A boater rafts the Colorado River through the Granite Gorge. (NPS Photo/A. Sherman)
GRAND CANYON — On Feb. 1, 2024, the National Park Service will begin accepting applications for noncommercial river trip permits to raft the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park for specific launch dates within calendar year 2025.
A total of 482 permits will be available for 12- to 25-day river trips. Eligible individuals may apply online at the weighted lottery website: https://grcariverpermits.nps.gov. Applications will be accepted online through noon Mountain Standard Time on Monday, February 26, 2024.
Each year in February, a main lottery is held to assign launch dates for river trips occurring the next year. Public notifications regarding main lotteries are made by both email and news release. In addition to the annual main lottery, follow-up lotteries are held as needed throughout the remainder of the year to reassign canceled and/or unassigned launch dates. Public notifications for these follow-up lotteries are made by email.
The weighted lottery website can be accessed year-round to create or modify an account and to sign-up to receive email notifications. Individuals who are interested in a future noncommercial river permit are encouraged to create an account. Lottery applications are accepted through the weighted lottery website only when lotteries are open.
Individuals must be 18 years or older to apply for a river trip permit. Noncommercial river trips must be self-guided, and technical whitewater experience is mandatory on each trip. Individuals may participate on a maximum of one recreational river trip per year (commercial or noncommercial).
Individuals interested in professionally-guided river trips should not apply through the lottery, but instead request space on a commercial trip. A list of commercial companies offering guided trips can be found by visiting: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/river-concessioners.htm.
For more information about the 2025 Main Lottery, please visit the Grand Canyon National Park website, contact the River Permits Office at 1-800-959-9164 or 928-638-7884, or email us at grca_riv@nps.gov
— Grand Canyon National Park, in northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homeland of 11 Associated Tribes, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.