What you will eat on a Grand Canyon rafting trip!
Many of our guests expect that they’ll be eating canned Beanee Weenees, or lots of hot dogs and carbs and general junk food. Although we do pack things like Pringles and cookies (much beloved by everyone once they are on the river!), most of our food is incredibly fresh, amazingly delicious, and far exceeds everyone’s expectations! Below is an example of meals we provide on our river trips, just so you can get a small taste of what you’ll eat if you join us on a Grand Canyon rafting adventure.
Meals to expect
Nearly every meal—breakfast, lunch and dinner—is served buffet style and comes with a variety of options. Please note that our menu changes slightly each year, so some of the dishes may be different in some ways. No matter what, you can guarantee delicious meals on river trips! Below are the meals that are shared amongst all our different trip types, including our Classic Adventure, All-Paddle Adventure or Motor Adventure:
BREAKFASTS:
- Eggs to order, bacon, and bagels
- Blueberry or banana pancakes with sausage
- Mediterranean egg scramble—has eggs, spinach, feta cheese, red onion & tomatoes
- French toast with Canadian bacon
- Smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers on bagels
- Migas—a breakfast casserole with eggs, cheddar cheese, yellow onions, tomatoes, green bell peppers and corn tortillas
- NOTE: breakfasts always have yogurt, granola, cereal and fruit available to eat instead or in addition to the main meal.
Other breakfasts offered that are not on every trip range from egg, Soyrizo & potato burritos, egg, veggie & potato plates/bowls, and ham & bagels.
LUNCHES:
- Chicken Caesar salad wraps
- Caprese sandwiches with mozzarella, red onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pesto, and balsamic glaze
- Pita bread with hummus, cheese, red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers, lettuce, avocado and Dolmas
- Turkey sandwiches
- Taco salad wraps with cheese, sour cream, avocados, red onions, tomatoes, jicama, green bell peppers and lettuce
- BLT sandwiches
- Chicken salad wraps
- NOTE: there’s always apples and peanut butter (sometimes different nut butters or nut-free butters are available instead), dried fruit, oranges, several types of nuts, etc. available during lunch. These lunch meals are made in a way that you can add on whatever toppings you want.
Other lunches offered that aren’t on every trip range from additional types of sandwiches like chicken sandwiches, ham sandwiches, salami sandwiches, etc.
DINNERS:
- Grilled salmon with a quinoa pilaf and spinach side salad
- Chicken fajitas with rice and pinto beans
- Burgers and bratwursts night with ranch beans and a side salad
- Spaghetti with Italian sausage, garlic bread and a side salad
- BBQ sandwiches with coleslaw and grits (the hyperlinked recipe has a Mexican Salad, which has been changed to coleslaw, made with a Honey Mustard dressing)
- Thai chicken with rice and cabbage salad
- Steak night with side salad and mashed potatoes
- NOTE: we do a lot of “deconstructed” meals for dinners when necessary, so that you can customize your meals based on your own food needs. This isn’t always the case but may be done when there are a lot of dietary restrictions on a trip.
Other dinners offered that are not on every trip can range from a main course of carnitas, ravioli, vegetarian chili, chicken posole and green chili casserole.
DESSERTS:
- Dutch oven lemon cake
- Cheesecake bites
- Various types of cookies
- Dutch oven spice cake
- Homemade rice crispy treats
- Dutch oven chocolate chip cookies
- So much more! These may not be on every single trip, but this is just a sampling of all the delicious desserts we make/provide on our trips.
We also provide appetizers on the trips too so that soon after you roll into camp, you can have something to much on.
SNACKS:
These are just general snacks that we have on most trips, and will vary depending on what snacks the guides pack, what they have available each day, and what comes out each day!
- Gardettos
- Chex Mix
- Peanut butter pretzel nuggets
- Arizona trail mix (Raisins, sunflower seeds, pepitas, cashews, peanuts, almonds)
- Standard GORP (with candy coated chocolate pieces, peanuts, cashews, almonds, raisins)
- Southwest GORP (Habanero jack corn sticks, toasted corn, spicy peanuts, sunflower kernels, roasted pepitas)
- Apples and oranges
- Huppy Bars
- Nature Valley Granola bars
- Lance Crackers and cheese
Do not expect to lose weight!
Many people return from our trips saying they thought they would lose weight, but instead they gained weight because the food is so good! It is amazing how much better certain things taste when you’re on a river trip and have expended so many calories each day.
It is worth mentioning that this is not a trip to try to lose weight on! It is particularly important for proper body function that you eat regularly and often. We provide lots of snacks, and as much water and electrolyte replacement mix as you could need.
Dietary Restrictions and Accommodations
We can accommodate many dietary requests, but we cannot guarantee our ability to meet all dietary restrictions. We carry all the food for the entire trip, and there is limited space for refrigerated foods. Trying to accommodate all participants with special dietary needs or requests affects the trip, and accommodating these requests can take away time that could be spent on other activities, such as hiking. We ask that you be willing to suspend your special diet when possible and/or be flexible to work around what we provide for your meals. Personal preferences and general dislikes of specific foods will up to you to work around as well.
If you are concerned about whether your dietary restriction/food allergy can be accommodated, contact our office directly.