Packrafts confiscated by the park/NPS

Twice Samuel H. Edwards ran an illegal packrafting trip on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, and twice he's been convicted of doing so, according to the National Park Service.

Most recently Edwards, from Washington, Utah, entered a guilty plea on May 15 to misdemeanor charges of leading a trip in the fall of 2020 without a permit and entering a restricted area. He was fined $2,500, placed on two years' probation, and banned from all national parks, monuments, and federal recreation areas during that time.

According to the plea agreement, Edwards and another person used packrafts to travel about 100 miles on the river inside the park, and also entered Thunder River Cave without a required permit.

The court documents didn't have any details of his previous conviction, and no further information was available Friday.

Packrafting, or River Assisted Backcountry Travel (RABT), differs from traditional river rafting in that it is utilizing the river for short distances in order to access another route or trail. Hikers typically will have a backcountry permit and use the river to connect portions of their itinerary via the Colorado River. Edwards utilized approximately 100 miles of the river, a park release said.

A backcountry permit with the specific RABT designation is required in order to lead or conduct a packrafting trip, per the Grand Canyon Superintendent’s Compendium.

Unpermitted packrafting trips can lead to dangerous situations for participants, as the park has no knowledge of their whereabouts if something goes wrong. In 2022, there were 338 search and rescue missions and 11 fatalities in Grand Canyon National Park.