The United States Attorneys’ Office has charged a man for illegally packrafting through the Grand Canyon National Park without a permit.
The man identified as Samuel Edwards pled guilty on May 15 to misdemeanor charges. Edwards was charged for illegally leading a backcountry packrafting trip without a permit and entering a restricted area.
Packrafting is done at the park to move hikers from one trail to another using the river in short distances. Hikers normally have a backcountry permit to navigate parts of the Colorado River that connect the various trails of the park.
Edwards used about 100 miles of the river without a permit. This is his second time being caught and convicted for leading an illegal packrafting trip, according to a press release from the Grand Canyon National Park.
He was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine and received two years of probation, in addition to being banned from all national parks, national monuments and federal recreation areas for the next two years.
Jeff Stebbins, a spokesperson for the Grand Canyon National Park, said these cases are rare.
“It’s really not common,” Stebbins said. “It’s very difficult to do this and not get caught, it’s actually fairly rare that that happens.”
Packrafting or River Assisted Backcountry Travel (RABT) is required by the park in order to prevent dangerous situations for participants and allow the park to know where parkgoers are in case of any emergency.
More than 300 search and rescue incidents, as well as 11 deaths, were reported at the park in 2022.
Stibbens said hikers can check if their guide has a RABT license before booking their packrafting trips.
“You can ask to see their permit, and they should have a backcountry permit and a commercial permit,” Stebbins said.