Hopes were dashed by coronavirus for many rafters who had permits to launch down the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park/NPS file

For Mark Landry, a Grand Canyon private raft trip has been a long-time dream, and a long time coming. He and his group were planning to launch down the Colorado River from Lees Ferry on March 25 for 18 days deep in the canyon, camping and rafting and experiencing the whitewater and wilderness like no other place on Earth.

It can be a life-altering experience. They were ready to run the 42 major rapids spread over 225 miles of the Colorado River, all the way to their takeout at Diamond Creek, on Hualapai tribal lands.

Landry is a veteran of a number of Alaskan rivers, but has never rowed "the Grand," and he was more than excited. He was packed and ready to head out, but then the national emergency related to the coronavirus interceded. He had signed up six years ago for the weighted lottery program administered by the National Park Service for this permit, and he is more than disappointed, but understands that these are unusual circumstances. 

“I called the National Park Service and asked what’s going on,” he said from his home in Maine. “They said they were going to follow their protocol from the previous government shutdown.”

And sure enough, on March 21, Grand Canyon National Park suspended all river rafting trips from March 24 through May 21, which includes all commercial, administrative, and private trips. Landry understands the issues, and in fact seven people had already dropped out of the trip due to travel and health concerns. 

March and April are usually a busy time for private boaters in the canyon, with up to three parties launching per day. Many of them rely on outfitters for boats, gear, shuttles and food to make things easier, and Landry had contracted with Professional River Runners (PRO) in Flagstaff, Arizona.

“But we had to pull the plug on the trip last Wednesday,” said Landry. “But I can’t say enough good things about Pro. We had over $1,500 in perishable food items, which they donated to a local food shelter for us. We’ve even deferred our refund for now.” 

Beth Roeser is the manager at PRO, and has seen a big impact on their business.

“We start planning these trips up to a year in advance,” she said. “And we’ve already lost about 17 trips so far. But, we’re all in this together, and were doing right by both our employees and our clients.”

That includes increasing their 12 employees' sick time from 40 to 80 hours, and giving full refunds to clients.

“We have the best refund policy in the business, and most of our clients are very accommodating,” she added. And, they currently still have outfitted trips on the river, including one that doesn’t takeout until April 11. Luckily, the trips are all in touch via satellite phones to get the latest instructions, and even stricter sanitation protocols have been put in place by PRO. 

For Landry and many others with cancelled trips, the National Park Service River Permit Office has offered two options going forward. The first option would refund all costs of permits ($400 for a standard permit and $90 per participant plus other fees). The permit holder would also have their lottery points reinstated, so they can reapply later. But for Landry, the second option sounds better: an ability to reschedule a launch date between 2021 and 2024. He’s definitely still looking forward to rowing down the grandest of canyons, and it will still be a trip of a lifetime.