Dolores River Ponderosa Gorge Whitewater Rafting!
 The beginning of the more navigable portion of
the river lies below the town of Dolores where the Dolores River enters
Ponderosa Gorge. Sloping canyon walls covered with oak brush and other shrubs
characterize the first few miles of river below Bradfield Bridge. Then the
canyon deepens and begins its transition from a mountain to a desert river.
Sandstone walls appear and groves of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir cover the
benches along the river, offering some of the West's most beautiful campsites.
On the second day, you will stop to visit an ancient
Anasazi Indian ruin high on a cliff face where you can imagine the life-style
of a native culture long since vanished.
With a gradient of 19 feet per mile, you'll be moving
swiftly downstream to an encounter with "Old Snaggletooth", the most formidable
rapid on the entire river, and the miles-long House Rock Rapid. Before the
invention of the self-bailing raft, some river runners maintained that
Snaggletooth had been portaged more times than it had been successfully run!
Below Snaggletooth, the canyon becomes drier and the
vegetation begins to change to that of the Upper Sonoran life zone.
Piñon-juniper, yucca, cactus, and shrubs are predominant. A few miles
above the take-out at Slickrock, the canyon widens to rolling, arid hills.
| Daily
Launches: |
Early May to
mid-June |
| Length: |
50 miles |
| Difficulty: |
Class III-IV
|
| Departure
Time: |
9:00 am |
| Adult Price:
|
$465 |
| Child Price
(10-16): |
$385 |
|
Please arrive at least
30-45 minutes prior to departure time. This allows you time to check in and
relax before your trip departs. |
|
|
|
Dolores
River Pre-Trip Information
General
River Description
Sample
Itinerary
Gallery Photos
Maps |
