Explore Trips
Departures at Cañon City location
Our most popular option
Action-packed day w/ lunch included
With non-stop whitewater and big rapids, Royal Gorge rafting is our premier trip for thrill seekers. This narrow gorge is sandwiched between canyon walls over 1,000 feet tall, creating a dramatic scene that pairs perfectly with the endless whitewater fun.
This is our most popular whitewater trip, with class III–IV+ rapids that put the Arkansas River rafting on the map as a world-class adventure. Royal Gorge rafting plunges up to 65 feet per mile, creating huge waves, steep technical drops, and almost continuous rapids the entire trip.
Are you ready to experience some of Colorado’s most extreme whitewater? Book your Royal Gorge rafting adventure today!
There’s a reason this is our most iconic raft trip! Royal Gorge whitewater rafting will never disappoint groups looking for some blood-pumping, smile-inducing, scream-worthy fun.
We highly recommend this trip for adventure groups, families with older children, and outdoor lovers who have already fallen in love with the thrill of rafting. We also welcome adventurous rafting first-timers with open arms! This trip will be a great introduction to the wild fun of whitewater rafting.
Location: Arkansas River with departure at Cañon City location
Requirements: Age: Must be 14 or older Ability: Must be able to swim and physically fit to paddle
Trip Length: Half-Day: 3.5 hrs in total, 2-2.5 hrs on the water, Full-Day: 6+ hrs in total, 4-5 hrs on the water
Adventure Level: Class III–IV+ rapids. 20+ named rapids. Paddling required.
With non-stop whitewater and big rapids, Royal Gorge rafting is our premier trip for thrill seekers. This narrow gorge is sandwiched between canyon walls over 1,000 feet tall, creating a dramatic scene that pairs perfectly with the endless whitewater fun.
This is our most popular whitewater trip, with class III–IV+ rapids that put the Arkansas River rafting on the map as a world-class adventure. Royal Gorge rafting plunges up to 65 feet per mile, creating huge waves, steep technical drops, and almost continuous rapids the entire trip.
Are you ready to experience some of Colorado’s most extreme whitewater? Book your Royal Gorge rafting adventure today!
There’s a reason this is our most iconic raft trip! Royal Gorge whitewater rafting will never disappoint groups looking for some blood-pumping, smile-inducing, scream-worthy fun.
We highly recommend this trip for adventure groups, families with older children, and outdoor lovers who have already fallen in love with the thrill of rafting. We also welcome adventurous rafting first-timers with open arms! This trip will be a great introduction to the wild fun of whitewater rafting.
Location: Arkansas River with departure at Cañon City location
Requirements: Age: Must be 14 or older Ability: Must be able to swim and physically fit to paddle
Trip Length: Half-Day: 3.5 hrs in total, 2-2.5 hrs on the water, Full-Day: 6+ hrs in total, 4-5 hrs on the water
Adventure Level: Class III–IV+ rapids. 20+ named rapids. Paddling required.
Departures at Cañon City location
Departures at Cañon City location
Our most popular option
Action-packed day w/ lunch included
Experience some of the best whitewater rafting Colorado has to offer.
Awe-inspiring views with walls that tower 1,000 ft above the river – while only 50 ft wide – down in the heart of the Royal Gorge.
You will be accompanied by a professional river guide that will entertain, educate and safely guide your crew while Royal Gorge rafting.
Your whitewater adventure starts with a meetup at our rafting outpost at 49311 US 50, Cañon City, CO. You’ll be greeted by our team to check you in, get you some gear and ensure that your group is ready to ride.
Our outpost is about 5 minutes from Cañon City and 1 hour from Colorado Springs. Aim to get to our meeting spot by at least 8:15 am for morning trips and 11:45 pm for the afternoon half day. Once you’re checked in by our guest attendants, it’s time to suit up in our provided helmets and life jackets and shuttle 15 minutes to the put-in. During the ride, you’ll be able to build the anticipation for the trip, talk to other rafters and take in the stunning views of Royal Gorge.
When the bus stops at the Royal Gorge put-in, you’ll be greeted with a front-row view of some of the towering sheer rock faces that will be your close friend during the entire raft trip.
Once your group gathers around your raft, your guide will take a few minutes for a safety talk to show the best ways to paddle, explain how to navigate the rapids and share raft commands you should know. (And probably throw in some cheesy raft jokes along the way.)
Once you push off into the current, the real fun begins! Royal Gorge starts mellow to allow time for practicing paddling commands and then turns into an action packed stretch of river, so you are either barrelling through a rapid or having your eyes set on the next one. Some group favorites that you’ll come across are Sledgehammer, Wallslammer, Boateater, Narrows, and Sunshine Falls. All of these rapids leave nothing on the table when it comes to some rowdy, wild fun.
Full-day trips have the added experience of a planned lunch at a picnic spot, where the mountainous views are the perfect backdrop as you eat your lunch. After the picnic, it’s back into the raft for another full leg of whitewater fun!
Along the trip, your raft will be captured by our talented photographer for some dramatic photos of navigating rapids. These photos will be available for purchase at the end of your trip so you can keep your Royal Gorge memories forever.
How Hard Is Royal Gorge Rafting?
When guests ask for the ultimate adventure, we send them down the Royal Gorge. This stretch of the Arkansas River is widely known in the rafting world as a rowdy river with a 65-foot-per-mile plunge and hardly any breaks between rapids. There are over 20 named rapids on this nine-mile stretch of river, so there is always some fun around the corner! Rapids range from class III-class IV+, making this river a great option for thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies.
Is The Royal Gorge Scenic?
Royal Gorge rafting has some unique views to enjoy (during the rare times you’re not focusing on the rapids!). The sheer canyon rock faces tower 1000 feet above the river, with only 50 feet separating them at times. This creates a slot-canyon-like view for rafters, with granite and red rock drama everywhere you turn.
At times, you can spot the Royal Gorge train and wave at the riders, who will surely be looking at you! You’ll also pass under one of the most famous bridges in the country, the Royal Gorge Bridge. This is the tallest suspension bridge in the United States, towering 1,052 feet above the Arkansas River. From below, the bridge looks like a thin ribbon in the sky, which solidifies just how tall the Royal Gorge canyon is.
Ages 14+, ability to swim, good physical shape to keep up with paddling commands, and an adventurous spirit.
We raft daily from the beginning of May through Labor Day weekend. The Arkansas River rafting season can be extended if conditions permit.
We can fit 6 to 7 guests in a raft depending on the group’s size, plus your guide.
Transportation to and from the river, helmet, PFD/life jacket, wetsuit, and splash jacket. Lunch is also provided on full-day tours. Our Colorado Springs whitewater rafting trips also include memories that last a lifetime.
We recommend using a wetsuit for May and June departures, while for July and August departures, they are typically not needed. Be sure to check out our packing list!
Ages 14+, ability to swim, good physical shape to keep up with paddling commands, and an adventurous spirit.
We raft daily from the beginning of May through Labor Day weekend. The Arkansas River rafting season can be extended if conditions permit.
We can fit 6 to 7 guests in a raft depending on the group’s size, plus your guide.
Transportation to and from the river, helmet, PFD/life jacket, wetsuit, and splash jacket. Lunch is also provided on full-day tours. Our Colorado Springs whitewater rafting trips also include memories that last a lifetime.
We recommend using a wetsuit for May and June departures, while for July and August departures, they are typically not needed. Be sure to check out our packing list!
We pride ourselves on delivering top-notch customer service and are here to assist you in any way we can. Let us know how we can help!
If you'd prefer, email us at info@arkansasrivertours.com or call 1.800.321.4352.
Since our inception in 1973, Arkansas River Tours has been committed to providing the safest, highest-quality river trips available.
Phone: 1.719.942.4362
info@arkansasrivertours.com
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