Grand Canyon Rafting Trip Reviews

Thank You for a wonderful rafting trip down the Colorado River (4 day motorized Cataract Canyon trip—June 3-6 2012 Acct #CC5387/12). As repeat customers, YOU once again far exceeded our expectations. Our last trip, 15+ years ago, was a family affair rafting the Colorado in the Grand Canyon. This year my son Sean (now 28) and I returned for a little father-son bonding and needless to say we had a terrific time. Please extend kudos to the crew of Ben Reeder, Big John, and Birdy who went the extra distance to insure everything was perfect. It’s the little personal touches that makes CRATE the absolute best river rafting company in the world. Be assured that we will be your best ambassadors in spreading the word!
Dave you are a lucky man to have such fine and caring employees. Again, on behalf of my son and me Thank You and the crew for a perfect rafting experience.

Trip of a lifetime, expertly cared for and looked after by the best in the business. Made some great friends. The food is out of this world and nothing is too much for the guides. All in all a brilliant trip and I would not hesitate to recommend CRATE to anyone. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

Only CRATE has “Trails” in their name, and accordingly, no outfitter in the Grand Canyon is better at providing hiking opportunities on their river trips, and even whole trips dedicated to hiking. I have been with several other river outfitters, all good, but CRATE is the best. They are small enough to give a lot of personal attention to their guests before and during their trips, and as others have said, their food and equipment is excellent. If you want a trip where you will be able to take beautiful walks, hear excellent interpretation, eat plentiful, varied, and delicious food, you can not do better than CRATE, Colorado River and TRAILS!

CRATE did an amazing job of providing everything necessary for the trip of a lifetime. Our guides Dewey and Johnny were spectacular and looked after us with the utmost confidence, skill and created a fun and relaxed environment. The GC is an incredible place and CRATE was the icing on the cake. I would do this trip again, with CRATE and specifically Dewey and Johnny, in a heart beat.

Nothing but praise for CRATE and our guides, Dewey and Johnny. The boat was brilliantly configured for the ease of a variety of bodies, the camping equipment (including comfy cots) was great, the prep info very helpful. The guides were knowledgeable about the history and lore of the canyon; they were also great chefs – we were never hungry or thirsty and the meals were delicious. We felt safe and well-directed in and out of the boats; it’s clear that safety and prevention are top priorities. Campsites were wonderful, and I echo comments about the incredible night sky. The whitewater was fun, the hikes were varied (easy to strenuous), and the scenery beyond compare. No hesitation in recommending CRATE, we look forward to taking more trips with them.

The guides of this trip took care of every detail. There was awesome food, great hiking and of course rapids and swimming. Camping under the stars every nite was so wonderful, you didn’t want to close your eyes. I also felt that the guides paid very close attention to safety and made sure everyone had a safe and great trip! Would I do it again? Of course! This is my 3rd trip with this company and each and every one has been fabulous and not a “cookie cutter” experience.

I just got back from a CRATE guided photo trip — twelve days rafting down the Colorado River from the top of the Grand Canyon to the bottom (280 miles). CRATE exceed all my expectations. Lead guide Walker Mackay was outstanding. Now in his mid-30s, he has been rafting the Grand Canyon since his teens. Very experienced and knowledgeable. He has a wonderful personality that wears well over the course of a long trip. The food was incredible. Hot breakfasts of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. We had a tabled lunch every day, with a selection of breads and sandwich meats and cheeses. Dinners included grilled steaks and salmon. CRATE gets an A+ in every respect. Larry C.

We went on a 12 day raft trip with CRATE in May, 2012. We took our children. The CRATE people are fantastic. They are easy to deal with, flexible, and aim to please. The guides went out of their way to play games with our children (e.g. washers while we were in camp) and help everyone to have a good time. They are knowledgeable about plants, geology, and wildlife of the Grand Canyon and made the trip more interesting for that reason. The food is great. The system for handling gear is great–we had plenty of room for what we wanted to bring and none of our gear got wet. The gear provided for sleeping (tent (for bad weather nights), sleeping bag, sleeping pad, ground cloth, and cots) were all very functional, easy to use, and made camping comfortable and convenient. The hikes were great and we explored a number of key places in the Canyon. Crate arranges a nice bus ride from Las Vegas to Lee’s Ferry and from Pearce Ferry to Las Vegas. The staff is very helpful and easy to deal with. This is a company that has been doing this a long time and really knows what they are doing. You would be hard pressed to find a better company to do a trip with.

Now I understand why people say its a trip of a lifetime. You will never know the experience the canyon bestows upon you ’til you’ve been there. There are no words to describe it. However, I can describe the service from CRATE. From my first phone call to reserve our spaces to saying good-bye to our crew on the last day, CRATE was on. I made several calls before the trip and there was always a live person answering the phone and my emails were answered within 24hrs. The trip was very well organized and the crew did an amazing job taking care of us all. Thank you to Tony, Toner, Big John and Dewey for helping to create memories of a lifetime.
Nancy and Bill

Upper Canyon, Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch, 3 1/2 days of beautiful nature, fun, good food, great people and excellent service 18 hours a day (when do the river guides sleep ?!). Have you ever tried body surfing in the sky blue water of the tributary Little Colorado Rive – a must !! And, don’t underestimate the hike up to the rim, esp. in summer – must be in “average good shape”, take it easy and drink a lot of water.
Next trip will be from Phantom Ranch (fairly easy hike down from the South Rim) to Lake Meade in order to include one of mother nature’s wonders, the magnificent Havasupai Falls. The total logistics of your tour is taken care of by CRATE – and everything works !!

We are a family of 4 from Australia and we had the most amazing time on this trip. CRATE staff were professional, friendly, knowledgable and took great care of us. We got to experience the GC in so many ways, with the hike down gradually exposing the changing geology, the rafting and rapids having us appreciate the power of nature, the sweet silence of the night and the bright bright stars, to the wonderful call of “Hot Coffee” in the morning.
We enjoyed hikes too which brought us closer again to the Canyon and its ever changing face. The food was plentiful, tasty and nourishing and the Guides just seemed to know the right time to offer snacks. Their knowledge of the Canyon and its geology was also a highlight.
Our kids were a bit unsure about the trip beforehand, but didn’t want to leave in the end. They are talking about “next time..” We would highly recommend CRATE to all who are contemplating a rafting trip.

I had the privilege of experiencing 230 miles of the Colorado River through the magnificent Grand Canyon with friends and the most amazing team of River Guides. We road the highest ruinable white water in North America without incident, experienced 5 star dining and the comfort of sleeping cots that made sleeping under the stars a real treat. The river was spectacular, the hikes through the canyons spectacular. The knowledge and expertise of our guides made the trip the best of several I have experienced. There are not many places or trips I would consider doing again but this is one and I will definately being doing it with CRATE.

Colorado River & Trail Expeditions (CRATE)
This 12 day , 226 mile trip down the river was truly memorable. Sleeping out under the stars… Great meals, and great knowledgeable guides.
The attention to safety on the water was paramount.
The equipment was first class.
Most of us wore Keen sandals which are great for the water and hiking and dry out overnight.
We ran 66 rapids including the famous Lava Falls, what a rush…!
Do it… !

A 12-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon from Lee’s Ferry to Diamond Creek … about 225 miles … during the last two weeks of September. During the day, the views were fantastic and the rapids were exciting. During the night, we slept under the stars every night and I’m just sorry that I don’t know how to take pictures of that vista at night. Daytime temps were in the 90’s and it was about 70 at night. We could not have asked or expected more from the staff at CRATE … we had a blast. They explained the rock formations as we floated through them; they took us in hiking adventures to some beautiful and memorable places. We were treated to a “Concert in a Canyon” by Sabrina, one of the talented staff. We always felt safe and in control even going through Lava Falls. Although six paddlers got flipped out of their paddle raft, the guide, Mikenna, was able to stay in the raft helping the guys back in and barking orders so that everyone knew exactly what to do. Well done Mikenna!! The food and equipment was top notch and we were surprised to still have lots of ice for happyhour on the last night. A great trip and a great company to trip with.

I have had the opportunity to raft or canoe several rivers in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Ontario and Labrador. Some we have outfitted ourselves and some we have tripped with an outfitting company. CRATE just provided a most memorable 12 day trip rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Every day seemed to bring a new adventure, a new visual “wow” moment and it seemed like my face cheeks were always sore from smiling so much or laughing so often. I know the river was half of the equation for my enjoyment but the other half was the company Crate. Their river guides, equipment, knowledge of the river and it’s history were excellent. Also I should mention the food was great and you slept on cots. So I would highly recommend them and hope to take another trip with them in the future. I just passed on their name and web site to my paddling friends here in BC.

Colorado River and Trail Expeditions (CRATE) organized a fantastic trip through the Grand Canyon. We had a paddle raft, dory and 4 oared rafts for our group. The guides were great – lots of experience on the river and very knowledgeable about the geology and history of the area. They provided great food, games and music in addition to guiding us down the river. I would highly recommend CRATE to anyone wanting a river experience. They’re the best!

The Grand Canyon National Park – too big to imagine, too old to comprehend, too awesome to put into words. Different ways to “see” it – stand on the rim and peer down into it, fly over it to get a perspective of it’s size, put on some boots and hike some of the limited access trails, or, hire an outfitter to take you down into and through the canyon on the Colorado river. The latter of course being the most intimate, intriguing, fun and rewarding journey through time and history that we have embarked on recently.
Several factors contributed to our success. Foremost of these is the outfitter that we chose. The Grand canyon is the grand canyon, and that narrow perspective can be greatly improved on by how it is presented. Of the many outfitters that provide tours on the river, we ultimately chose Colorado River & Trail Expeditions (CRATE) and were not disappointed. The outstanding quality of this outfit can be attributed to the dedication and commitment to the outdoors and wild places by the owners and and their ability to instill this creedo in the trip leaders and guides who accompany us on the trip.
These guys and gals are absolutely the best. They are a professionally trained, dedicated, tireless, talented and fun bunch who constantly go out of their way to ensure that you are having the best possible time, while all the time keeping an eye out for our safety. The stories are endless, but my favorite by far – We stop occasionally to hike back into converging side canyons to view beautiful waterfall and streambed settings, and on one particular hike we went into a particularly high narrow canyon back about a hundred yards that dead-ended into a not so unusual place. However, as we returned, we were greeted by the most surprising sound one would expect to hear. One of the talented guides (Sabrina) who doubles as a concert violinist had set up shop on a giant boulder and began to serenade us. I could not have purchased tickets in any concert hall in the world that would duplicate the acoustics in this tall, narrow canyon. Exceptional !
Beautiful sandbar overnite camping spots that sometimes allowed for volleyball games and other forms of entertainment and camaraderie, fulfilling meals, sleeping under starry skys, even the occasional thunder & lightning show in the canyon was amplified. Historical accounts of early travelers and geological assessments are shared to further our understanding of all that we were trying to comprehend.
Lastly, the makeup of the group was key to our overall enjoyment. We are in tight quarters with our fellow travelers day and night for thirteen days. I believe that our group was so compatible because like minds seek out the same things. In this case, we were drawn to CRATE for the same reasons, Competence & Caring in a small Professionally run company.
To the men and women of this exceptional company, our fondest aloha and deepest gratitude for sharing with us your dedication and respect for all things wild.
Mahalo