National Park Service

A commercial company prepares to embark on a Colorado River trip from Lees Ferry.

The National Park Service has selected 16 companies to conduct whitewater trips in Grand Canyon National Park.

The companies will provide guided, interpretive, multiday trips on the Colorado River lasting three to 18 days.

They will put in at Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, travel through the Grand Canyon and exit at Pearce Ferry near the Nevada border.

Of the 16 companies, all of which have previously acted as providers, 11 are headquartered in Arizona, four in Utah and one in California.

The Park Service will sign and award the contracts following a required 60-day Congressional notice period.

The service period will begin in January and last 10 years.