Weighted Lottery - Noncommercial River Permits

For status updates regarding open and closed areas of Grand Canyon National Park visit https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-national-park-public-health-update.htm

 

Commercial River Trips are professionally guided river trips, available to the public, and often reserved a year or two in advance (more info).

The information on this page is for Noncommercial River Trips (self-guided river trips for individuals who have previously acquired the river skills to coordinate and safely lead their own trips through technical, world-class rapids; more info).

 

Background

In early 2006, after the completion of an extensive, multi-year public planning process, a weighted lottery system was selected for Grand Canyon National Park's noncommercial river permit system. The first weighted lottery was held October 2006, and many lotteries have since taken place. Prior to the adoption of the weighted lottery system a waitlist was used to assign river launch dates.

The Annual Main Lottery and Follow-up Lotteries

Each year in February a main lottery is held to assign launch dates for river trips occurring the next year. Lottery applications are accepted online for the first three weeks of February. Lottery results are emailed to applicants as well as available online by the end of February.

Follow-up lotteries are then held as needed to reassign cancelled and/or left-over river trips. Follow-up lotteries typically open around noon on a Tuesday and close at noon Mountain Standard Time on a Thursday. Lottery results are emailed to applicants as well as available online, usually by Thursday evening.

Lottery Eligibility Requirements

You must be at least 18 years old and not already a member of other noncommercial or commercial trips launching within the applied for year. No one may be listed on more than one lottery application.

Lottery and Permit Costs

Applicable lottery and river permits costs must be paid. There is a launch year lottery application cost to apply in a weighted lottery, paid once per launch year. Successful applicants, those who win a launch date, then immediately pay a river trip deposit. This deposit is applied towards river permit costs. Final river permit costs are due 90 days before launch. Lottery and river permit payments are nonrefundable.

The lottery application cost is charged once for each launch year for which a trip leader applies. After you have paid an application cost for a launch year, you can apply in all later lotteries for that launch year for no additional charge. The application cost is paid after a lottery application is submitted and can only be paid when a lottery is open.

Noncommercial river permit costs are:

• $25 to submit a lottery application during an open lottery (paid once per launch year)
• $200 small trip deposit or $400 standard trip deposit (applied towards final costs)
• $20 entrance fee per participant (16 years and older)
• $90 river permit cost per participant
• for participants added after a river permit has been issued, an additional $100 late charge per participant

River trip participants with a National Park Service annual pass do not need to pay the park entrance fee. The annual pass covers the pass owner and and up to three eligible accompanying adults (age 16 and over). For a list of valid annual passes, visit https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/fees.htm

Note: River trips taking out at Diamond Creek are responsible for additional fees. The Hualapai Tribe charges a fee to traverse the Diamond Creek Road. Permits are required in advance. For further information, contact Hualapai Game and Fish, PO Box 249, 863 Hwy 66, Peach Springs, AZ 86434, 928-769-6043.

Setting up a Profile and Registering to Receive Email Updates

You can access the noncommercial river permit website (https://grcariverpermits.nps.gov) for free year-round to setup a profile, modify an existing profile, or to sign up to receive email updates on upcoming releases of launch dates.

How to Apply

Lottery applications are accepted through the noncommercial river permit website (https://grcariverpermits.nps.gov) only when lotteries are open. During those times, you login and click on "Create Lottery Application" (this button is only visible when a lottery is accepting applications).

There are three ways to know a lottery has opened.

• in your noncommercial river profile (at https://grcariverpermits.nps.gov ), opt-in to receive email notifications
• subscribe to our RSS feed (Available Noncommercial River Launch Dates)
• visit the noncommercial river permit website, open lotteries are listed on the homepage

Potential Alternate Trip Leader (PATL)

A PATL is a person who would be capable and willing to take over river trip responsibilities if the trip leader is unable to go. If the original trip leader becomes unable to go on the river trip, and there are no confirmed PATLs, the trip will be cancelled. PATLs can be added to a river trip by the trip leader when submitting a lottery application. See Noncommercial River Trip Regulations for clarification.

More information about applying and about other river and lottery related questions can be found at the River and Weighted Lottery FAQ page.

 

Additional river info can be found at the following webpages

Commercial River Trips (River Concessioners) 1 Day River Trips 3-18 Day River Trips

Noncommercial (Private) River Trips 2-5 Day River Trips 12-25 Day River Trips River FAQs River Trip Support Companies Weighted Lottery Helpful Links