Top 3 Royal Gorge Rafting Trips
Ready to experience one of the Arkansas River’s exciting Royal Gorge rafting trips? There’s no better way to beat the heat in Colorado than to jump in a boat on an adventurous river section. In the Royal Gorge, you’ll experience class III - IV whitewater that splashes over the top of the boat and provides a unique challenge for every paddler.
Guided by the experts at Arkansas River Tours, your team of paddlers will navigate some of the most popular rapids in the country! Their team is known for satisfying all safety certifications through rigorous training each year. If you are looking for a new challenge in Colorado’s great outdoors, read on to see which Royal Gorge rafting trip will be the best for you and your group!
1. Half Day Royal Gorge Rafting Trip
2. Full Day Royal Gorge Rafting Trip
3. 3-Day Royal Gorge Rafting Trip
1. Half Day Royal Gorge Rafting Trip
Half day trips are perfect when you are pressed for time and the Royal Gorge offers a few hours of splashy fun led by expert guides at Arkansas River Tours. The Royal Gorge is a wild ride that is ideal for intermediate and advanced paddlers. The half day option runs through a series of thrilling rapids in a four-hour time period. This time includes safety talks and paddling practice to get warmed up on the river. It’s a rowdy ride and an excellent trip option for paddlers with some experience. While you are paddling hard, the half day is less physically demanding than the full day. Guests should still be strong swimmers in good physical condition.
2. Full Day Royal Gorge Rafting Trip
The full day runs the gauntlet of rapids with nonstop action. Royal Gorge whitewater rafting offers big wave trains, technical drops and challenging rapids in succession. Show up ready to paddle hard and smile big on this world famous stretch of whitewater. Wallslammer, Sledgehammer, The Narrows, Boateater and Sunshine Falls are a few of the amazing rapids in the Royal Gorge. Guests should have some experience and be in good physical condition for this trip. High water flows in the early summer are excellent and the Gorge remains a great destination throughout the summer months. The early season trips tackle big wave trains at high flows and you are sure to get soaked. As the water drops, some rapids become more technical and paddlers will really need to synchronize strokes. The combination of scenery and world class whitewater makes this a bucket list trip.
3. 3-Day Royal Gorge Rafting Trip
The three-day trips are unique and they offer the chance to experience the best of the Arkansas River. You will raft through Browns Canyon, Bighorn Sheep Canyon and the Royal Gorge in three separate full-day runs. It’s the absolute best way to learn and experience the best of the Arkansas River. The evenings and nights are spent swapping stories around the campfire at the Cotopaxi base camp. Plan on eating great meals to recharge for each day on the river. The Bighorn Sheep Canyon run is a class II-III stretch with exceptional scenery and a combination of big and technical whitewater. This section is ideal for beginner, intermediate and advanced paddlers. Brown’s Canyon runs along a wilderness study area where you catch views of massive peaks between class III rapids. The skill requirements are similar to Bighorn Sheep Canyon and both trips will serve to prepare everyone for the wild ride down the Royal Gorge. Royal Gorge whitewater rafting will test your skills in one of the most exhilarating whitewater canyons around and is the perfect climax on this dream trip.
