Planning ยท River camping
River camping on an overnight rafting trip
Where you sleep, where you go to the bathroom, campfires, food and wildlife, from the agencies' own rules.
Quick answer
River camping on a guided trip means a tent on a beach, meals cooked by your guides and a portable toilet called the groover. On every river in our table, the agency requires solid human waste to be carried out. Fires go in a fire pan, and some rivers ban them in summer.
Camp
Where you sleep
Most nights are on a sandy beach or a bench above the river. Outfitters on the trips we compare list camp gear, often tents and sleeping pads, as included. Sleeping bags vary: several river pages list them as something to check.
How camps are chosen depends on the river. On the Middle Fork, trips camp in the camps assigned on their permit. On the Green and Yampa in Dinosaur, the Park Service assigns camps in the high use season. On the Rogue and in Hells Canyon, camps are first come, first served, and on Desolation no boat may be sent ahead to hold a camp.
Prefer a bed? Some Rogue trips stay in riverside lodges instead of tents.
The groover
Where you go to the bathroom
The short version: a portable toilet at camp for solids, and the river for urine where the agency says so.
| River | Solid waste | Urine | Campfires | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | Carried out | In the river or the toilet | Metal fire pan; no cooking fires on commercial trips | NPS |
| Middle Fork Salmon | Carried out (portable toilet required) | Not stated | Fire pan required; ash packed out | Forest Service |
| Desolation Canyon | Carried out (reusable toilet system) | Not stated | Fire pan required; ash carried out | BLM |
| Gates of Lodore and Yampa | Carried out | In the river or the toilet | Metal fire pan required | NPS |
| Rogue | Carried out (approved toilet system) | River or toilet acceptable | Fire pans required year round within 400 feet of the river | BLM |
| Hells Canyon | Carried out | Not stated | No campfires June 1 to September 30; fire pan required | Forest Service |
| Cataract Canyon | Contained and removed | The Park Service suggests the toilet near the river's edge | Driftwood only; ash packed out | NPS |
From each agency's river rules, checked October 11, 2026. "Not stated" means the page we read does not cover it. Fire rules change with the season; your guides follow the current ones.
Campfires
Fires, food and wildlife
Fires. Where fires are allowed, they go in a metal fire pan and the ash leaves with the trip. Hells Canyon bans campfires in the river corridor from June 1 to September 30, per the Forest Service floaters guide. On Grand Canyon commercial trips, wood fires are for warmth, not cooking, and wood gathering is banned from March 1 through October.
Food. Your guides cook and clean up. Outfitters list meals on the river as included on the trips we compare.
Wildlife. Recreation.gov says bears are commonly seen along the Middle Fork, and Dinosaur's rules tell boaters they are camping in bear country and to store food and scented items in a durable container. On the Rogue, the BLM asks campers to hang food or use the bear fences.
Trash. The agencies for the Grand Canyon, the Middle Fork, Desolation, Dinosaur, the Rogue and Hells Canyon all require garbage to be carried out.
Good to know
First night tips
Ask where the groover is when you land, and bring a headlamp for the walk after dark.
Keep food and anything scented out of your tent and with the kitchen. Guides will show you how they store it.
Pack for cold nights in spring and fall. See when to go rafting for seasons by river.
Questions
River camping questions
Where do you go to the bathroom on a rafting trip?
In a portable toilet the guides set up at camp, often called the groover. On the rivers in the table above, the managing agency requires solid human waste to be carried out of the canyon. On the Grand Canyon, Dinosaur and the Rogue, the agencies say urine goes in the river or the toilet.
What is a groover?
The river name for the portable toilet. Agencies require one on overnight trips: the Forest Service lists a porta potty among the required gear on the Middle Fork, and the BLM requires a reusable toilet system on Desolation Canyon.
Where do you sleep on an overnight rafting trip?
In a tent on a beach or bench by the river, on most trips we compare. Outfitters list camp gear, often tents and sleeping pads, as included; sleeping bags vary, so check. On Rogue lodge trips you sleep in a riverside lodge instead.
Do you pick your own campsite?
It depends on the river. On the Middle Fork, trips camp where their permit assigns them, and on the Green and Yampa the Park Service assigns camps in high season. On the Rogue and in Hells Canyon, camps are first come, first served. In the Grand Canyon, camps must be within 100 yards of the water line.
Can you have a campfire?
Often, in a fire pan. Fire pans are required on the Grand Canyon, the Middle Fork, Desolation, Dinosaur, the Rogue and Hells Canyon. Hells Canyon bans campfires from June 1 to September 30, and Grand Canyon commercial trips use wood fires only for warmth, not cooking.
What do you eat on a rafting trip?
The guides cook. Outfitters on the rivers we compare list meals on the river as included, and several give the span: ROW's Middle Fork trips run from lunch on day one to lunch on day six, and ARTA's Main Salmon trips from lunch on day one to lunch on the last day.
Are there bears?
On some rivers. Recreation.gov says bears are commonly seen along the Middle Fork, and Dinosaur's rules say you are camping in bear country. Guides store food and scented items securely; on the Rogue, the BLM asks campers to hang food or use the bear fences.
What about trash?
It goes out with the trip. The agencies for the Grand Canyon, the Middle Fork, Desolation, Dinosaur, the Rogue and Hells Canyon all require garbage to be carried out.
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