Family Rafting Vacations in Colorado and Arizona!

Colorado has a wide variety of rafting trips available. Most of the rivers you hear about are popular because of easy access to roads and cities. Many of these rivers such as the Arkansas and the Upper Colorado host thousands of visitors each year.

Although Wilderness Aware Rafting loves showing folks these popular rivers, our heart is in the wilderness, and our rafting friends that choose to go the extra mile to get away from it all agree with us. Days spent challenging the rapids and floating peacefully among the canyons are our most treasured moments in this hectic world. We'll leave our cars at the 'put-in' and will pass little or no development for 2 to 10 days depending on the river. At lunchtime, we'll pull over and make a deserted beach or meadow into our private picnic ground. Late in the afternoon, we'll make a deserted canyon our home for the night. The trees will be our bed canopies and the canyon's rim will be our walls. The white noise we grow accustomed to in the city is replaced by the sound of the river's running water and the comforting calls of birds.

If you would like to come rafting in May or June, consider a one or two day trip through the forested North Platte River in the Platte River Wilderness Area. Abundant wildlife and an untouched forest helps us understand how Colorado and Wyoming looked before it was settled by whites in the 1800's.

The Dolores River cuts through several canyons in southwestern Colorado. It traverses a fantastic transition from the mountain to the desert in a 3 to 10 day trip. This river is only available in May and early June.

The Gunnison River is our most remote Colorado trip and a spectacular adventure for those looking for the ultimate backcountry adventure. This dam-controlled river passes through some of the oldest exposed Precambrian rock on the planet, and is available daily from May through early September.

The Salt River is the perfect springtime escape. Located near Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, this desert river is a favorite of our staff. The full day trip is on the White Mountain Apache Reservation and miles away from the nearest city. Overnight trips leave even the remote dirt road that parallels the full day section and takes up to 5 days to cover all the canyons of the Upper Salt River. We offer this trip from March through May.