|
South-Central
Colorado |
| Arkansas
(Upper) |
|
Nearly
continuous, technical and demanding Class III-IV+ rapids make the
Numbers section the most difficult section on the Arkansas.
|
| Arkansas
(Browns Canyon) |
|
River’s
most popular section, the granite-walled Browns Canyon, is a
moderate but relatively easy run with exciting, yet not intimidating
whitewaters.
|
| Arkansas
(Bighorn Canyon) |
|
Outfitters
offer a variety of two-hour, half-day, day trips with easy rapids in
scenic canyons for seniors and families with young children.
|
| Arkansas
(Royal Gorge) |
|
River’s
most spectacular whitewater canyon very challenging rapids 1000 feet
below the world’s highest suspension bridge.
|
|
North-Central
Colorado |
| Clear
Creek |
|
A
highly technical and demanding spring river trip through very steep
and narrow canyons less than thirty minutes drive west of Denver.
|
| Cache
la Poudre |
|
|
Exceptionally
beautiful tributary of the North Platte that has fairly numerous and
continuous technical rapids and steep drops including Mishawaka and
Pineview falls. Family-oriented half-day trips during June and July
begin below the falls.
|
| North
Platte |
|
|
Late
spring/early summer raft trip in the high-altitude alpine wilderness
of Northgate Canyon and other gorges near the river’s headwaters
northeast of Steamboat Springs. Considered a trip for hardy
adventurers.
|
| Blue |
|
Half-day
trips are run on fairly easy whitewater stretch between Silverthorne
and Columbine Landing upriver from the Green Mountain Reservoir.
|
| Eagle |
|
Half
day and one day rafting trips are available on two excellent
whitewater sections in the late-spring and early-summer, near the
town of Eagle west of Vail.
|
| Colorado
(Upper) |
|
The
upper stretches of the Colorado, west of its Rocky Mountain National
Park source, feature some of the state’s finest and most popular
half-day, one day and multiday trips in the Gore Canyon and State
Bridge sections.
|
| Roaring
Fork |
|
Late-spring
and early summer visitors to Aspen and Snowmass have the opportunity
to experience challenging and exciting whitewater.
|
| Colorado
(Shoshone) |
|
Although
short in length, the Shoshone section of the Colorado has six very
challenging Class III-IV rapids.
|
| Colorado
(Glenwood) |
|
The
most frequently rafted stretch of the Colorado River parallels
Interstate 70 near the popular resort town of Glenwood Springs.
|
|
Southwestern
Colorado |
| Taylor
River |
|
Water
releases from the Taylor Park Reservoir generally permit sustained
water for rafting throughout the summer in impressive alpine canyons
northeast of Gunnison.
|
| Gunnison
(Upper) |
|
Very
easy raft trip through farmlands and rolling hills just north of
Gunnison is enjoyed by seniors and families with young children.
|
| Gunnison
(Lake Fork) |
|
The
Lake Fork, one of the Gunnison' many fine tributaries, offers superb
whitewater, just south of the Curecanti National Recreation Area
near Gunnison.
|
| Gunnison
(Gorge) |
|
Immediately
below the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument, is one of
the state's finest wilderness river trips with magnificent canyon
scenery, abundant wildlife, and fine whitewater.
|
| Gunnison
(Lower) |
|
Escalante
and Dominquez, the last two canyons of the Gunnison, Colorado's
second longest river, provide relaxing one or multiday trip family
rafting opportunities with easy Class I-II waters.
|
| San
Juan (Upper) |
|
Mesa
and Montezuma canyons provide easy whitewaters, magnificent scenery
and abundant wildlife that can be enjoyed by everyone above the age
of five years and even younger in summer.
|
| Piedra |
|
Narrow
and steep box canyons create a very demanding spring river adventure
for physically fit rafters north of Pagosa Springs.
|
| Animas
(Upper) |
|
The
upper section, located high in the snowcapped San Juan Mountains
between Silverton and Durango, provides a very challenging and
scenic multiday whitewater experience for advanced paddlers.
|
| Animas
(Lower) |
|
A
mild introduction to whitewater rafting with panoramic view of
surrounding mountains, that begins in downtown Durango.
|
| San
Miguel |
|
Fairly
continuous, yet not difficult, half- and one-day trips on a major
tributary of the Dolores near the popular resort town of Telluride.
|
| Dolores |
|
A
variety of multiday raft trip opportunities through numerous
spectacular canyons on the Dolores’ course from the San Juan
Mountains in southwest Colorado to its confluence with the Colorado
River in Utah
|
|
Northwest
Colorado/Northeast Utah |
| Yampa
(Dinosaur NM) |
|
Excellent
multiday rafting trip on exciting, free-flowing waters through
spectacular canyons within Dinosaur National Monument that continues
into equally grand Green River canyons.
|
| Green
(Dinosaur NM) |
|
Multiday
and one-day family raft trips through the spectacular canyons of
Lodore and Whirlpool, and Split Mountain Gorge in Dinosaur National
Monument.
|
| Colorado
(Horsethief / Ruby) |
|
Great
scenic float trip for anyone wishing to enjoy a spectacular
sandstone river canyon, a desert environment, and very mild waters.
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Colorado, world famous for its
magnificent mountain environment and winter skiing, also receives
widespread acclaim for its outstanding whitewaters during the spring
and summer. Rafting trips include an excellent variety of half-day,
one-day, and multiday raft trips suitable for the adventurous,
families, seniors, and the disabled. Many of the more popular trips
are easily accessible from the State's well-known parks, resorts,
and other vacation centers.
The
Arkansas River, from Twin Lakes below Independence Pass in
south-central Colorado to Canon City, is one of the West’s most
popular whitewater rivers. Families, seniors, first-time rafters,
and experienced rafters will all enjoy one more sections of the
river—The Numbers, Browns Canyon, Salida-Cotopaxi-Parkdale, and
the Royal Gorge. Outfitters offer a wide variety of one-day,
half-day, and shorter trips.
The only frequently run whitewater
stretches in Colorado that are not part of the Arkansas or Colorado
River’s drainage system are Clear Creek just west of Denver, and
the Cache la Poudre River, which runs through an intermediate-level
canyon northeast of Rocky Mountain National Park, throughout the
summer.
Five of Colorado's popular whitewater
stretches are in the central Rockies, near the all season Aspen and
Vail resort areas. Outfitters provide half-day, one-day, and
multiday raft trips for families and first-time rafters on the easy
and moderate waters of:
- Upper Colorado sections known as
Gore Canyon and State Bridge near Kremmling.
- The Eagle, Blue, and the Roaring
Fork, three moderate tributaries of the upper Colorado.
- The Middle Colorado section near
the famed hot springs at Glenwood Springs.
In southwest Colorado, rafting occurs
on alpine streams and the rivers of the Colorado Plateau:
- The Gunnison River system, which
joins the Colorado at Grand Junction, has rafting trips on two
of its tributaries (the Taylor and Lake Fork).
- The upper Gunnison and Gunnison
Gorge immediately below the fame Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
Each spring, both the Piedra and upper Animas rivers in the San
Juan Mountains, provide some of the state's best Class IV-V
waters.
- The moderate lower Animas at
Durango provides daily rafting trips for families and first-time
rafters throughout much of the summer.
- The Dolores River, which for much
of its course runs parallel to the Colorado-Utah border, offers
several excellent multiday trip options.
Finally, in northwest Colorado the
Yampa and Green rivers unveil the majestic canyon splendor of
Dinosaur National Park on popular multiday raft trips that include
Lodore and Whirlpool canyons, and Split Mountain Gorge. Outfitters
also offer excellent one-day, family raft trips through Split
Mountain Gorge, the last of Dinosaur's three spectacular canyons.
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