Imagine this: It’s your second day in the canyon and you are overwhelmed by how monumentally tall the walls around you seem to have gotten in such a short time. In the distance you see what appears to be a small sliver of cave and beach (though when you get close you will realize it is actually the enormous Redwall Cavern—large enough for a comfortable game of Frisbee or Wiffle ball). Over your head, dark clouds have been gathering, and as you approach the cavern, they break open and begin to rain. All around you, waterfalls begin to cascade Read More

“Drink more water.”

You’ve probably heard this advice so much that you’re sick of it! But the reason this phrase makes its way into all the health and self-care checklists right between “get enough sleep” and “exercise regularly” is that water is vital to maintaining an adequately functioning body and mind. Nowhere is this more important than on an active vacation in a remote and arid outdoor setting. Don’t let the Colorado River fool you—you’re still in a desert in the middle of summer. It’s important to hydrate accordingly.

It is one of the unfortunate realities of running trips in the remote depths of the Grand Canyon that we must plan for the worst and hope for the best. This planning comes into play in a number of ways, including when we pack food for our trips. Some of our guests noted in their post-trip reviews this season that we provided more food than their group needed which resulted in food waste. Because we must prepare for emergencies, and because some perishable items (like meat and eggs) are too dangerous to use after traveling 280 miles in cooler Read More

The Southwest is so rich in beauty and history—Grand Canyon is just one amazing part of it. At Hatch, we love where we live and are always excited for an excuse to get outside and experience it. This August brought us one of the best excuses ever: an eclipse visible across the entire United States!

Since we still had work to do getting all of your trips safely on the river, we couldn’t stray too far from our Flagstaff office. We elected to view the eclipse from Wupatki National Mo Read More

A lot of planning goes in to a Grand Canyon river trip. Below find a few questions we get often in the Hatch office.

11. How should I prepare for my upcoming trip?

Please read through ALL pre trip materials. We do our best to inform guests about the trip at the time of booking but the materials we provide go into much more detail. Looking at Read More

At Hatch, we do our best to ensure that you’ll have everything you need on your trip. After all, we don’t want something small like the wrong kind of shoes to bring you down!

But, every guest is different. An item you consider optional might be a necessity to someone else on your trip. To that end, we’ve decided to share some of our guests’ suggested items. You never know which one might make or break your own river rafting adventure!

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Only you and your doctor can determine your physical limits. A whitewater rafting trip with Hatch River Expeditions promises opportunities for times of high exertion and no exertion at all.

"I am 73 years old and always wanted to do this. It was number one on my ‘Bucket List’. I am so glad I did it; it was a trip of a lifetime. What a wonderful job those ladies did (Sarah & Kelly). I am in awe of them, such hard workers, and so knowledgeable and so very helpful on all those beautiful trips to the side canyons. There was not a ques Read More

This weekend and into next week, Grand Canyon is staring down temperatures well over 100 degrees, so we thought now would be a good time to give you some tips for keeping cool in the desert.

First, and foremost—WATER IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!

Luckily, you’ll be spending your days traveling down the Colorado River and your nights camped out beside it, so you’ll have lots of access to water. Here are a c Read More

When you hear the words "dream vacation," what do you think of? An ocean cruise? Beach chairs on a tropical island?

These old standbys are by no means losing their appeal, but in a world where we do more sitting in front of screens than ever—for both work and play—many people are looking to spend their treasured vacation time 1) being more active and 2) in more remote locations.

Hatch’s white water rafting trips deliver on both! We’ll take you through the rapids of the Colorado River, up the canyons of the tributaries Read More

The National Park Service turns 100 this year. If you haven’t been taking advantage of these Federally protected and managed wilderness and historical sites, there’s no better time to start!

Of course, the park nearest and dearest to our Hatch hearts is the one we spend our days in: Grand Canyon. From the breathtaking rim views of this expansive landmark to the treasures tucked deep inside it, we’ve got nothing but praise, admiration, and just a little bit of pride for our National Park, and we’re over the moon that we get to share it Read More