Hatch River Expedtions Blog

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Don Alphonso de los Pajaros walked one last time among the peacocks. The market crash of 1929 had wiped him out. La Posada, his family home for 120 years, had been sold to the Santa Fe Railway. The childless Don Alphonso whispered goodbye to the birds and old trees, to the art and the furniture, and to the memories collected by four generations of his fabled forebears watching quietly from every corner of the hacienda. ‘Keep watch for me,’ he murmured.1

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1. Get wet, naturally.

Lava Falls rapids

You know you want to see the whitewater in Lava Falls up close and personal.

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Although Theodore Roosevelt was not the first to take action toward preserving the Grand Canyon, nor was he able to make the place into a National Park during his tenure as president, he may have been the Grand Canyon’s most enthusiastic supporter. Roosevelt felt passionately about the canyon, saying,

It is beyond comparison—beyond description; absolutely unparalleled through-out the wide world…

In 1906, he created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve and then in 1908, he made Grand Canyon into a National Monument. (I Read More

How, on earth, can you bathe in water that is 50° Fahrenheit?! Yikers!

First, some rules:

  • You must use biodegradable soap and shampoo.
  • You must only use these in the Colorado River, not in any tributary rivers.

Second, some tips:

  • Some camps are better for bathing than others so take advantage of camps with good wading areas and slower currents near shore.
  • Bring a few wash cloths. When dipping into cold Colorado River water just isn’t an option, you can clean up with a wash Read More

Sometimes Hatch takes such good care of you, it’s easy to forget that the Grand Canyon is a remote wilderness area. The remoteness is part of what makes this kind of trip so great, but it does have its drawbacks. If you forget to grab that extra bottle of sunscreen on your way to the beach or find once you’ve gotten there that you need an extra bag of ice, there is usually a gas station not far away. And, if you’re in a car accident on the way to that gas station, emergency responders are sure to get to you quickly. In the middle of the Gran Read More

You may have noticed we at Hatch have made some pretty big changes to our website recently. In doing so, we’ve lost some of our blog posts! We’ll be working to get them back up over the next week. Here’s one sent in by one of our guests:


Ever wonder what a week on the river is like for someone who’s “not a huge fan of water”? Mattie Albert shared her story with us, and now we’re sharing it with you! Want to see your story here? Email it to [email protected]!

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Many guests set out in search of majestic waterfalls while traveling along the Colorado River. The inner kid comes out and splashing and playing in the downpour becomes addicting. What is it about water streaming down into an exquisite pool below that lures travelers of all sorts to these places? Grand Canyon white water rafting trips provide excitement throughout but nothing compares to a good ol’ waterfall.

Not every falls will be visited due to timing and weather conditions. Read More

Grand Canyon trivia provides a major highlight on Colorado River raft trips. Perhaps immense interest subsists because of the magnitude of this place. With something as large and immense as the Grand Canyon, people often need to put numbers to the sights in order to comprehend. While staring into the unknown between rims, guests want to conceptualize what lies before them. Below find some interesting tidbits to help put this magi Read More

It’s been an eventful year for all of us here at Hatch! Even after 81 years in business, we’re still changing and improving to make sure your river experience is the best it can be. And, we’ve learned you never get too old to be surprised.

Hatch River Expeditions warehouseRead More

Food and water yes, showers or a mobile phone signal, not so much.

Availability of these will greatly differ on a Grand Canyon white water rafting trip. So that you can plan a bit better when you’ll be able to phone home to check in and take a proper shower, here’s a rundown of what’s available. Keep in mind that time constraints may change the likelihood that you’ll be able to stop to take advantage of services.

Full and Lower River trips end with a short helicopter ride into the Whitmore Airport at Read More