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Category: Grand Canyon Natural History

Home Category: Grand Canyon Natural History
a dory named the wesley being repaired after some big hits on a grand canyon rafting trip

A Second Life for Wesley: The Storied Journey of an Aluminum Dory

April 15, 2025Grand Canyon Natural HistoryMegan Collier

Battered, bruised, and looking downright pitiful, Wesley had seen better days. By 2015, near the end of Wesley’s storied career at AzRA (Arizona Raft Adventures), this once-gleaming white-and-blue aluminum dory, standing 18 feet long and 6 feet wide, looked less like a sleek river vessel and more like a crumpled soda can after a rough…

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A women rowing a boat in the Grand Canyon

The Magic of the Colorado River

March 31, 2025Grand Canyon Natural History, Guest PostsKaelin Zielinski

A fun story by guest contributor Patricia “Patch” McCairen To help us kick off our 60th anniversary celebrations this year, we asked the AzRA community to share memories from the past. We’re starting off with Patch’s story! You can see a post about her solo Grand Canyon adventure which is linked below too.  It’s always…

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Brown Scorpion on sand in Grand Canyon

Scorpions in Grand Canyon: What to Do If You See One on Your River Trip 

February 21, 2025General Info, Grand Canyon Natural History, WildlifeArizona Raft Adventures

Scorpions in Grand Canyon If you’re rafting through the Grand Canyon, you might encounter one of its most infamous desert dwellers—the scorpion. While their sting can be painful, serious health issues are rare. The key is knowing how to avoid them and what to do if you come across one.  Where Do Scorpions Hide in…

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A sky view of lake Powell and Grand Staircase Escalante

How Does the Colorado River Flow?

November 30, 2023General Info, Grand Canyon Natural History, NewsMegan Collier

The Majestic Flow of the Colorado River: A Lifeline Carving Through the American West The Colorado River, a lifeline of the American West, winds its way through breathtaking landscapes, sculpting deep canyons and providing sustenance to millions of people, wildlife, and ecosystems. From its humble beginnings high up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the…

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An image of Rattlesnake camp on a Grand Canyon rafting trip. River mile 74.

Grand Canyon Camping-How Rattlesnake Camp Got Its Name

February 28, 2023Grand Canyon Natural History, Readings and Videos, WildlifeMegan Collier

How Rattlesnake Got It’s Name: A Grand Canyon Tale By Sharon Hester It was a warm and pleasant moonless July 2nd night at river mile 74, an unnamed camp back in 1981, when Kim Klapper (name changed) awoke. He had an urgent uncomfortable feeling, and knew he had to head quickly to the “Groover”. This…

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Powell Painting

Recent Discovery of the Earliest Painting of the Inner Grand Canyon

February 2, 2022Grand Canyon Historical Figures, General Info, Grand Canyon Natural History, Guest Posts, NewsSharon Hester

The Story of the Earliest Inner Grand Canyon Painting, Discovered in a Small English Country Auction   In 2021, Graham Ratcliffe, discovered a painting that had come up for sale at a small country auction, in England’s Lake District, that took him totally by surprise. It was of the stunning painting of the inner Grand Canyon, where it…

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Paddling the John Wesley Powell Route Book Cover

Paddling the John Wesley Route with Mike Bezemek

January 30, 2020Books, Grand Canyon Historical Figures, Grand Canyon Natural HistorySharon Hester

Paddling the John Wesley Powell Route: Exploring the Green and Colorado Rivers is a new guidebook that combines a condensed retelling of the dramatic 1869 Powell expedition with color photos and trip information for the entire 1000-mile river route. In this interview, author and photographer Mike Bezemek tells us about creating the book and rafting…

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Beautiful Night Sky in Grand Canyon

Astronauts in Grand Canyon

October 21, 2019Grand Canyon Historical Figures, Grand Canyon Natural HistoryMegan Collier

What do Apollo 11 and Grand Canyon have in Common? Written by Kaelin Zielinski | Featured Photo by Steve Koppel July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did a small thing of stepping off a ladder onto a dusty, lonely land, but when they stepped off of Apollo 11 onto the lunar surface, they…

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Chuckwallas in Grand Canyon

Chuckwallas in Grand Canyon or Gila Monster?

October 12, 2018Wildlife, General Info, Grand Canyon Natural HistoryMegan Collier

Chuckwallas in Grand Canyon by Sharon Hester. Featured Image by Sam Rodar “We saw a gila monster!”  This statement is occasionally heard on river trips in Grand Canyon, but what was seen is most certainly a common chuckwalla, which is in the iguana family of lizards. Although, gila monsters have been sighted in the Diamond…

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Grand Canyon Birding

Grand Canyon Birding Tips

May 2, 2018General Info, Grand Canyon Natural History, Uncategorized, WildlifeMegan Collier

Grand Canyon Birding Tips by our in-house birder, Sharon Hester We have quite a few guests each year travel with us who are interested in birding while on their rafting adventure. The most common wildlife you’ll see in the canyon are birds. We thought it would be helpful to share just a few Grand Canyon birding…

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