A commercial company prepares for launching on a Colorado River trip at Lees Ferry (NPS Photo)
GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keable announced the National Park Service’s selection of 16 companies to provide guided interpretive multi-day whitewater trips on the Colorado River in the park. These trips last from three to eighteen days, starting at Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, continuing through Grand Canyon National Park, and ending at Pearce Ferry within Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
The contracts have been sent to the selectees for signature and once signed, will be transmitted to Congress for a 60-day notice period as stipulated by law. After this period, the National Park Service will sign and award the contracts.
The 16 selectees are: Arizona Raft Adventures, LLC; Arizona River Runners, Inc.; Canyoneers, Inc.; Colorado River & Trail Expeditions, Inc.; Grand Canyon Expeditions Co.; Canyon Expeditions, Inc.; Grand Canyon Whitewater, LLC; Hatch River Expeditions, Inc.; Grand Canyon Raft Adventures; O.A.R.S. Grand Canyon, Inc.; Outdoors Unlimited River Trips; Wilderness River Adventures, LLC; Tour West, Inc.; Western River Expeditions, Inc.; Canyon Explorations, Inc.; and Grand Canyon Discovery, LLC.
These Concession Contracts s will continue providing guided river trip services under new contract(s), which will be effective for ten years from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2033. The public is not expected to experience any changes or interruptions in service.
The current contracts earn gross revenues of approximately $46 million per year and operators serve approximately 22,000 passengers annually. Each contract has an assigned allotment of annual user days, which vary from contract to contract.
Solicitation of concession business opportunities within national park sites and the selection of best proposals are routine processes for in the National Park Service, dictated by the 1998 Concessions Management Improvement Act (1998 Act). By law, all contracts are issued through a fully open and competitive process, awarding contracts to those with the best proposal.
— Grand Canyon National Park, in northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homeland of 11 Associated Tribes, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.