For the Love of Motor Trips
by Megan Collier
A great first-time rafter trip!
I just love motor trips! I originally wrote this article in 2018, still relatively new to Grand Canyon rafting all things considered. I went on my first Colorado River trip in 2011, and it was on a motor trip! I have now done all of our different types of trips, on all the various lengths, and although I enjoy all of our adventures, the motor adventures are near and dear to my heart. Doing the motor gives me the option to see the full 226 river miles of the Canyon without having to miss as much of my managerial duties, and of course precious time with my family. By doing our 8 or 10 day motor trips, I have found I best absorb the geology, the human history, natural history, the camp sites, the hikes, the adventure in the shortest amount of time.
Comfort in the rapids
Back when I was a brand-new river rafter, I was certainly anxious about the rapids, so when I saw the motor boats for the first time, I felt much more at ease because they’re such a secure-feeling, larger raft. Now that I’ve gone on all of our adventures (Classic, All-Paddle and Motor), I am comfortable on all of them, but I find that I still really enjoy the secure-feel of the motor boats. A lot of people assume the motor boats aren’t exciting—that’s just not the case! The ride is different, yes, but the ride is still adrenaline-rushing, fun, splashy, and up close and personal.
No hiking in or our required!
There’s also another reason I love motor trips: there’s no hiking in or out required! It’s a round-trip experience in and out of Flagstaff. Although the hike on the Bright Angel Trail is absolutely beautiful, and an adventure in and of itself, it’s simply not an option for everyone. I’ve now hiked it 5 times, and I do enjoy it, but it’s tough! I love that on a motor trip, I can see all the sights, do all the hikes, enjoy all the rapids, eat all the yummy food, and yet NOT HAVE TO HIKE IN OR OUT. I don’t feel like I miss out on continuing to enjoy the people I’m spending time with or thinking about all the many beautiful places I’m missing like I do when I hike out. Even when I hike in, I think about all the amazing places on the upper portion that I missed out on because I’m only getting to see the lower.
Experience the Canyon with your whole family
As AzRA’s Director of Guest Services, I love that our motor adventures allow for multi-generational families to experience the Canyon. We are much less likely to have grandparents, children AND grand kids all together on our Classic or All-Paddle Adventures. It’s really a treat when these families come back and rave about how amazing it was to be on the river with their loved ones, completely unplugged from the real-world; no hand-held devices, no phones, no games, no iPads in sight—just pure, uninterrupted, fun family time. We have this on our Classic Adventures, too, but accommodating the three-generational families is much more doable on our motor adventures.
It’s such an adventure
Some people worry that our motorized trips aren’t going to be as adventuresome as our Classic or All-Paddle trips. I do agree that it’s a different ride, and you don’t feel the water moving under you as intimately as you do in an oar or paddle boat, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re still at the whim of nature on these trips too. The rapids are still exhilarating, dousing you with big splash after next big splash. If you want to have an extra fun ride, sit in the front of the boat! If you want to try to stay dry during a rapid, you can choose to sit in back (just don’t be surprised if you still get wet!). Our guides will let you practice swim a rapid if you so choose, and you’ll be able to explore side canyons and waterfalls just like our other trip types.
A few other perks
Many of our motor guides love the fact that when it’s windy, the motor boats still just power through. When the river day is coming to an end, motor guides have many more options on where to camp because if they pass a camp they had in mind that’s already taken, they can just motor onto the next one. If a hiking destination is already taken by another group, it’s a quick motor on down to the next one. This allows us to have lots of flexibility in our schedule on motor trips, which is a special treat. Motor trips also tend to have more ice than our Classic or All-Paddle trips. Although we can’t guarantee it, it’s very possible we’ll be able to get you a cold, icy beverage on a motor trip, which we barely dream of on a Classic or All-Paddle. Our motor guides are also so kind enough to share their ice with other trips they see along the way.
But you can’t just take my word for it! Here are what some of our guides have to say about why they love motor trips!
From Jed Koller:
“The group dynamic – having one or two boats the guests all tend to share the same experiences, interpretation, humorous situations, etc. that happen on a day to day basis, and these common experiences lead to a pretty cohesive and fun group dynamic.
Flexibility – as a guide I like the option to “stay out late” a couple times a trip to get a late afternoon walk in, usually when other trips are busy getting camps, knowing that with the mileage flexibility the motor allows I’ll be able to get a suitable camp. That same flexibility works on either end of the day, and is key in timing to get into places (like Matkatamiba or Elves) at times of the day when they are generally less visited.”
From Jay Healy:
“First off, the comfort level is awesome having a boat so big, that it might as well be a yacht!! Allowing for room to move about while on the water is great. I know I can’t sit still all day, so it’s nice to be able to shake out the rain gear after some of the bigger rapids and stretch the legs before the next hike. Another great use of the space is that you don’t have to be up front for every rapid, allowing one to dry out if the rapids prove to be too intense or just too chilly in those shady moist mornings. Did I mention the yacht has room for almost anything from hiking sticks and guitars, to fishing poles and big pelican cases? We can almost always find a hatch to store equipment that you choose to bring along.
Safety is another advantage of these motorized rigs. People seldom fall off these boats after learning how and where to hold on, but it’s not impossible! The stability of these crafts is another great aspect, in that you find them hard to flip over, statistically lower than the row and paddle boats you see along the way, allowing us to run the bigger rapids with confidence and maximum splashing on those hot sunny summer days, yee haw!!! My favorite part of motor trips is that we can get the whole family out there to enjoy our National Parks. When grandparents are teaching the grandkids how to fish, and the grandkids are carrying the gear up to camp for them, it makes the trip even more Grand. Having multiple generations interacting on vacation is awesome. With a motor rig you can bring them all!”
Come join us for the adventure of a lifetime, exploring beautiful Grand Canyon on the Colorado River!
4 Comments. Leave new
We loved the motor trip for two reasons. First, we were an intergenerational family, ages 10 to 75, and we could all go together. Second, we could do the entire canyon without an arduous hike that most of us were unprepared for. SO! Thanks, AZRA! for making it possible to share this wonderful experience together.
We 100% agree with you, Melissa! Such great reasons to go on a motor adventure. We’re so happy your family was able to have such a wonderful experience with us!
I have made 2 motor trips. I still have difficulty explaining to friends how these make canyon trips so much more accessible to the many of us who are able to handle the physical demands of the paddle trips. On the motorized trip you have many options on hikes, etc to tailor the trips to your own interests and abilities. I have been on trips to some other amazing places – but still, nothing compares to this trip down the river – so amazing it is hard to describe.
Thank you for your thoughts, Richard! It is great how accessible motor trips make Grand Canyon. It’s an amazing experience we want many to have. Hopefully you’ll be back again soon!