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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 amazing animals at Bearizona Wildlife Park.

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Protecting the Environment

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6 days

5 nights

14 meals

5B 4L 5D

Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation

Flagstaff, AZ

Bearizona, Museum of Northern Arizona

Flagstaff, AZ

Navajo Reservation, Raft the Colorado, and Lee's Ferry

Flagstaff, AZ

Kids Only Activity, Hands-On Grand Canyon Geology

Flagstaff, AZ

Grand Canyon Railway & National Park, Pizza Party!

Flagstaff, AZ

Wrap-Up, Program Concludes

Departures

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At a Glance

Everyone who has experienced the 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 Native American petroglyphs.
See amazing animals at Bearizona Wildlife Park and participate in a fun, interactive activity about Native American culture and history at the Museum of Northern Arizona.
Enjoy a Western shootout 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 trip experts

Joel Kane

Joel Kane grew up roaming Appalachian Pennsylvania but has called the Southwest home for many years. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Joel began working as an interpretive park ranger for the National Park Service at several parks across the west; he also pursued graduate studies in geology at Northern Arizona University, where has been working full-time as a program coordinator and group leader for Road Scholar programs since 2022.

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

Joel Kane View biography

Jeanelle Carpentier View biography

Jeanelle Carpentier grew up on a small island in Washington state, where she gained her love of nature and outdoor adventure at a young age. Studies in psychology, outdoor management, and wilderness medicine have set her up to lead groups to global destinations, including in the American West. She has explored more than 50 countries and resided in New Zealand, Peru, and Australia. She established her home in the heart of the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona, drawn by its diverse high-desert landscape.

Cassandra Dakan View biography

Cassandra Dakan earned an M.A. in cultural anthropology from Northern Arizona University, where she later taught for a decade. She has lived on both U.S. coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, and visited all 50 states, Europe, China, and Africa. In her 60s, she served in the Peace Corps in Fiji and the Eastern Caribbean.

Suggested Reading List (10 books)

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.

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River Rafting & Railroads: The Grand Canyon With Your Grandchild

Program Number: 5831

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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River Rafting & Railroads: The Grand Canyon With Your Grandchild

Enroll with Confidence

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At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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