After you get a launch date, there’s another very important step to get the permit. You must fill out the Permit Application form. The deadline for sending in your Permit application is 90 days before your launch. The application reads more like a high school exam than a river permit application. It tests your knowledge of the regulations and the equipment you will be using.
At this time, you do not have to know exactly who will be on the trip, but you must specify the number of participants. Park fees of $100 per person are due, and if you add people later (the number of trip participants may not be increased within 30 days before launch), the per-person fee is $200. If you have people hiking in and out, your total participants may be more than 16, and you will have to pay $100 for each person even if they’re only there for half the trip. Because the cost is double when you add participants late, we recommend that you decide how many people you want on your trip and pay fees for that number up front. You can collect deposits from your group as you find them. You can change names on your roster on the park website up until the day before your launch.
On the application you will be asked to report exactly what kind, what color, and how many boats you will have. It’s not easy to be sure 3 months before the launch, but if you put blue boats on the application and end up with yellow ones, you will still get to go. The Park personnel really just want to know that you have an idea what kind of trip you will run, and how you plan to run it.
Once you have submitted your permit application, you will receive a paper copy of your permit and the regulations in the mail. These are important papers! The ranger will not let your trip launch unless you have them at the put-in, and they must also be accessible while you are on the river. A simple way to keep documents handy is to pack them in a Ziplock and tuck them into a food box on the PRO rigs. You probably won’t need them, but if a park ranger visits you on the river, you’ll be ready.
If you are planning a Diamond Creek takeout, soon after you submit your application you will receive a bill from the Hualapai Tribe. If you are getting a takeout shuttle from PRO, the tribal road fees will be in your PRO invoice, and you should NOT respond to their bill. If you are not getting a takeout shuttle from PRO, then you must pay the tribe.