Grand Canyon National Park has suspended all river rafting trips, including administrative, research, private and commercial trips, from March 24 through May 21. The full text of the announcement is below.
Permit holders of canceled trips received the following email from the River Permits Office:
Permit holders with river trips scheduled during this date range can choose between the options listed below. As of this time there is no deadline to make either choice.
Option 1: Refund paid permit costs and reinstate lottery points
The permit holder will receive a full refund of river permit costs paid to Grand Canyon National Park. The permit holder and any confirmed Potential Alternate Trip Leaders will have their lottery points reinstated to their value before the permit was awarded.
Option 2: Reschedule launch date
The permit holder can reschedule their launch for a date between 2021 and 2024. The details of the rescheduling are still being determined. Paid permit costs will be applied towards the rescheduled launch date. Permit holders who choose this option will be contacted by the Grand Canyon River Permits Office and given more information once specifics have been finalized.
Please email the Grand Canyon River Permits Office at grca_riv@nps.govwith the option you have chosen. If possible, include your launch date in your email, this will allow us to process your request more efficiently.
GCPBA sympathizes with all of the permit holders and trip participants affected by this. We all know the time, effort,and anticipation that are part of the months, and many times years, long process of hoping and preparing for a Grand Canyon river trip.
We intend to work with the River Permits office to make the rescheduling of launch dates as practical as possible.
The Grand Canyon Nat’l Park announcement is here:
Grand Canyon National Park is Modifying River Operations to Implement Latest Health GuidanceGrand Canyon National Park is announcing modifications to operations to implement the latest guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and local and state authorities to promote public safety. As of, March 24, 2020, Grand Canyon river rafting trips including administrative, research, private and commercial trips, are suspended until May 21, 2020. Resumption of river trips will be evaluated in mid-April pending current CDC guidance and options to reschedule trips will be provided at a future date. This change is consistent with other river operation suspensions regionwide, within National Park Service units located within Department of Interior Regions 6, 7, and 8, including Big Bend National Park & Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River (TX), Canyonlands National Park (UT), Dinosaur National Monument (CO), Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ/UT), and Grand Canyon National Park (AZ). The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners at Grand Canyon National Park is our number one priority. The National Park Service (NPS) is working with the federal, state, and local authorities to closely monitor the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. We will notify the public when we resume full operations and provide updates on our website and social media channels. The NPS urges visitors to do their part when visiting a park and to follow CDC guidance to prevent the spread of infectious diseases by maintaining a safe distance between yourself and other groups; washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze; and most importantly, staying home if you feel sick. For high-risk populations, such as the elderly and people with underlying conditions, we ask that they take extra caution and follow CDC guidance for those at higher risk of serious illness. Updates about NPS operations will be posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus. Please check with individual parks for specific details about park operations. Updates to Grand Canyon National Park’s operations will be posted on https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-national-park-public-health-update.htm.