Should motorized rafts be eliminated from Grand Canyon?

Some wilderness advocates are pushing to banish outboard motors from the Grand Canyon, limiting boat traffic in the Colorado River corridor to rowed craft. They would like to see Grand Canyon National Park become a wilderness area under the 1964 Wilderness Act, which would mean no motors would be allowed.

The reduction of engine noise in the park is an admirable goal, one that Grand Canyon rafting companies have been pursuing for some time. We recently switched to more environmentally friendly, four-stroke outboard engines, which use less fuel and produce lower emissions and significantly less noise. We are currently working on the possibility of a solar powered electric engine. The river is much quieter due to our efforts, and we feel confident that we can do even more.

In the meantime, however, gas-powered outboard engines are a vital part of the rafting experience. They make the canyon accessible to people who could never otherwise take a trip down the rapids of the Colorado, who would be forced to limit their experience of the Grand Canyon to the view from an observation deck because they are too young or too old to make the steep, sweltering hike down into the Canyon. Motorized rafts are roomier and more stable than rowed boats, so children, the elderly, the handicapped, and people simply not in great physical condition can enjoy the trip. Motor trips also traverse the Canyon in eight days, while row trips take fourteen days (excluding travel days). Many- perhaps most-people cannot afford to devote so much time to a vacation. Row trips are also substantially more expensive than motor trips, both because they take twice as long and because they require many more crew members.

Leisurely paced row trips are a wonderful way to see the Canyon, and are an option which has been offered by GCEX over the last eight years. However, not everyone can afford the time or expense. (Eight day row trips would be possible, but such trips would cover only half the canyon, and visitors would have to hike out or in at Phantom Ranch, climbing 5,000 vertical feet in typically 120 degree weather, a miserable experience for anyone not in top physical condition.)

The Grand Canyon is one of the great wonders of the world, an experience that should not be limited to the young, the healthy, and the rich. As many people as possible should have the opportunity to ride a Canyon rapid, camp within the Canyon walls, and see the changing colors of the rock as the rafts descend through layers of geologic time. We feel it is important that our guests have a choice in which way they experience the Grand Canyon.

You can help keep motorized rafts on the river by writing or e-mailing your congress members and senators about the issue.

Please visit the following link for additional Grand Canyon news. And let your voice be heard.

All photographs are courtesy of CC. Lockwood © Copyrighted 1999

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