Grand Canyon Service Learning River Raft Trip
Come join MNA and the National Park Service for an opportunity of a lifetime. Participate in archaeological surveying, recording and stabilization, as well as monitoring human impact and revegetation projects along the Colorado River and within the Grand Canyon. This trip is for people willing to get dirty while using shovels, moving dirt, rocks, etc. in a somewhat warm climate. The trip will be 16 to18 days long.
Contact the Ventures Program manager for information on dates and rates.

Grand Canyon Backpack: Hermit to Bright Angel
March 20–24
The Hermit to Bright Angel trail covers over 30 miles in four days, but with the least amount of elevation gain and loss of many comparative Grand Canyon hikes. Join geologist, educator, and MNA Trustee Wayne Ranney on the Hermit Loop (not really a loop at all, but a point-to-point trip), as it traces the most well-worn segment of the Tonto Trail, arguably the most spectacular portion of the trip. Much of the trail follows the Tapeats sandstone rim of the inner gorge, offering exciting river views from the points between the six major side canyons it traverses. This strenuous hike includes five to ten miles of hiking per day, challenging terrain, significant elevation loss and gain, and some exposure. Recommended for hikers in excellent physical condition who have prior Grand Canyon backpacking experience. Food is an additional personal expense.
Trip dates are tentative until five months prior to departure, when MNA is eligible to confirm dates with the National Park Service. Please wait for confirmation from Ventures staff before booking travel arrangements.
$525 Members/$575 Nonmembers

Slickhorn Gulch Backpack
May 8–13
Slickhorn Gulch has been called "the most elegant and gracious" of the canyons running across Cedar Mesa to the San Juan River of southeastern Utah. Twisting through pillowed and cross-bedded Paleozoic sandstones, Slickhorn offers a fresh and interesting counterpoint to the better-known Grand Gulch. It was long home to Ancestral Pueblo groups and their traces still overlook the meandering, pool-studded canyon bottom oasis. Sites including a boulder field of 2000-year-old Basketmaker petroglyphs, hauntingly intact thirteenth century Pueblo living and ceremonial sites, and lush springs graced by migratory songbirds, give this canyon its own intriguing character. Backpacking throughout this 20-mile loop hike into remote country, under the spring full moon, will offer many opportunities for off-trail exploration with naturalist Ann Walka and archaeologist Don Keller. Although its wilderness setting, varying trail conditions, and elevation changes warrant a rating of moderate difficulty, this hike will be enjoyed by both experienced and beginning backpackers.
$755 Members/$805 Nonmembers

San Juan River Raft Trip
May 24–27
Enjoy four days of spring fun and stimulating learning on the San Juan River of southeast Utah, exploring the canyon of this lively desert river along its free-flowing reach between Bluff and Mexican Hat. Outstanding Basketmaker rock art and Pueblo cliff dwellings, historic trails and pioneer routes, and deeply carved canyon formations and side canyons highlight this 27-mile run of river, relished by explorers of all ages. In this warming season, the desert days are great for hiking, the afternoon sun invites a cool swim, and the starry night forms a magic backdrop above sandy beaches and high canyon walls. Join archaeologist Don Keller and the seasoned crew of Adventure Discovery Tours on their home river for this adventure by oar rafts and inflatable paddle canoe.
$725 Members/$775 Nonmembers

Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Backpack
Rim to Rim I: September 29–October 4 with Wayne Ranney
Rim to Rim II: October 3–8 with Stewart Aitchison
Hiking rim to rim is to many the ultimate Grand Canyon experience. Time travel across the Grand Canyon with one of our two amazing educators: former backcountry ranger, geologist, and MNA Trustee Wayne Ranney or naturalist and historian Stewart Aitchison. Their intimate knowledge of the earth's most spectacular gorge brings to life the canyon's human history, ecology, flora, fauna, and geology. Camp on the North Rim, then start down the North Kaibab Trail and camp one night at Cottonwood, two nights at Phantom Ranch where mules resupply the group, and finally Indian Gardens. This strenuous hike includes six to eight miles of hiking per day, significant elevation loss and gain, and is recommended for beginning and experienced backpackers in good physical condition.
Trip dates are tentative until five months prior to departure, when MNA is eligible to confirm dates with the National Park Service. Please wait for confirmation from Ventures staff before booking travel arrangements.
$795 Members/$845 Nonmembers

Escalante Canyon Backpack
September 25–30
Cut deep into sandstones of the Glen Canyon formations, the meanders of the Escalante River are verdant with willow, cottonwoods, and in several places, springs and hanging gardens. Tributary canyons such as The Gulch and Harris Wash run like oases from the uplands of Fiftymile, and Boulder Mountains, and the Circle Cliffs down to the inner canyon of the Escalante. Sandy benches and sandstone alcoves hold the evidence of long prehistoric use at open campsites, rockshelter granaries, and elaborate rock art panels. In addition to better known agricultural period Fremont and Anasazi cultural sites, there are a number of earlier Archaic period hunting-gathering camp and rock art sites. Archaeologist Don Keller and naturalist poet Ann Walka guide this 25-mile, self-supported backpacking hike into portions of the Escalante River Canyon via lower Twenty-five Mile Wash. In addition to being a physical commitment in a remote area, this trip will engage us with fascinating cultural and natural history and a beautiful, challenging landscape under the warm sun of early fall.
$785 Members/$835 Nonmembers

Grand Canyon Stage Route Bike Trip
October 14–15
Join Elson Miles to relive a piece of Arizona history on a sixty-mile mountain bike trip along the old stage line from Flagstaff to Grandview Point at the Grand Canyon. Spend the first day riding through the pine forests along the base of the San Francisco Peaks. Stops are made for rest and exploration of local and natural history. Enjoy the comforts of camp on the Babbitt Ranch before covering the last thirty miles to the South Rim of Grand Canyon. A support vehicle carries food, water, and camping supplies.
$175 Members/$225 Nonmembers

Fable Valley Backpack/Field Seminar
October 16–21
Fable Valley joins Gypsum Canyon to form the northern arm of the Dark Canyon Primitive Area, one of the nation's first. This primitive area remains a frontier zone between the better known Canyonlands National Park to the north and Natural Bridges National Monument to the south. Steep 800-feet-high canyon walls enclose the main valley, which then drops deeper into the lower canyon. The valley and canyon cut an impressive slice across the Dark Canyon Plateau from 8,000 foot highlands westward to the Colorado River in Lake Powell, exposing 300 million-year-old rock strata in a variety of wild habitats. Campsites of the 2,000-year-old Basketmakers, ancestral people who first brought agriculture to the Four Corners region, cliff dwellings of the Mesa Verde Pueblo, early Ute and Navajo features, and historical stock trails evidence long human use of the valley. Archaeologist Don Keller and MNA Ventures staff lead this backpack trip and field seminar down Fable Valley, day hiking from a base camp within the valley. This is a physical commitment in a memorably remote area, with fascinating learning, cultural and natural history, and a beautiful, challenging landscape.
$825 Members/$875 Nonmembers

<< Back to Ventures