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FREEFLOW GRAND CANYON
APRIL 7 - 24, 2026
FREEFLOW GRAND CANYON 2026
In April 2026, Freeflow returns to the Colorado River through Grand Canyon to listen, write, and witness, in deep immersion and deep time.
What would our stories sound like if we could hear a billion-year-old roar from deep within the Earth?
How might listening to this geologic song change how we approach our writing, how we understand urgency, how we orient our narratives in the hyperspeed of today?
The Freeflow Grand Canyon experience is open to anyone invested in the evolving narrative around the Colorado River and the Colorado Plateau. Learners, teachers, artists, leaders, communicators, and curious humans of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. We aim to assemble a cohort of people who find joy in learning, observation, science, and the creative act. No prior experience in rafting, writing, or backcountry camping is necessary. We just ask that you bring to the river your whole, complex self and a beautifully open mind.
You can choose to spend 8, 10, or 17 days on the river, meandering (and sometimes crashing) through billions of years of Earth history, a journey burrowing through epochs of time. You’ll learn about the geology, natural history, and Indigenous lifeways oriented to this landscape. You'll sink deeper into your own core while scrambling up slot canyons and sleeping under stars atop sandy beaches that touch 1.8-billion-year-old Vishnu schist. You'll feel the power of the most iconic whitewater rapids on the continent, and you'll rest easy in the capable hands of some our country's most talented river guides.
You'll be guided in the arts of observation, communication, poetry, and storytelling. We will study, with our senses and in real time, the beings, histories, and shapes of this place. Celebrated Diné poet and teacher Sherwin Bitsui will co-lead the Upper Canyon, and legendary desert writer-wanderer Craig Childs will join us for the Lower Canyon. The field experience will be facilitated by Freeflow's founder, Chandra Brown.
There will be discussion, workshop, and expansive, generative thinking in focused community, between Canyon walls. FREEFLOW GRAND CANYON 2026
Choose from three different trip lengths. Our 2026 guest instructors Sherwin Bitsui on the Upper Canyon and Craig Childs on the Lower.
OPTION 1 | 8-DAY UPPER CANYON
WITH SHERWIN BITSUI
Lee's Ferry to Phantom Ranch | 7 - 15 APRIL 2026
OPTION 2 | 10-DAY LOWER CANYON
WITH CRAIG CHILDS
Phantom Ranch to Diamond Creek | 14 - 24 APRIL 2026
OPTION 3 | 17-DAY FULL CANYON
WITH SHERWIN BITSUI + CRAIG CHILDS
Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek | 7 - 24 APRIL 2026
"Spending 16 days on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon was nothing short of a spiritual transformation. The writing instructors were chosen so carefully and created an atmosphere of creativity, community, and wonder, guiding us through prompts and discussions that helped uncover stories and vulnerabilities we didn’t know we carried. The River’s power and the Canyon’s physical demands wove seamlessly into the writing process, reminding us how words and the body are deeply connected. It’s difficult to capture in words the magic of this place, but I still vividly dream of my days on the River with the people that became family."
Sierra Pete, 2025 Freeflow Grand Canyon scholar
LIMITED SCHOLARSHIP OFFERINGS
In collaboration with some of our partner organizations and individual supporters, Freeflow Institute is offering between two and five full and partial scholarships for this adventure. The Freeflow Grand Canyon experience is open to everyone, but preference for our scholarships will be given to individuals from BIPOC communities, especially those from Indigenous communities in the Southwest. LEARN MORE + APPLY HERE.
PRICING + DEPOSITS
SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS: A generous Freeflow Institute alum is sponsoring this course at a level that allows us to subsidize pricing for ALL PARTICIPANTS.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: You pay for the outfitting/ guide services at the base industry price, and all costs associated with the Freeflow course itself (instruction, administration, materials, etc.) are covered by the sponsorship. You get the full Freeflow course, and all its associated goodness, for free.
The sponsorship-subsidized cost includes:
- daily discussions, workshops, and generative sessions with our guest instructors + Freeflow faculty
- professional river guides
- all camping, river, and safety gear
- transportation from Flagstaff, AZ to the river and back
- delicious, nutritious meals from lunch on April 8 through dinner on April 24 (zero cooking on your part!)
- pre-course logistical support + thoughtfully curated media list
- the full, university-accredited curriculum, whether you take it for credit or not
The course also serves as an introduction to the Freeflow galaxy of writers, leaders, and thinkers. Our alumni also receive discounts on future Freeflow courses.
Guide gratuities are not included in the cost, nor is lodging (or camping, if you choose) in Flagstaff before or after the trip.
8-DAY UPPER CANYON | $3900
10-DAY LOWER CANYON | $4600
17-DAY FULL CANYON | $6600
Space is extremely limited on this adventure. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and registration will close once the roster is full, or on September 5, 2025, whichever comes first. We will start a waitlist once the roster is full. PLEASE NOTE that payments are due soon.
PLEASE FOLLOW THIS PROCESS TO APPLY + PARTICIPATE:
- Click APPLY NOW on this webpage. In your application, share your ideas and questions with us. Share a bit about yourself. Let us know why this experience is important to you, at this very moment in your life.
- If you are accepted into the field course, Freeflow will notify you and you'll be on our roster. A staff member from our outfitting partner, Canyon Explorations, will reach out to learn more about you and discuss next steps.
- To save your space, Canyon Explorations will ask you to submit a $1000 deposit immediately, to save your space. (While this deposit is non-refundable, it is transferable to another participant, or to another 2026 Grand Canyon launch with Canyon Explorations.)
- The final balance for the trip is due the week of October 10, 2025. All payments will be made directly to Canyon Explorations and will be subject to Canyon Explorations' cancellation policy. To reiterate: Freeflow Institute will not collect payments; all payments will be made to Canyon Explorations.
- Freeflow Institute will send you everything you need to prepare, including a rich, comprehensive reading + media list, a logistics map, some suggestions of physical preparation, and everything you need to know to feel good about the adventure. The cohort will convene at least twice over Zoom in the months and weeks leading up to launch. We will be here to support you every step of the way.
"The community is what made this experience so lovely. Unparalleled. I felt more present in my time on the water than I have anywhere in a long time."
Monica, 2025 Freeflow Grand Canyon participant
At Freeflow we believe in the power of shared outdoor experience. We can’t wait to share a creative adventure with you.
Images on this page were captured by the magnificent Tom Spatig, Brendan Leonard, Angela Mallon Wells, Leeanna Torres, and Jess Rice.