Colorado and Arizona White Water River Rafting Day Trips

Most rafters try rafting for the first time on a full-day or ½ day trip. Groups, Scouts, Families, and folks searching for an Extreme trip can all find the perfect adventure with Wilderness Aware Rafting.

Our most popular trips are on Colorado's Arkansas River west of Colorado Springs in central Colorado. The Arkansas is the most popular rafting river in the world for good reason. It is close to both Denver and Colorado Springs, and it is centrally located in the state. From the river, there are spectacular views of Colorado's largest collection of 14,000 foot peaks, including Colorado's tallest Mt. Elbert (14,433'). In Browns Canyon, Bighorn Sheep Canyon and the Royal Gorge, the beautifully carved canyon walls will comfort and inspire you. The relatively continuous gradient means there is lots of action with very little calm water on most trips.

Rafters looking for lots of action and beautiful canyon scenery will want to consider the most popular section of the Arkansas River, a Browns Canyon Full Day or Half Day trip.

A Narrows Express Full-Day or Narrows Half-Day trip is a bit of an undiscovered gem on the Arkansas River. The rapids are similar to those in Browns Canyon, but much more continuous, especially at high water. Views of snow covered peaks surprise you at each and every bend. Lush and green cottonwood trees line the bank as you rock and roll through non-stop action.

Families with small children from 5 to 7 years old will want to consider an Arkansas River Upper Bighorn Sheep Canyon trip with its very mild, but fast moving water.

The Arkansas' Royal Gorge is famous the world over for its suspension bridge. Rafters know "The Gorge" as a wild ride and a scenic wonder. We recommend prior experience for thrill seekers looking for bigger drops and tougher moves.

The toughest trip we offer is the Arkansas River's "Numbers" section. The simply named rapids on this section named "Number One" through "Number Six" challenges some of the world's most skilled kayakers. We love this as a raft run.

Most people choose Browns Canyon year after year as the trip of choice, but if you are looking for a new section with rapids of similar difficulty to Browns Canyon, you may want to consider Lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon. We only offer this trip for groups of 10 or more.

We also offer Wilderness trips on several other rivers. The beautiful and forested North Platte River through the Platte River Wilderness in northern Colorado is a great early season trip in May and June.

The remote and rugged Gunnison Gorge offers an exclusive wilderness expedition for groups of 4 to 10. This trip requires a rugged trip to the end of the road and a mile hike to the bottom of the canyon. Boats are packed to the bottom of the canyon on horseback!

From March through early May, Wilderness Aware packs up the company and heads to Arizona for the incredible Salt River season. Close to Phoenix and Tucson, desert rats can re-hydrate on this exciting river as it tumbles out of the White Mountains.