Grand Canyon Bold

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Grand Canyon Bold

Destination

Arizona
Utah
Nevada

Current Grades

9th-11th

length

15 Days

view dates and prices
Airports

Arrive: Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
Depart: Las Vegas, NV (LAS)

“The wonder of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself,” said John Wesley Powell, storied explorer. You’ll truly understand this quote after descending into the canyon and spending time within its soaring walls. You’ll hike through The Narrows river in Zion and canoe the pristine waters of the Black Canyon. You’ll also learn to rock climb in Utah’s Saint George and paddle in the famous Antelope Canyon!

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Itinerary

Day 1-3: Rock climb and canyoneer in Saint George

We’ll begin our trek toward the Grand Canyon with two days of rock climbing instruction in Saint George, Utah. Tall sandstone walls will beckon as we learn how to tie climbing knots and the basics of belaying. A multitude of routes will be set up from beginner to advanced, so you can push your limits as much as you want. In the afternoons, we’ll cool off with a swim in nearby Crawdad Canyon’s pristine pools.
Accommodation: Camping

Day 4-6: Hike in Zion National Park

Next we will visit one of the most dazzling gems in the desert Southwest, Zion National Park! The quintessential Zion experience includes hiking through the Narrows, which, as the name suggests, is a canyon as narrow as 20 feet wide in some places, enclosed by sheer, 1,000-foot-tall sandstone walls. Even more unique, you’ll wade through a gleaming river as you hike! Later, you’ll earn phenomenal views hiking to the top of the dramatic, 1,500-foot-tall Sout’s Lookout. When it gets too warm, we’ll cool off in the Virgin River. We’ll top off this section of the trip with six hours of conservation projects in the local area.
Accommodation: Camping

Day 7-8: Explore Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, and Antelope Canyon

We’ll continue our adventure towards the Grand Canyon by stopping by Page, AZ the home of Lake Powell! After a sandy hike, you’ll have the chance to marvel at Horsehoe Bend, a magnificent and famous cliff-band. We will explore Marble Canyon, camp by Lake Powell, and spend time swimming in the pristine blue lake surrounded by red-walled sandstone! In the morning, we’ll kayak through a sandstone slot canyon before beaching our boats to hike through the famous Antelope Canyon! You’ll be astounded at how gorgeously lush and green this desert oasis truly is!
Accommodation: Camping

Day 9-10: Explore Grand Canyon National Park

Are you ready to experience first-hand one of the seven natural wonders of the world? We begin our trip to the Grand Canyon at the South Rim, where we’ll get a close-up view of the valley below. We’ll take an educational walk with a local guide to learn about the geology and history of the area. We then will hike below the rim for a totally different perspective of the immense canyon. After learning all about the immense, 277-mile-long gorge, we’ll camp at the rim and wake early the next morning for a sunrise viewing.
Accommodation: Camping

Day 11-12: HIKE INTO a LAVA RIVER CAVE AND ZIPLINE OVER THE GRAND CANYON

The next morning we’ll travel to one of the only Lava River Caves in the United States! We’ll chat with a ranger and hear about the unique formation of this desert cave and the bats that live there before exploring within its walls. Armed with headlamps and extra layers we’ll walk into ever cooler conditions with temperatures dropping as low as 42 degrees Fahrenheit even in the heat of summer. From there we’ll travel through parts of Route 66 passing through the small towns that inspired the Disney movie Cars as we head towards another section of the Grand Canyon. There we’ll see a different view of the “Big Ditch” by walking on a glass bridge extended over the canyon and ziplining across an entire section of The Grand itself! 
Accommodation: Camping

 

Day 13-15: CANOE THE BLACK CANYON

We’ll round out our trip on the water, packing up our dry bags and launching our canoes in at the Hoover Dam for an overnight excursion of the Black Canyon. Paddle through wilderness and solitude, stopping at sandy beaches, colorful caves, plentiful coves and a number of secluded hot springs and the stunning and aptly named Emerald Cave. Wildlife is plentiful here, so keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles, coyotes, and desert bighorn sheep bounding among the craggy walls and up slot canyons.
Accommodation: Camping, 1 night of hotels

*Listed above is Bold Earth’s intended itinerary for this trip. All itineraries are subject to change in order to provide the best possible program quality.

Dates and Prices

Departure 1
  • Departure Day
    06/29/24
  • Return Day
    07/13/24
  • Grade
    9-11
  • Price
    $4,588
  • Availability
    Full
Departure Day Return Day Grade Price Availability
06/29/24
07/13/24
9-11
$4,588
full

Accommodations & Service

Community Service: Approximately 6 Hours
  • Zion National Park: Clean up and beautification of a designated area in Zion.
Accommodations:
  • 14 nights of camping. Bold Earth will provide comfortable 3-person tents.
  • 1 night of hotels in Las Vegas before airport day.

Activities

Activities

Community Service: 6 hours

Hiking

Rock Climbing

Sightseeing

Whitewater Rafting

Canyoneering

Reviews

Olga R, parent from Mt. Laurel, NJ

My son Ian loves adventure. This trip completely filled all his passion for adventure and the outdoors. Bold Earth has an amazing itinerary with Grand Canyon Bold, and he enjoyed every aspect of it. He made great friendships, and the trip leaders (Zack and Maddie) were OUTSTANDING. The pictures and blogs sent to the families during the trip were very informative. I loved that the kids had to be electronics-free, and I think the kids really appreciated that, too. Ian came home missing Maddie, the group leader. She was so attentive and great with all the students and made him feel so comfortable on the trip. He’s looking forward to his adventure with Bold Earth next summer.

Liz B, parent from Little Silver, NJ

Alyssa had an AMAZING experience! We are so thrilled with the team at Bold Earth and are looking forward to future travel adventures for our daughter with the company. 

Crawford, student from New York, NY

I enjoyed rock climbing so much that I plan to continue learning and climbing after my trip!

Charlotte, student from New York, NY

There were so many successful things about my summer with Bold Earth! I made lifelong friendships, great bonds with my trip leaders, and just had the best summer ever! I learned a lot of lessons, one of them being able to appreciate life more, and not take the little things for granted, like a sky full of stars or a beautiful view.

Lauren, student from Boxborough, MA

Everyone in my group got along with each other and the leaders. All of the activities kept us interested. I’ve made so many great friends that I will never forget. Bold Earth was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do it. I plan on doing another trip next year! Thank you Bold Earth!

Christine L, parent from Easton, PA

This program is wonderful. The leadership skills that Alex learned were due to the great leaders he had on the trip. Bold Earth always made a parent feel that their child was in safe hands from the moment that they were accepted. The communication before, during, and after makes you feel like you as a parent were on the trip as well. This is a great program that I am going to tell so many about.

Nancy N, parent from Longmont, CO

My child’s Bold Earth experience was an opportunity for growth and a great way to have students push themselves to do and achieve more physically, emotionally and socially.