Do you want more from your vacation than a bunch of snapshots from the rim? Have you always wanted to learn how to backpack and camp in the wilderness? Ever fantasized about being an archaeologist or geologist? Do you prefer active vacations that end with a sense of accomplishment?

During a learning vacation or service trip, you can get to know the canyon in the company of scientists, photographers, and other experts. The following organizations offer trips that are more than just sightseeing tours:

Grand Canyon Field Institute

P.O. Box 399, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
928/638-2485, toll-free 866/471-4435
www.grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute

Offers classes from basic backpacking skills to botanical surveys collecting plants for the canyon’s herbarium. Geology trips are a specialty, investigating the canyon from its popular central corridor to remote reaches like Nankoweap Creek or Surprise Valley.

Sierra Club

Outings Department
85 Second Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
415/977-5522
www.sierraclub.org

Organizes volunteer trips to stabilize canyon trails or restore native vegetation.

Forest Service’s Passport in Time Program

P.O. Box 15728, Rio Rancho, NM 87174
505/896-0734, toll-free 800/281-9176
www.passportintime.com

In recent years, forest volunteers have surveyed archaeological sites near Grand Canyon’s South Rim and restored historic Hull Cabin near Grandview Point.

Grand Canyon Trust

2601 N. Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928/774-7488
www.grandcanyontrust.org

A Conservation group that organizes hands-on volunteer projects for groups and individuals, such as removing invasive plants and collecting native seeds.

You’ll benefit from your experiences on trips like these, and the canyon will, too.