Whitewater Rafting ColoradoThere’s nothing quite like whitewater rafting Colorado.Steep canyon walls. Hot summer sun. Cool waters gently float your raft downstream. All is calm and peaceful on a Colorado day. And then you reach the rapids. 
Your raft plunges downward. Waves crash over the side. Your guide yells “forward!” and paddles dig and pull. You spin sideways. Another splash soaks you. You laugh and whoop. So does everyone else. You are having a blast. This is how it went for us, anyway, when we visited the Arkansas River in Buena Vista—ground zero for whitewater rafting Colorado. Only a 2-hour drive west of Colorado Springs, a whitewater rafting trip in Buena Vista makes for a perfect day trip. We left Colorado Springs at 10:30am, hit the water by 1:30pm, and were back in town by 6pm. There are plenty of rafting companies to choose from: River Runners, Dvoraks, Wilderness Aware, Noah's Ark, Adventure Company... We chose River Runners and had an excellent experience. They are easy to find, the staff is very laid back and helpful, and our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and funny. Most importantly, he took us down some killer whitewater runs. Whitewater Rafting Colorado with RIVER RUNNERS
We heard that because of the huge snows this past winter, the water volume is actually at a 13-year high! The guides sure don’t mind this, as there are less boulders to get stuck on, and in general, more water equals more fun. If you’ve never gone rafting before, Browns Canyon is a good place to start. You learn some basic paddling skills, get comfortable with safety issues, and the rapids are about “Class III” which is exhilarating but not frightening. We had a wide variety of people on our tour. There were several families, a couple of boy scout troops, and I sat up front with a guy who did competitive Hawaiian outrigger paddle racing. (Not a bad guy to have in your raft!) 
The skill levels were all over the place, and fun was had by all. During the slower sections, there are plenty of rock formations to look at, and wildlife abounds. We saw vultures overhead, mallard ducks on the water, and even three bighorn sheep checking us out from a steep rocky ledge. There are several 14,000 foot mountains on the horizon to gaze at, called the Collegiate Peaks. Mt. Harvard, Mt. Yale, and Mt. Princeton. Really big, beautiful mountains. The rapids themselves vary from sudden drops to “roller coaster” ups and downs, to quick passes past walls of rock. Occasionally you just get soaked by a rogue wave you didn’t notice while you were looking around at all the beauty.
***INSIDER TIP: If you go earlier in the season, especially if you do a morning trip, we recommend the full-body wetsuit. So do the folks at River Runners. It keeps your core warm so you can enjoy the trip. Splash guard pull-overs do the same thing. Remember: the river is essentially melted snow. Water temps can be 35F-40F. That’s brisk, and by brisk I mean icy.*** At one point in the river, there are several photographers who take snapshots of your raft while you’re “in the thick of things” and it’s a lot of fun to view them after the trip is over. You can purchase them as well for I think about $12-20. A nice souvenir if you’re not frequently whitewater rafting Colorado. Overall, we had a fantastic time whitewater rafting. Colorado might be the ultimate place to do this type of activity, so make sure to give it a try while you’re here. You won't regret it. GETTING THERE: CONTACT: |
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