Arkansas River White Water
Rafting!
Located adjacent to our headquarters in Buena Vista,
the Arkansas River offers many miles of thrilling white water rafting which
attract river enthusiasts from all over the world. The Arkansas River drops
5,000 feet in its first 125 miles from its headwaters in the Colorado Rockies
near the Continental Divide to the plains near Cañon City, Colorado.
Steep rocky gradient makes for excellent white water rafting and the
mountainous scenery contains some fascinating geology. This part of the
Arkansas River as it flows through Buena Vista and Salida is America's most
popular white water river. The Arkansas River will host close to half a million
boaters annually.
The Arkansas River offers a wide variety of white
water rafting trips of various lengths and difficulties. There are rafting
trips suitable for families with small children as well as exciting white water
trips for seasoned pros. You may choose to raft on mellow scenic sections such
as the Upper Bighorn Sheep Canyon,
the wildly popular and moderately rambunctious
Browns Canyon and
Narrows trips or challenge the
steep and unpredictable Numbers and
Royal Gorge sections.
Arkansas River Multi-day
trips of up to five days in length are also very popular.
The Arkansas River's long boating season adds to its
appeal. Peak runoff normally occurs from early June through mid-July and most
sections of the Arkansas are raftable from early May through early
September.
In the Upper Arkansas River valley, known locally as
Colorado's "banana belt", you can expect mostly sunny days and drier conditions
than in many parts of Colorado. The Upper Arkansas River flows through a high
country desert with sweeping views of Colorado's highest density of 14,000-foot
peaks.
In 1706 the Spaniard Juan de Ulibarri was probably the
first westerner to visit the headwaters of the Arkansas River. Apparently, he
arrived during the late spring runoff when the Arkansas takes on the ruddy
color of mud, for he named it Napestle, an Indian word meaning "red water." The
modern name Arkansas comes from the Les Arkansas Indians who lived in what is
now Oklahoma and Arkansas. Eventually it joins the Mississippi River after
traveling 1,450 miles from its headwaters.
The Arkansas River is located 90 miles west of
Colorado Springs, 120 miles southwest of Denver. It flows past Buena Vista,
Salida and the raftable section ends in Cañon City Colorado.
Visit the Wilderness Aware
Gallery to see photos of the Arkansas and other exciting Colorado
and Arizona rivers.
Click here
for directions and maps for our Arkansas River trips.
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