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Arizona

Red Rocks & Rafting: Sedona & Grand Canyon With Your Grandchild

Program No. 2520RJ

Alongside your grandchild, find adventure in Sedona’s red rocks and the Grand Canyon as you whitewater raft, explore hidden waterfalls and awe-inspiring views!

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6 days

5 nights

15 meals

5B 5L 5D

Check-In, Program Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation

Sedona/Verde Valley

Sedona Jeep Adventure, Montezuma Castle, Desert Animals

Sedona/Verde Valley

Red Rock Crossing on Oak Creek, Kids Only

Sedona/Verde Valley

South Rim, Bright Angel Trail, Route 66, River Trip Prep

Peach Springs

Grand Canyon River Raft, Waterfall Hike, Helicopter Ride

Peach Springs

Program Concludes, Independent Departures

Departures

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At a Glance

The Grand Canyon is so gigantic that if you gathered together every single person on the planet and put them inside it — they would only fill a fraction of it! It’s hard to imagine how big this natural wonder is until you see it with your own eyes. Share a week with your grandchild you'll never forget at the majestic Grand Canyon and amid the spectacular red rock cliffs of Sedona. Experience the Grand Canyon with a trip to the bottom of the canyon on a remote rode on the Hualapai Reservation. Take part in an exciting 37-mile whitewater adventure in motorized rafts on the Colorado River!

Activity Level

Outdoor: Spirited

Walking up to one mile on varied terrain. Getting in/out of rafts. Some bumpiness in open-air jeep ride. Elevations up to 7,000 feet.

Best of all, you’ll…

Experience the Grand Canyon’s beauty on a walk along the South Rim and a ride to the bottom of the canyon through the Hualapai Reservation.
Experience a 37-mile whitewater adventure in the Grand Canyon on a motorized raft.
Explore Sedona’s red rock country by jeep to see off-the-beaten-path sights, and get up close to local desert critters during a wildlife presentation!

General Notes

Program is for grandchildren ages 9-12. Children must be 9 years old for rafting.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Margaret (Maggie) Mitchell

Maggie Mitchell has spent years leading educational excursions throughout the Sedona area. Her passion lies with the study of Arizona's wild creatures, and she loves sharing her love of reptiles and spiders with students of all ages.

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

Margaret (Maggie) Mitchell View biography

Suggested Reading List (11 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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Red Rocks & Rafting: Sedona & Grand Canyon With Your Grandchild

Program Number: 2520

Grand Canyon: Time Below the Rim

by Craig Childs and Gary Ladd

Prepared by the Book Division of Arizona Highways magazine, this book is written and photographed by 2 of the leading authorities on the subject matter. There's no place on earth like the Grand Canyon, and there's no book about the Canyon like this one. "Grand Canyon: Time Below the Rim" connects you with remote sections of the Canyon most people will never see: the waterfalls, the streams, the thousands of side canyons, the prehistoric rock formations, the rock art and other remains of an ancient civilization, and the entire course of the Colorado River through the Canyon.

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.

An Introduction to Grand Canyon Ecology

by Houk, Rose

56pp

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.

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

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water

by Reisner, Marc

The story of the American West is the story of a relentless quest for a precious resource: water. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruption and intrigue, of billion-dollar battles over water rights, of ecologic and economic disaster. In Cadillac Desert Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians and business interests to ensure the city's growth. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the competition to transform the West. Based on more than a decade of research, Cadillac Desert is a stunning expose and a dramatic, intriguing history of the creation of an Eden--and Eden that may be only a mirage. 608pp

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

Secret Sedona: Sacred Moments in the Landscape

by Larry Lindahl

This book provides an overview of the terrain, ancestral Indian ruins and petroglyphs found in Sedona's wilderness areas. Extraordinary photography from one of the nations most photogenic areas. 80 pages.

The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons

by Powell, John Wesley

Full text of Powell's 1,000-mile expedition down the fabled Colorado in 1869. Superb account of terrain, geology, vegetation, Indians, famine, mutiny, treacherous rapids, mighty canyons. 240 illustrations. 432pp

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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