Summary: In addition to outright closures there are certain heavily visited areas that are restricted to day use only. The first five miles from Lee’s Ferry to Navajo bridge are for day use, the first easy place for you to camp is at river mile 6. John Wesley Powell describes in his journals a large red wall cavern big enough to fit 50,000 people. A closer estimate may be 5000. Its still quite big and a popular spot. You are welcome to have lunch at the cavern but you need to move downstream before camping. Nankoweep is known for the granaries located on the cliff above the river at mile 52 and has three campsites. The first area along the beach is not a camp and should be used for day use only. Just below the rapid is the first camp. If you plan to camp at Nankoweep it's a good idea to pull into camp #1 and scout the other campsites below to see if they're available. Once you commit to go down it is difficult to return the boats to the upstream camp. At the confluence of the Little Colorado River the two beaches on river right are available for camping, but river left and the island at the mouth of the little Colorado are for day use only. No fishing is allowed in the LCR. Fishing is also restricted in this section of the Colorado from 1/2 mile up and downstream of the confluence to protect the endangered Humpback Chub. Boats are not allowed to enter or park in the Little Colorado river. Please check with the Lee’s Ferry ranger for seasonal swimming restrictions at the LCR as well. Planning camp sites ahead of time is vital especially around the Phantom Ranch area. There is only one useable campsite between mile 77 ands 81. At mile 81 is Grapevine. This is a huge campsite with plenty of room for several trips. Be aware that you may have neighbors before spreading out too far. For that matter, be open to the possibility of sharing almost any camp on your trip with others. Most times its not necessary, especially if small groups use small camps and leave larger areas for larger groups. But as beach sizes change, we sometimes need to get along in tighter quarters, doubling up at a campsite is a last resort, but when it does happen in a pinch, try to make the best of it. When passing other commercial or private trips during the day, be open to discussing camp plans with the trip leaders for the next part of the trip. The more we keep communication lines open, the better off everyone will be. An awareness of other's plans can alleviate congestion. After several days on the river a little bit of civilization is sometimes welcome. Phantom Ranch will appear on river right, marked by the black bridge. Straight ahead is Boat Beach. You may tie up there and enjoy the conveniences of the ranch area. However you are not allowed to camp in the ranch area. There are campsites in the Cremation Camp area on river left but these 2 campsites are only to be used by trips with passenger exchanges at Phantom Ranch. Mile 91 will be the next campsite below Phantom Ranch. In general, avoid camping in the Hance to Phantom corridor if you don’t have a passenger exchange. There are many day use sites throughout the canyon. Each of the sites is unique in its scenery and activities. Shinumo Creek, Royal Arch Creek, Tapeats Creek, Deer Creek, Kanab Creek, Matkatamiba, and Havasu Canyon are all considered day use sites.
