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Arizona

Exploring the Grand Canyon's North & South Rims With Your Family

Program No. 21290RJ
Get a unique perspective of the Grand Canyon as you explore the North and South Rims, learn about Native American culture and fly above the Colorado River for a bird’s-eye view!

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Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
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itinerary
Please Note:
The itinerary for this program is different on certain dates.
Age 9 - 17
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jun 11 - Jun 17, 2023
Per Adult
2,149
Per Child
1,749
Select
Itinerary Note

While lodging at Grand Canyon's South and North Rims, enjoy activities associated with the annual Grand Canyon Star Party. Take a 'constellation tour' and peer through multiple telescopes to look at planets, the Milky Way and other celestial bodies while enjoying some of Arizona's darkest skies.

+ More
Jun 11 - Jun 17, 2023
2,149
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
2,149
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
2,449
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
SOLD OUT
Itinerary Note

While lodging at Grand Canyon's South and North Rims, enjoy activities associated with the annual Grand Canyon Star Party. Take a 'constellation tour' and peer through multiple telescopes to look at planets, the Milky Way and other celestial bodies while enjoying some of Arizona's darkest skies.

+ More
Jul 9 - Jul 15, 2023
Per Adult
2,149
Per Child
1,749
Select
Jul 9 - Jul 15, 2023
2,149
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
2,149
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
2,449
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
Select Date
Jul 23 - Jul 29, 2023
Per Adult
2,149
Per Child
1,749
Select
Jul 23 - Jul 29, 2023
2,149
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
2,149
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
2,449
/ Adult
1,749
/ Child
Limited Space

At a Glance

The Grand Canyon is way too big to take home with you, but on this once-in-a-lifetime family adventure, you’ll create indelible memories so that a little piece of the canyon stays with you forever. Join a Grand Canyon expert to discover the geology, natural history and Native American heritage of this world wonder. Enjoy walks and hikes to beautiful view points, marvel at a sunset. Ride a 4x4 jeep through Sedona’s magnificent red-rock country and so much more as you learn from park rangers about what this treasure means to America.
Activity Level
Outdoor: No Sweat
Walk 1-2 miles daily over varied terrain. Riding jeep on dirt roads, sand and slick rock. Elevations up to 8,000 feet.
Family Programs
Family Programs
Share your love of learning with your family. These programs are designed for any combination of generations: grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and children.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Climb aboard one of Sedona’s famed “Pink Jeeps” to explore red-rock canyons and dramatic scenic vistas not accessible to most visitors.
  • Take a thrilling narrated flight high above the Grand Canyon in a fixed-wing aircraft, enjoying bird's-eye views of the Colorado River and inner canyon.
  • Take a refreshing dip in a quiet eddy of the Colorado River in Marble Canyon; see fantastical mushroom rocks and learn about the area’s colorful human history.

General Notes

This is a Family Program for participants, their adult children and grandchildren ages 9 and up.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Jennifer Beltz
Jennifer Beltz is a former interpretive park ranger at Phantom Ranch, located in Grand Canyon National Park. She has worked as a naturalist and national park ranger throughout the United States, was co-coordinator of a Road Scholar service program that built a health clinic in Brazil, and has worked on many intergenerational programs. Jennifer has lectured in the Department of Geography and Public Planning at Northern Arizona University and has led programs for Road Scholar since 1992.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Jennifer Beltz
Jennifer Beltz View biography
Jennifer Beltz is a former interpretive park ranger at Phantom Ranch, located in Grand Canyon National Park. She has worked as a naturalist and national park ranger throughout the United States, was co-coordinator of a Road Scholar service program that built a health clinic in Brazil, and has worked on many intergenerational programs. Jennifer has lectured in the Department of Geography and Public Planning at Northern Arizona University and has led programs for Road Scholar since 1992.
Profile Image of Kristin Hooten
Kristin Hooten View biography
Kristin Hooten has spent the majority of her life in the mountains of Flagstaff, Arizona. She earned a bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation Management with an emphasis in Outdoor Education and Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Kristin has worked in the outdoor industry in different capacities and enjoys her ongoing education with the surrounding region. When not in the office or field, she is found enjoying the great outdoors either on a paddleboard or in her camper.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Roadside Geology of Arizona
by Chronic, Halka
The 18th printing of this book in the Roadside Geology Series offers a mini-course in geology, focusing on what can be seen from Arizona highways. Although written especially for those with little or no geologic training, there's plenty here for the professional geologist as well--a great introduction to Arizona and its past. Geologic terms are defined where first used and again in the glossary. Inside the front cover is a legend to geological symbols and abbreviations commonly used by geologists. 321pp
Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery
by Ranney, Wayne
Ranney explains how rivers in general can physically carve canyons, looks chronologically at the numerous theories that have been presented by successive generations of geologists regarding the Grand Canyon's formation, and describes a plausible sequence of geologic events that could create such a landscape. Numerous color photographs, detailed illustrations, and maps are provided. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR 160pp; 2nd edition 2012.
Field Guide to the Grand Canyon
by Whitney, Stephen R
This book describes and illustrates the area's plants and animals, and offers fascinating in-depth information on the natural history and geology of this dramatic region. 272pp
The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons
by Powell, John Wesley
Full text of Powell's 1,000-mile expedition down the fabled Colorado in 1869. Superb account of terrain, geology, vegetation, Indians, famine, mutiny, treacherous rapids, mighty canyons. 240 illustrations. 432pp
Living at the Edge: Explorers, Exploiters, and Settlers of the Grand Canyon Region
by Anderson, Michael F
A comprehensive look at the pioneer history of the Grand Canyon Region, from its earliest residents to the creation of the national park at the end of the pioneer era (circa 1920). Included are close to two hundred historic photographs, many never published before, and 12 custom maps of the region. 184pp
An Introduction to Grand Canyon Prehistory
by Coder, Christopher M.
People have inhabited Grand Canyon for the past twelve thousand years. Evidence of their lives exists throughout the canyon; but it is up to their ancestors and archaeologists to interpret those remains for us. This book provides a popular look at the architecture, art, and tools of prehistoric Puebloan peoples, as well as information about modern-day Native American tribes. With illustrations and color photographs.
The Man Who Walked Through Time: The Story of the First Trip Afoot Through the Grand Canyon
by Fletcher, Colin
The remarkable classic of nature writing by the first man ever to have walked the entire length of the Grand Canyon. 256pp
Introduction to Grand Canyon Geology
by Price, L Greer
This overview of Grand Canyon geology is perfect for the first-time visitor or the seasoned Grand Canyon traveler. Chapters cover the basic priciples of geology, the history of geological exploration at Grand Canyon, the canyon's structural features, and the Colorado River. Includes over 70 photos and illustrations, an index, and glossary. 63pp
The Emerald Mile
by Fedarko, Kevin
Amazon review: From one of Outside magazine’s “Literary All-Stars” comes the thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever, down the entire length of the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon, during the legendary flood of 1983.<br><br>In the spring of 1983, massive flooding along the length of the Colorado River confronted a team of engineers at the Glen Canyon Dam with an unprecedented emergency that may have resulted in the most catastrophic dam failure in history. In the midst of this crisis, the decision to launch a small wooden dory named “The Emerald Mile” at the head of the Grand Canyon, just fifteen miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, seemed not just odd, but downright suicidal.<br><br>The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelled—by oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himself—down the entire length of the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead. Did he survive? Just barely. Now, this remarkable, epic feat unfolds here, in The Emerald Mile.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.