Well, like most things, the answer is: yes and no. Can we technically have campfires in the Grand Canyon while on river trips? Yes! But it always comes with a caveat. Per National Park Service rules, we technically can have a fire but we have to pack in all of the wood ourselves and we have to pack out all of the ashes. This is where the problem lies, as you can imagine. There are no fire pits along the beaches in the Canyon so we would have to pack in extra large fire pans as well, to catch all the ashes. And then we would have to store all the ashes on the boats, along with all the other trash we’re packing out of the Canyon with us, and along with all the food and gear we brought on the trip with us. Oh and along with all the folks who also have to fit on those boats! That’s a whole lot of stuff and not a whole lot of places to put it!
Usually people will set up the camp chairs in a circle at camp and have fun talking and laughing after dinner. If you’re lucky you might have someone with a guitar plucking away in the evenings. Some guests like to make ‘pretend’ fires with their headlamps or other things.
So the point is: Don’t expect any campfires in the Canyon and, hey, don’t worry about it!