When planning your next vacation, do you ever think back to your days at summer camp? There were some things about the camp experience that we rarely connect to as adults or share with our own children in these times of technology and stress. Remember the challenge of learning how to swim or paddle across the lake? Or simple camp food in a communal dining hall…music and skits…learning the secret shortcuts from cabin to cabin…sleeping under the stars after a day outdoors…hiking to beautiful spots, camera in hand…and making new friends that remained pen-pals through the months until the next summer. For many of us, these are some of our most treasured memories.

A white water rafting trip with Arizona River Runners offers adults and families the opportunity to reconnect with all of those things and more, while providing an escape from the pressures of our everyday lives. River guests experience a unique combination of exhilaration and relaxation – the thrills are provided by the river as you make your way through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and your guides handle all of the details on the river and in camp for you. ARR guides also have insights into the Grand Canyon’s history, geology, Native American lore and wildlife to share. River trip participants come away with a perspective on the Canyon that few visitors at the rim experience.

When you’re on a Colorado River trip you are free to relax. You don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner, what to wear or who’s trying to get a hold of you on your smart phone. Your most challenging decision may be whether to choose a chocolate bar or a granola bar, or whether to have another cup of coffee before heading out for the day. Because you’re not worrying about the details, you truly have time to enjoy your surroundings and other passengers on your trip.

Whitewater trips attract interesting adventurers from all over the world, and the experience of working and relaxing together, conquering the rapids and telling the tale at the end of the day creates a bond that is not soon forgotten. There is time to relax and get to know people, or reconnect with your own family spending quality time together. Side hikes to ancient petroglyphs or a thundering waterfall allow you to experience that sense of wonder again, scrambling up trails like a kid. Lazy sections of the river are perfect for clearing your head and regaining perspective, aided by the presence of towering rock walls, blue skies and the quiet of the Canyon. And for sheer awe, nothing beats settling down on a comfy cot with an impossibly starry sky overhead.

Recapture the richness and simplicity of your summer camp memories on a Grand Canyon family vacation. You’ll be amazed at how getting back to basics and truly escaping can bring out the kid in you, open you up to new experiences and build family relationships. And just like summer camp, all you have to do is show up.