Grand Canyon Rafting Trip Reviews

I cannot recommend CRATE highly enough. Our 9 days in the Grand Canyon were absolutely unbelievable – everything I’d wanted and tried to imagine, but then so much more. A trillion stars, the billions of years of history, geology to blow your mind, wildlife and so much laughter! Organisation and communication were great; guides and swampers were knowledgeable, kind and fun; food was amazing! I loved every minute and would love to return one day.

My husband and I were so impressed by every aspect of this trip. It goes without saying that the scenery was amazing and the beauty of the Canyon and the Colorado River are truly breathtaking but what made the trip extraordinary was CRATE. They delivered exceptional service at every moment of the trip. The equipment was top-notch, the accommodations amazing and the food worthy of a restaurant. My husband is a chef so that really speaks volumes. I thought I’d be roughing it for a week, I could not have been more wrong; every meal was an international culinary journey. It was incredible.
What really made our trip exceptional was Carter, our river guide and Oney, his swamper. These are two incredibly, kind, fun-loving, caring, attentive and generous individuals who go out of their way to ensure that you get the most out of your trip. What impressed us most about Carter and Oney is their encyclopedic knowledge of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. We came away from this trip having learned so much from both of them. Kudos to CRATE for hiring such amazing talent. It speaks volumes about the company and the care they put into delivering on an exceptional customer experience. There is no doubt in our minds that we’ll go with CRATE when we do this trip again. Hopefully we’ll luck out and have Carter and Oney as our guides again. Thanks for a trip of a lifetime and for some unforgettable memories!!! We’d give you a higher rating if that was possible for you definitely deserve it. Can’t wait to come back.
Fondly,
Dom and JM

What a phenomenally epic journey we enjoyed with CRATE! This company really knows how to raft the Colorado River. My husband and I went on the nine-day journey through all 280 miles of the Grand Canyon, and when we finished, we wanted to do the whole thing again. We’ve been back home for a month and a half, and we can’t stop thinking about it and yearning to return. The early stages of planning involved lengthy phone conversations with the owner, Vicki, and she was so kind and patient throughout the whole process. The river guides (Ben and John) were phenomenal, and so were the swampers, Lon and Rob. Exquisite food, astonishing beauty, life-changing adventure. Thank you!

At age 70 I was a bit nervous about attempting such an active adventure, but with the excellent guides (Ben and John) and our fun and supportive group of co-aventurers, this trip turned out to be a winner in every way. The hikes were beyond description, the river became our beloved home for 9 days, the food was just delicious and plentiful. The camping on cots, sleeping under the stars, was a treasure. This trip has subtly changed the way I look at life and what is important. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Our family of 4 spent 8 days traveling down the Colorado river with CRATE. It was a dream come true! A week spent unplugged, in one of the most spectacular places in North America, with hikes and white-water rapids, and every detail of the trip having been thought through…it was absolutely glorious. CRATE (a family run company that has really honed their craft) was recommended by friends who took the trip a year before us.
-All participants on the raft are seated facing forward (a definite plus).
-The guides prepare every meal (which is a feast).
-The cots and all sleeping gear provided were perfect under the stars each night.
-The guides are knowledgeable, kind, caring, and the type of people you want to spend your week with.
Do it with CRATE! You’ll love it!

Here I am writing another review for the BEST River Company. I have use CRATE seven times for river adventures and they have yet to disappoint me. This time I took my two grandsons ( Aiden and Brice) and my Son Ken on their first big adventure to Desolation Canyon . So We headed out from South Florida and made our way to Salt Lake City. We rented a car and headed towards Green River Utah -its about a three plus hour drive. Our First stop was at the CRATE warehouse to get out dry bags and ammo cans. We also received our instructions on where to meet in the morning for out drive to the airstrip. 0615 we met at the warehouse and loaded up the bags and boxes and headed to the airstrip. We met the other travelers and loaded the bags onto three small planes for the 40 min flight to the put-in for the trip. There we met Alison Brent Chase and Dylan. We opted to hike down to the boats and it was a nice hike down , it was a little steep in some places and loose rocks and gravel but not too bad overall. Made it to the rafts and received out life jackets and safety instructions. They tied the boats together and we motored for part of the day as we were in flat water. made it to camp one and unloaded the boats and kitchen set up our cots and gathered for cocktails and appetizers. Not too many bugs out but use bug spray on out legs. As usual diner and all the food on the trip was wonderful. Our guides were super friendly and accommodating and Brent let me earn my junior rower badge Lol after I had lost it in the Grand Canyon by running into Ten mile rock ( Jen took it away) . So our days were filled with hikes and rafting the rapids. Trying to swap out in the Duckies or Swimming the rapids. After long day rafting we had nice camps to hang out and sleep. The kids all had a great time playing in the water or rubbing mud all over themselves. The food was outstanding and CRATE took care of everything from soup to nuts. Its a great family friendly trip. The Hero award goes to Chase on most days he was the kids boatman 4 preteen boys and took it in stride. His boat was filled with candy and snack wrappers everyday. So a special thanks to Chase. Alison was a great trip leader made sure everything was taken care of even when we had some bad weather she made sure all were safe and accounted for. So again Thank you CRATE for a great adventure my grandsons will always remember.

A brilliant exploration of the Grand Canyon from the river level that few park visitors get to experience. Boatmen Carter Mills and Sybrena Smith and their crew were professional, knowledgeable guides. A strong emphasis on safety and conservation was the first priority. Great side trips to spots only accessible from the river. Geologist guide Wayne Ranney unfolded the geologic history and geologic processes in a way that was accessible to all. Excellent meals were the icing on the cake.

Great trip, what an adventure ! Led by an extremely skilled and knowledgeable boat team who were all really friendly and looked after us brilliantly. We were well fed and had everything we needed. We learnt so much about the history and geology of the Canyon along with loads of laughter and great fun on the water. The whole back to nature and leave only footprints experience suited us perfectly and along with the excitement of the rapids it all combined to make this a trip of a lifetime .We would definatly recommend this Company and hope to return to them for the 11 day expedition. Well done to all the team at Crate.

Had been dreaming about this trip for a long time and it exceeded my expectations tenfold. The Grand Canyon was truly breathtaking and sleeping under the stars and seeing the Milky Way brought tears to my eyes. The guides (Abel & McKenna) have deep knowledge of the canyon and its history, and are highly skilled at navigating the rapids. Truly some of the best salt-of-the-earth people I’ve ever met!

The guides were fantastic and very knowledgeable. The hikes were incredible and sleeping under the stars was better than I imagined with cots. The temperature during the day was 90-100 degrees, but the spray and water was a icy contrast at 50 degrees.At night it usually cooled down. Food was excellent and the scenery phenomenal! I recommend to people in really good shape physically. This trip was from Lees Ferry to Lake Mead.

My family and I had the most fantastic rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with Walker, Ryan, Abel and Chase. It was 3 days (incl a night at the Bar 10 ranch). It was awesome from start to finish. We loved the horse riding, skeet shooting and ATV trip at the ranch. It was pretty cold at night out in the wagons though. The 2 days of rafting was AMAZING. It was surprisingly warm camping by the river at night. The rapids were enough to get wet and have fun, but never scary. It was an amazing experience. Also want to acknowledge Vicki in the office who helped me organise everything. She is extremely helpful, and answered my (many!) questions. Thanks to the whole Crate team, you guys are awesome.

It has taken me over a month to finally put this trip into words. My husband is the river rat, I am NOT. I was not excited about this trip, was not looking forward to it and honestly, was dreading it. When the day finally arrived for us to leave, I took the attitude of “just get me through this week and get it over with!” We met our trip leader Carter and I thought to myself… “this kid has my life in his hands??” But I quickly learned that my fears and worries had been totally and completely unfounded. Carter, John, Tom and Isaac worked very hard to make me, all of us, feel safe and ensure we had a great adventure. If I could give any recommendations…follow the information that is sent to you. It covers any and everything you need to know. Pack your gear following their guidelines. The only thing I would add, is I brought a XL fitted twin sheet and it was a life saver! It fit perfectly over my cot. It protected me against the insects and provided a place of privacy to change clothes etc. Also, don’t wear cotton shorts! A “skort” type short would have been a much better choice. (ie… follow their recommendations!) Keep a journal, take pictures, enjoy and cherish the absolute disconnect from the world! It is a beautiful place and this company allows you to experience that safely and comfortably!

We just got off of our river trip and it was an experience that was truly amazing!!! Our guide Carter we very knowledgeable about the canyon and we were so impressed with all of the information he provided about the rock formations and Lewis and Clark history. The rest of the crew Isaac, John and Tom were all so kind and helpful with every aspect of the trip. I am not the best hiker but wanted to go on them. John was very patient with my lack of confidence and helped me with my fears. The food was great and I was amazed at their skills at preparing it in the wilderness. It really was a great experience and I would for sure do it again!! The reason I gave a 4 star is because they had some blue chairs at camp that are extremely uncomfortable to sit in take care of those and it would be a 5 star trip but all in all it was wonderful. Look Carter another heart❤️!!! Cute💜

Awesome experience! This was my first rafting trip of this length. We did the 5 day Desolation Canyon trip from July 13-18, 2021, and it was amazing. The guides, Johnny, Phebe, and Isaac were so wonderful, fun and knowledgeable. The food was delicious and we saw so much wildlife. It was incredible! I highly recommend CRATE. They are truly wonderful.
TC

WOW! CRATE delivered an outstanding experience – can’t say enough good things. Guides: John Toner and Sybrena Smith were guides extraordinare with experience, knowledge, talent and personalities that can’t be beat. Exciting river running, fun hikes, thorough history and geology information, and good food. Sybrena shared her beautiful voice, violin, and uke – amazing. The Swampers (Brent and Josh) were kind and never failed to deliver service with fun. Don’t run the Colorado with anyone else – they can’t compare with this total package. Can’t wait to go on another adventure with CRATE!

Wow! Our first trip down the river and we were lucky enough to be with John, Johnny, Robbie, and Adam of CRATE. They are truly amazing. They offered a truly amazing experience from day one. The ride was safe, fun, comfortable, and super exciting! We cannot wait to go back and when we do it will be with the same company and crew. We can’t thank you enough for your expertise in running the rapids, making amazing meals, and making the entire journey delightful! You guys are the best and we will never forget. We hope to see you again sometime in the future for a repeat trip of a lifetime.
XOXO
Jan and Dale

We just came back from going down Cataract Canyon with CRATE in the first week of May 2021. The trip was fantastic and CRATE was excellent in all areas: professional, SAFE, fun, knowledgeable, experienced and efficient. The food was fresh and excellent everyday, including salads at dinner. Our guides were an amazing group of individuals who helped make the trip so good.
Our trip include hiking most days, including 8-10 miles hikes to the overlook of the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers one afternoon and a full day to explore the Doll House. We were able to enjoy the canyons from the water and the rim, which really added to our experience.
We’ll certainly use CRATE again our next rafting trip.

We’ve been down the river three times with CRATE. Twice down the Grand Canyon and once on the Green/Colorado. Each time we were impressed by the food, the hiking, and the good company of the crews. Most of all over the years is the focus on Safety.
If you are thinking of a river trip, these guys are the best.