Summary: When traveling the lower canyon, from Diamond Creek to Lake Mead, there are a few things to consider. This short section of the video will go over a few additional details for this part of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. The first thing you may notice about this lower section is that campsites are pretty limited. Many of the sites are heavily overgrown, eroded, or have very high banks. Camp sharing may be more frequent down here. Remember that no camping is allowed within the Columbine Falls Cove area. You may run into shallow water and sandbars from river mile 248 at Surprise Canyon all the way to the takeout, so keeping an eye out for those can save you a lot of hassle. Sandbars aren't the only collision risk down here. You may encounter speed boats traveling upstream from Lake Mead. To reduce any potential for collision, try to keep your boats close together. For those of you who choose to night float through the Lower Granite Gorge, if your trip doesn’t have a motor, you must have someone ready to signal oncoming boats with a flashlight. If your trip has a motor, you must have United States Coast Guard approved navigational lights displayed. When conditions allow, you may take out at Pearce Ferry. The area can often be muddy and hot, especially in the summer. Its best to take out and de-rig early in the morning. Consolidate your gear because there may be several other trips de-rigging at the same time. Pearce Ferry has the following facilities: pit toilets, a small campground, and emergency telephone. (CG) When conditions don't allow for takeouts at Pearce Ferry, your next option is to go to South Cove. Its another 17 miles of travel on the water. When you get onto Lake Mead, it becomes readily apparent that travel across the lake is easier with a small outboard motor. The lake has a 10-15 mph wind which makes rowing or paddling more difficult. During storms, try to seek shelter in coves. The takeout area at South Cove is designated by signs and is now adjacent to the concrete launch ramp. The area is compacted rock and gravel and has a limited amount of space. Again, its best to try to take out and de-rig as early in the morning as possible. Trips must consolidate their gear during the take-out and de-rigging process. South Cove has the following facilities: paved road and parking area, pit toilets, and emergency telephone. No Camping is allowed within the harbor or parking areas of South Cove. The SCAT machine is often available on Pearce Ferry road about 10 miles away from Pearce Ferry or South Cove. This machine will clean river toilet systems that use 20 - 30 mm rocket boxes. There's a regular dump station there for other toilet system cleaning. The SCAT machine is closed from November through March. Other than the SCAT machine, and toilet dump station which are reserved for SCAT, There are no dumping facilities for river trip garbage. These are just a few reminders for the lower section of the canyon. It is a bit more rugged, but has its own character, and far less visitation than the upper section. As is the case anywhere in Grand Canyon its best not to make assumptions but expect surprises. Enjoy your trip.
