The experience of rafting through Grand Canyon is completely unique to each traveler. Every trip down the Colorado River contains eye-opening, jaw-dropping, and awe-inspiring moments. Hidden deep in the Canyon are extraordinary places that you can only experience on a rafting trip. Few of the millions of visitors to the national park ever see them. Two of the sites, Elves Chasm and Redwall Cavern, you can explore on a Grand Canyon rafting trip.

Video: Monsoon at Redwall Cavern

Redwall Cavern

Redwall Cavern is a gigantic natural amphitheater located on river mile 33 of the Colorado River. The cavern was created by high river flows carving into the Grand Canyon’s red limestone walls and it is easy to spot fossilized marine creature in the walls from 340 million years ago. Early Grand Canyon explorer John Wesley Powell estimated it could hold upwards of 50,000 people. It is only accessible from the river and is the perfect shaded stop to escape the heat on a Full Canyon or Upper Canyon rafting trip.

Photo by John Borhek

Elves Chasm

Located between river miles 116 and 117 on the Colorado River is a shaded, fern lined grotto called Elves Chasm. You can experience this magical place on Lower Canyon and Full Canyon whitewater rafting trips. This is the perfect place to escape the heat and swim in the shaded, emerald pool of water. If you venture past the first waterfall and don’t mind scrambling over some rocks, you can find several more waterfalls, wildflowers, and beautiful walls of Bright Angel Shale, a sedimentary rock composed of mud, silt, and clay minerals.

Video: Elves Chasm, Grand Canyon

Learn about one of the biggest whitewater rapids in the world, Lava Falls or when the wildflowers bloom in Grand Canyon.

Are you ready for adventure? We have been your complete source for Grand Canyon rafting since 1987. We work with all the outfitters and we know all the trips. If you would like more information on Grand Canyon rafting, please give us a call at (928) 526-4575 or send us an email – we’ll guide you through!