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Arizona

River Rafting & Railroads: The Grand Canyon With Your Grandchild

Program No. 5831RJ
Share the journey of a lifetime with your grandchild as you visit the Grand Canyon via train, raft the Colorado River and see ancient Indian cliff dwellings at a National Monument.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Age 9 - 12
ROOMING OPTION PRICING
The figures below indicate the rooming options available.
DATES
Jun 16 - Jun 21, 2024
Per Adult
1,549
Per Child
1,299
Select
Jun 16 - Jun 21, 2024
1,549
/ Adult
1,299
/ Child
1,549
/ Adult
1,299
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
1,299
/ Child
Select Date
Jun 23 - Jun 28, 2024
Per Adult
1,649
Per Child
1,399
Select
Jun 23 - Jun 28, 2024
1,649
/ Adult
1,399
/ Child
1,649
/ Adult
1,399
/ Child
1,799
/ Adult
1,399
/ Child
Select Date
Jul 14 - Jul 19, 2024
Per Adult
1,549
Per Child
1,299
Select
Jul 14 - Jul 19, 2024
1,549
/ Adult
1,299
/ Child
1,549
/ Adult
1,299
/ Child
1,699
/ Adult
1,299
/ Child
Select Date
Jul 21 - Jul 26, 2024
Per Adult
1,649
Per Child
1,399
Select
Jul 21 - Jul 26, 2024
1,649
/ Adult
1,399
/ Child
1,649
/ Adult
1,399
/ Child
1,799
/ Adult
1,399
/ Child
Select Date

At a Glance

Everyone who has experienced that mind-boggling beauty of the Grand Canyon remembers the first time they laid eyes on this colossal wonder. Create an everlasting memory with your grandchild when you bring them to the Grand Canyon for the first time. Climb aboard the Grand Canyon Railway and ride to the canyon’s South Rim, but watch out for train robbers! Look for California condors as you explore canyon geology on a canyon trail hike. Plus, travel through the Navajo Reservation and visit secluded Walnut Canyon National Monument’s prehistoric cliff dwellings.
Activity Level
Outdoor: No Sweat
Walking up to two miles daily. Getting in/out of raft. Elevations up to 7,000 feet.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Raft the Colorado River beneath 800-foot towering sandstone cliffs, and stop for a short hike to see 1,000 year-old cave drawings.
  • Participate in a Challenge Course with both low and high elements, such as a thrilling free fall to the “Giants Swing.”
  • Enjoy a western shoot-out show on your train ride to the South Rim and help the good guys capture the bandits on board.

General Notes

Program is for grandchildren ages 9-12.
Featured Expert
All Experts
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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 Joanna Joseph
Joanna Joseph View biography
Daughter of a Montana saddle maker, Joanna Joseph is an artist, musician and interpreter of human history. At the University of Montana, she studied art, drama and classical Greek. Joanna was also program supervisor at Glen Canyon Dam, developing an appreciation for the importance of water in the Southwest. A resident of Big Water, Utah, she has worked with Road Scholar since 1994.
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.
Native Roads : The Complete Motoring Guide to the Navajo and Hopi Nations
by Kosik, Frank
Using the mile markers of the US, Arizona, and Navajo highways and routes running through the Navajo and Hopi nations as her organizing principle, the author offers a travel guide to the sites found in the area. Natural, historical, and cultural points of interest are covered, along with some information on lodging and services. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR 304pp
An Introduction to Grand Canyon Ecology
by Houk, Rose
56pp
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.
Volcanoes of Northern Arizona - Sleeping Giants of the Grand Canyon Region
by Duffield, Wendell A
Just south of the Grand Canyon lies a range of volcanic mountain including Mt. Humphreys, the highest point in Arizona. These mountains encompassing Sunset Crater and the San Francisco Peaks, collectively make up the San Francisco Volcanic Field. This book provides, for the first time, a popular look at the fiery origin of these volcanic features. With magnificent aerial photographs, original geologic illustrations, and detailed road logs to many of the key features, this book is an indispensable tool for the traveler, the educator, and all that are interested in the remarkable landscape of northern Arizona. 68pp
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
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
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.
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
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
Half Broke Horses
by Walls, Jeannette
Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, wrote this true life novel which unfolds across Northern Arizona from the 1920s to the 1960s. Its heroine, Lily Casey Smith, (Ms. Wall's grandmother) battled the elements, prejudices, economic conditions and politics of remote frontier Arizona. Many of the locations described - Peach Springs, Seligman, Flagstaff, the Navajo Reservation, the Arizona Strip - are sites visited by NAU Road Scholar programs. Readers of this selection will feel the sense of heritage from this tale of life in our distant corner of America. Note: may not be appropriate for young readers.





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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.