:http://www.austinadventures.com/national-park-vacations/. To inquire about destinations and trips or to make reservations please call (800) 575-1540 or emailinfo@austinadventures.com.
About Austin Adventures
Based in Billings, MT, Austin Adventures (formerly Austin-Lehman Adventures) has spent more than 40 years building an international reputation as a provider of scheduled small group tours and customized trips to all seven continents. In 2014, Kasey Austin, Vice President of Operations, was named the World’s Top Family Guide by Outside Magazine. In 2013, Austin Adventures joined the Xanterra Parks & Resorts® portfolio of experiential leisure offerings. Xanterra Parks & Resorts has operations in the Grand Canyon, including Grand Canyon Railway and The Grand Hotel; Yellowstone; Zion; Crater Lake; Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks; Mount Rushmore National Memorial;Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park and five Ohio State Park Lodges as well as the Geneva Marina at Ohio’s Geneva State Park. Xanterra Parks & Resorts also operates Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., Windstar Cruises, VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, and Country Walkers.↧
RV & Camping Product videos: Yeti Coolers, Lippert Sway Command & Waste Master, Camco Power Lock & Reusable Sanitation Gloves
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Trailer Life celebrates 75th anniversary in 2016
Trailer Life, North America’s best-selling magazine for RV enthusiasts, marks its 75th anniversary in 2016 with a yearlong celebration highlighting the publication’s history in each issue and featuring a special commemorative edition in July.Trailer Life launched in July 1941 as the monthly Western Trailer Life, circulated primarily in Southern California. The 18‐page debut issue sold for 10 cents and promoted the newly flourishing trailer-camping lifestyle. Five months later, bombs fell on Pearl Harbor, and the fledgling magazine extolled the virtues of deploying travel trailers as military housing. In the postwar boom of 1949, the magazine dropped Western from its name and became simply Trailer Life, reflecting a circulation that by then stretched from Canada to South America.
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RV Videos: Jayco Luxury 5th Wheels, Travel Lite Rayzr FB, Thor Compass, Forest River Surveyor
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Videos: Top 3 Reasons to Buy an Entegra Coach
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RV Education 101 videos: Kitchen Tile DIY Project, Vintage Travel Trailer & Truck Restoration Project
As I've said many times, Mark Polk is my favorite RV expert. I'm pleased he and his wife, Dawn, have allowed me to sell his RV e-book series. E-books (electronic books) are immediately downloaded to your computer after you make the purchase. The RV Education 101 e-book series includes:
- "The Original Checklist for RVers"
- "The RV Book"
- "RV Campground Basics"
- "101 Tips for RVers"
- "RV Care and Maintenance"
- "Insiders Guide to Buying an RV"
- "Winterizing & Storing your RV"
- "RV Awning Use & Care"
- "Deep Cycle Battery Care & Maintenance"
- "RV Buyers Survival Guide"
- "Complete Guide To: RV Towing, Weights, Hitch Work & Backing"
- "Pop-Up Basics 101"
- "Dinghy Towing"
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Volunteers needed for stewardship at southern Michigan state parks
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| Spending a day outdoors at one of Michigan's state parks for a volunteer stewardship workday is a great way to make a real difference for the state's natural areas. Plenty of opportunities are coming up in November. (DNR photo) |
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently released its November workday schedule. Volunteers are needed to cut invasive, non-native shrubs like glossy buckthorn, autumn olive and multi-flora rose, which threaten important ecosystems.
Workday dates, parks (counties) and times include:
Southeast Michigan
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Highland (Oakland), 1-4 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Belle Isle (Wayne), 9 a.m.-noon
- Sunday, Nov. 8: Pinckney (Washtenaw), 1-4 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Bald Mountain (Oakland), 9 a.m.-noon
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Belle Isle (Wayne), 9 a.m.-noon
Southwest Michigan
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Fort Custer (Kalamazoo), 1-4 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Yankee Springs (Barry), 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 8: Warren Woods (Berrien), 1-4 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Fort Custer (Kalamazoo), 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov.15: Holland (Ottawa), 1-4 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Muskegon (Muskegon), 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 22: Saugatuck Dunes (Allegan), 1-4 p.m.
Volunteers should bring work gloves, drinking water and appropriate clothing for outdoor work, including long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Workday details, maps and directions can be found on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/dnrvolunteers; click the Calendar of Volunteer Stewardship Workdays link.
All volunteers are asked to register using the form available on the DNR website or via email. For information about southeastern Michigan park workdays, contact Laurel Malvitz-Draper at 517-719-2285 or malvitzl@michigan.gov. For information about southwestern Michigan park workdays, contact Heidi Frei at 517-202-1360 or freih@michigan.gov.
The DNR's Volunteer Steward Program is a hands-on way for all ages to learn about and protect Michigan's natural resources by collecting native seeds, removing invasive species, conducting plant and animal surveys, and more. Other ways to volunteer with the DNR include joining a state park friends group, serving as a campground host or a lightkeeper, and many other opportunities. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/dnrvolunteers.
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Veteran Outfitter Western River Expeditions Names Top Favorite Whitewater Runs on Colorado River
The legendary Colorado River is just another float trip until it crashes into Westwater Canyon just over the Utah/Colorado border and upstream from Moab, UT, says whitewater rafting pioneer Western River Expeditions (http://www.westernriver.com/). After this introductory splash, named by National Geographic as “The West’s best short whitewater run,” the Colorado River gains momentum and a well-earned reputation for some real kick-in-the-butt, whitewater rapids that live deep down in the Canyonlands of Utah (Cataract Canyon) and farther down in the Grand Canyon of Arizona.
While every commercial boatman has his or her own favorite, the team at Western River Expeditions got together and agreed upon their top eight most beloved rapids along the course of the Colorado River. While there’s still time to enjoy a trip this season, reservations are already open for 2016, a year that may experience the best spring runoff on record thanks to the predicted effects of an unusually strong El Niño, adds Brandon Lake, CMO of Western River Expeditions.
8. House Rock Rapid, mile 17, Grand Canyon (rated 8/10 on the Grand Canyon’s 1-10 scale): House Rock is a fun left side run along a sheer canyon wall, with a great hole at the bottom. Rafters can grab as much or as little of the hole as they want. This rapid is a good indicator of what is to come in the way of hits further down river.
7. Skull Rapid, Westwater Canyon (rated Class IV+):Tight canyon walls and a big rock in the middle create a big hole and wave, both obstacles difficult to avoid. Rock of Shock is a canyon wall that splits the current immediately below the initial hole. Billow to the left and you’re done. Billow to right and you enter the “Room of Doom” carved out of the right side wall by the vortex created by the split current from the Rock of Shock.
6. Hance Rapid, mile 76.5, Grand Canyon (rated 10/10): Just before the Colorado River descends into the ‘inner gorge’ of the Grand Canyon, it is strained through a wide rock garden known as Hance Rapid. Smaller boats can sneak a line through the left side between medium sized pour-overs and car sized boulders. The typical run enters from the right then quickly darts toward the ‘Duck Pond’ in the center to avoid the main pull of current that cascades over a mess of house-sized boulders just right of center. Below the duck pond is a wedge run between two pour-overs. Anything outside of that pinball line in the center of the froth leads to holding on tight while possibly banging through sideways or even backwards. From a passenger’s perspective it’s a fun ride like most other rapids, but the guide really sweats it out in Hance!
5. Big Drop 3, Cataract Canyon (rated Class IV): After Big Drop 2 comes Big Drop 3. In high water, Big Drop 2 and 3 basically merge into just one enormous drop. Left of center in Big Drop 3 is a place to avoid called Satan’s Gut. Often the National Park Service will have in high water levels a rescue boat hanging around the Big Drops -- for good reason.
4. Big Drop 2, Cataract Canyon (rated Class IV): In the spring, with flows of over 50,000 cubic feet per second, it is perhaps the largest of the largest whitewater in North America -- even surpassing that of the Grand Canyon. When a high water year does happen once a decade or so, it is not an overstatement to say the waves in Big Drop 2 and 3 are nearly three stories high. In regular to low water flows the rapids of Cataract Canyon calm down but are exciting none-the-less with difficult rock mazes, punctuated with hard-hitting whitewater. When John Wesley Powell and his men first encountered these gnarly rapids back in late summer of 1869, they lacked the skill and equipment to joyfully navigate them. They lined their boats around all of them, and spoke only of the toil and labor. But today it’s more fun to run them! As rafters set up for Big Drop 2 the river drops out of view. Little Niagara appears on river right; this is a pour over to avoid without dodging too far to the left. The risk is being swallowed by Satan’s Gut where Big Drop 2 flows immediately into Big Drop 3.
3. Hermit Rapid, mile 95, Grand Canyon (rated 8/10): What Hermit Rapid lacks in appellation, it makes up for in pure ride. Roughly eight massive roller-coaster-like waves line up with a ‘sky-is-falling’ crescendo on the last one. Adventurers emerge (soaked) with an adrenaline surge they’ve likely never experienced before. Some smaller boats are compelled to avoid the largest of these rolling compression waves but a good oarsman or kayaker who can match the momentum of the wave may get a smaller craft through without getting flipped. Western’s J-Rig rafts were designed with large water rapids in mind, and the J-Rig really shines in Hermit. The way it flexes over the waves with its two-part frame system enhances the ride like no other raft.
2. Lava Falls Rapid, mile 179, Grand Canyon (rated 10/10): Lava Falls has a big reputation. Before Crystal came along this was the premier drama-maker. This rapid, sometimes called “Vulcan”, is what is left from dinosaur days of a 500-foot-high lava dam across the river. Today the 15-foot-high and 30-foot-wide ledge hole is enough to strip boats of all their inhabitants, gear, frames, straps and inflation. Although some YouTube fame-seekers have tried (and failed) to prove otherwise, there is no middle run through Lava Falls. It is a big run on the right side of the ledge hole through the boat-swallowing V-wave and then through unpredictably rolling seas that build and crash against the house-sized chunk of lava at the bottom right known as “Big Bertha.” There’s a lot of water, a lot of drop and a very dangerous ledge hole at the top. Knowing where to be and where not to be, and knowing where you are in relation to either of those is the key to any rapid. This one can be very deceiving from above. Whether upside-down or right-side up, don’t underestimate “Son of Lava” just downstream of the tail waves. The left-side run is a narrow Vulcan “trick” with some unpleasant consequences if you don’t get the line just right.
1. Crystal Rapid, mile 99, Grand Canyon (rated a 10/10): All Grand Canyon rafting trips are informally measured in two parts, above Crystal and below Crystal. Many “ABC Parties” (Alive Below Crystal) have been celebrated on any one of the beaches below this rapid. Rated a pure 10 (comparable to a class V+ in the international scale) it begins with a long glossy v-shaped tongue that pours directly into one of the biggest waves in the Grand Canyon.
In the catastrophic flood year of 1983 this hole was said to be roughly three stories high from trough to crest. Though considerably smaller today, it is still a factor. The sinewy lateral wave on river right is tough to break through, and many boats prefer to take their chances squaring up to the big wave anyway. Beyond that, much of the current careens for the Slate Creek wall that interrupts the current from the left side, throwing a lateral wave that pitches rafters either squarely into the “Maytag Hole” (so named because it likes to tumble small boats, non-stop, like a washing machine) or spitting them out directly atop Crystal’s acre-sized rock garden. The garden is marked by a large boulder named “Big Red” (a.k.a Shelob) that lies in wait like a giant red-bellied black widow spider for any neophytes unlucky enough to get trapped in her web.
For a copy of Western River Expeditions’ 2015-2016 catalog, questions, availability and reservations call toll-free: 866.904.1160 (Local: 801.942.6669), or visit: http://www.westernriver.com/.
About Western River Expeditions
Western River Expeditions is an adventure travel company headquartered in Salt Lake City, with operations and offices in Moab, Utah and Fredonia, Arizona. Annually from March through October it escorts more people down rivers on professionally guided rafting trips in Utah, Idaho and Arizona than any other company. It is the largest licensed outfitter in the Grand Canyon and the largest single tour provider in Moab, UT, through its division Moab Adventure Center (http://www.moabadventurecenter.com/).
Western River Expeditions, providing Grand Canyon rafting, Utah rafting, and Idaho rafting trips, was founded in 1961 by Colorado River rafting pioneer Jack Currey. It has been named one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” by the editors of National Geographic Adventure magazine. The company is the proud recipient of the "Best of State" award through Utah’s Premier Recognition and Awards Program for nine consecutive years.
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