The first 89 river mile stretch of the Canyon is what we refer to as the Upper Canyon trip. The Upper Canyon trip can be rafted in 6-7 days on either a Hybrid or an All-Paddle trip. This trip begins in Flagstaff and ends with a 7.5 mile hike up the Bright Angel Trail ending up at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Plan to attend our 7:00 p.m. orientation meeting the evening before your trip departs. Bright and early on the morning of your trip, we will pick you up by bus and take you 2.5 hours up to Lee's Ferry. At Lee's Ferry you will meet your boat crew and begin your trip. On the morning of the last day, you will arrive at Pipe Creek generally between 7-9 a.m. Pipe Creek is located at the bottom of the Bright Angel Trail. You will repack your personal gear from our dry bags into your own backpack and begin the 7.5 mile ascent up the Bright Angel Trail. The hike up the Bright Angel Trail is extremely arduous and may be the hardest part of your trip. We don't recommend the hike up the Bright Angel Trail for people with a history of heart problems, high susceptibility to heat related illness, or exercise induced asthma. Other factors that might make the hike out difficult include being out of shape, over weight or a smoker. If you are considering hiking the Bright Angel Trail, we recommend that you read our detailed page all about the Bright Angel Trail.

When you reach the top of the trail you will be in the Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim. From there you have a couple of options. You may arrange for hotel accommodations (with your Reservation Request Form or on your own) or catch a late afternoon van shuttle. Not knowing how long their hike out of the canyon will take, most of our customers choose to stay at the South Rim the evening of their hike out. AzRA Discovery does not provide a shuttle back to Flagstaff. However, there are shuttle options available to get from the South Rim back to Flagstaff. Please see our detailed trip logistics on the Upper Canyon trip if you are interested in more complete details about the Upper Canyon.