Join Grand Canyon Field Institue for Your Next Learning Adventure!

We offer fun and informative educational classes & tours for everyone — from thrill-seekers to chill-seekers. On day hikes, backpacks, and whitewater rafting trips, GCFI’s expert instructors share the must-see wonders of the Grand Canyon with park visitors. We treat young and old, small groups and solo travelers, to what is often described as the trip-of-a-lifetime!

Grand Canyon: It's What We Do! Nobody knows Grand Canyon like our team of instructors — which includes professional geologists, biologists, anthropologists, botanists, archaeologists, historians, artists, as well as National Park Service resource specialists. When you join a GCFI class you can expect an authoritative, in-depth immersion into the grandest of canyons. Our classes are intimate (2-12 participants), and visit more intriguing destinations from rim-to-river than any other company in the business.

Grand Canyon is a must-see destination! The Grand Canyon is one of the crown jewels of the National Park System, it is a World Heritage Site, one of the few land features on the planet visible from space, has more biodiversity than any other national park, harbors an archaeological record spanning 12,000 years, cradles the mighty Colorado River with its world-famous whitewater rapids, and attracts 4.5 million visitor per year (second only to Great Smoky National Park). So what are you waiting for? Sign up today for the grandest trip of your life!

Other National Parks also offer excellent educational Field Institute programs through their non profit park partners. Click to find out more.

Relationship with Grand Canyon Association

GCFI is a program of the Grand Canyon Association (GCA). GCA has been a valued partner of Grand Canyon National Park since 1932. In addition to providing premier educational opportunities, GCA raises private funds for the benefit Grand Canyon National Park and its visitors, publishes books and develops products that showcase the unique natural and cultural history of the region, and operates retail shops throughout the park. Historically, GCA has provided nearly $40 million in financial support of the National Park Service at Grand Canyon.

Partnership with the National Park Service

For nearly two decades, GCFI has been working closely with the National Park Service (NPS) to provide educational opportunities that complement the park’s own interpretive efforts. Each GCFI class is reviewed by an interdisciplinary team of NPS educators and resource managers to ensure that it meets the educational goals of the park.

“In 1993 the National Park Service encouraged our longtime partner, Grand Canyon Association (GCA), to initiate a program of multi-day, in-depth, experience-based learning opportunities for visitors that would complement the park’s own educational programming. GCA responded by launching the Grand Canyon Field Institute that same year. GCFI has since grown from five classes a year to over two hundred. Subject matter has diversified to offer experiences as interesting as the people who participate in them, with each course led by an expert instructor. Grand Canyon Association and its Field Intitute have been valued partners in meeting the educational and recreational goals of Grand Canyon National Park and the needs of park visitors. GCFI has the full endorsement of the National Park Service.”

Judy Bryan
Chief of Interpretation, Grand Canyon National Park