In addition to outright closures
there are certain heavily visited areas that are restricted to day use only.
The first five miles from Lee's Ferry to Navajo Bridge are for day use.
The first easy place for you to camp is at river mile 6.
John Wesley Powell describes in his journals a large red wall cavern big enough to fit
50,000 people.
A closer estimate may be 5,000.
Its still quite big and a popular spot.
You are welcome to have lunch at the cavern but you need to move downstream before camping.
Nankoweep is known for the granaries located on the cliff above the river at mile 52 and
has three campsites.
The first area along the beach is not a camp and should be used for day use only.
Just below the rapid is the upper camp.
If you plan to camp at Nankoweap,
it's a good idea to pull into the upper camp
and scout the other campsites below to see if they're available.
Once you commit to go down it is difficult to return the boats to the upstream camp.
At the confluence of the Little Colorado River,
the two beaches on river right are available for camping,
but river left and the island at the mouth of the Little Colorado are for day use only.
No fishing is allowed in the LCR.
Fishing is also restricted in this section of the Colorado from 1/2 mile up and downstream
of the confluence.
In order to protect the Humpback Chub that spawns here,
swim only on river right and steer clear of the riparian sedges on the left.
Crossing of the LCR should be done upstream of this area.
Boats are not allowed to enter or park in the Little Colorado River.
Please check with the Lee's Ferry ranger for seasonal swimming restrictions at the
LCR as well.
Planning camp sites ahead of time is vital, especially around the Phantom Ranch area.
There is only one useable campsite between mile 77 and 81.
At mile 81 is Grapevine.
This is a huge campsite with plenty of room for several trips.
Be aware that you may have neighbors before spreading out too far.
For that matter, be open to the possibility of sharing almost any camp on your trip with
others.
Most times its not necessary, especially if small groups use small camps and leave larger
areas for larger groups.
But as beach sizes change, we sometimes need to get along in tighter quarters,
doubling up at a campsite is a last resort,
but when it does happen in a pinch, try to make the best of it.
When passing other commercial or private trips during the day,
be open to discussing camp plans with the trip leaders for the next part of the trip.
The more we keep communication lines open, the better off everyone will be.
An awareness of other's plans can alleviate congestion.
"Where are you guys planning on camping tonight?"
"Oh, we're headed down to Galloway or Stone area, one of those camps."
"Sounds good. We're looking at Owl Eyes and setting up for Deer Creek tomorrow, so
that sounds like that will work."
For everyone's safety it's important that your party travels together while on the water.
Keep all boats in sight, and don't send boats ahead to snag camps.
If the boat behind you stops or slows down, you should pull over to wait.
You are responsible for the boat behind you.
If another trip is moving faster than yours on the water, keep your boats together and
let that trip pass.
This will prevent any on-river collisions, and give you another opportunity to communicate
with other trips.
After several days on the river, a little bit of civilization is sometimes welcome.
Phantom Ranch will appear on river right, marked by the black bridge.
Straight ahead is Boat Beach. You may tie up there and enjoy the conveniences of the
ranch area.
However you are not allowed to camp in the ranch area.
There are campsites in the Cremation Camp area on river left but these 2 campsites are
only to be used by trips with passenger exchanges at Phantom Ranch.
If hiking out in the summer, be familiar with where you can find water along the trail,
hike early in the day, or closer to dark with a flashlight.
Avoid hiking in the midday sun.
Mile 91 will be the next campsite below Phantom Ranch.
In general, avoid camping in the Hance to Phantom corridor if you don't have a passenger
exchange.
There are many day use sites throughout the canyon.
Each of the sites is unique in its scenery and activities.
Shinumo Creek,
Royal Arch Creek,
Tapeats Creek,
Deer Creek,
Kanab Creek,
Matkatamiba,
and Havasu Canyon are all considered day use sites.
Some of these areas are often crowded, and parking can be difficult.
Keep all the boats in your group together and be prepared to share space.
For some commercial passengers, the trip ends at the Whitmore Helipad, on the Hualapai Indian
Reservation near river mile 187.
There are limited camps below Lava Falls and above Whitmore.
Please consider leaving these camps free for those groups with an exchange.
This will also help you avoid the noise impact from the helicopter exchanges.
Most trips end at Diamond Creek on the Hualapai Indian Reservation.
Diamond Creek can become very congested if several trips are derigging at the same time,
so try to keep your equipment consolidated.
The best time to arrive is after 9:30 am.
You should plan your takeout for early in the day as Diamond Creek and Diamond Creek
Road are one in the same.
Flash floods do occur and the road may close for days.