Grand Canyon river trip lottery opens Feb. 1

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — The annual lottery for non-commercial river trips through the Grand Canyon opens Feb. 1. Lottery applications will be accepted online at https://grcariverpermits.nps.gov/ through Feb. 25.

The annual lottery assigns launch dates for self-guided trips down the Colorado River. Follow-up lotteries will be held as needed if there are any cancellations or leftover launch dates. Lottery results are emailed to applicants as well as available online by the end of February.

In order to be eligible for the lottery, applicants must be at least 18 years old and not listed on any other application or be a member of any other group. Additionally, lottery applicants must pay a $25 application fee at the time of entry. Those who are selected for a launch date must then pay a trip deposit, amount dependent on the size of the group, with the balance due at least 90 days prior to launch. This deposit will be applied to the final balance of $90 per person for individual river permits. All participants will also need to pay a $20 park entrance fee unless they are annual or lifetime pass holders.

For river trips that plan to take out at Diamond Creek, which is on the Hualapai Reservation, additional fees will be applied by the tribe and are not covered by any deposit or fee paid to Grand Canyon National Park.