Tag: whitewater rafting
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Troubled waters: An uncertain rafting season gets underway in Colorado
On the last day of May, along the Arkansas River that he has been paddling for 30-plus years, Mike Harvey found himself in a kayak he would not typically use this time of year: his racing boat, which is longer, narrower and lighter. It was better suited for this very atypical start to summer. The…
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Arkansas River rafting season begins early in Colorado as rapid snowmelt boosts spring flows
With snowmelt accelerating the start of the 2026 rafting season, Arkansas River outfitters are rolling out early trips and a new marketing campaign to draw visitors to what has become one of Colorado’s top whitewater destinations. Most rafters won’t start trips until early May, but some have already started hosting limited trips due to water…
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Colorado’s whitewater rafters gear for early snowmelt — and a potentially shorter season
Ahead of Colorado’s whitewater season, the Clear Creek Rafting Co. bought about a dozen new Gumotex rafts designed to swim through shallower water. It’s narrower, has smaller tubes and is built to withstand rockier terrain, said Dale Drake, owner of Clear Creek Rafting Co. in Idaho Springs. Clear Creek — the body of water that…
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In Cañon City, site of historic industry seen as ‘catalyst’ for reimagined riverfront
In southern Colorado, a hub of historic industry could be transformed into a major hub of river recreation. This is the possibility of Cañon City’s Riverfront Initiative centered on 22 acres being called Western Gateway Park, the former site of a coal-fired power plant built in 1897 on the western edge of town off U.S.…
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A guide to the Royal Gorge: The bridge, thrill rides and adventures
In Colorado Springs, there’s “America’s Mountain.” About an hour’s drive to the southwest, there’s “America’s Bridge.” The Royal Gorge Bridge officially established the trademark in 2019 — 90 years after the stunning achievement that was its construction. In 1929, the bridge opened as the world’s highest suspension bridge, spanning the rocky mouth of the gorge…
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Bucket list whitewater rafting trips in Colorado
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Whitewater runners hope always for years like last year, when unusually gracious snowpack in the mountains melted to swell Colorado’s rivers. It meant days on the Dolores River, which only rarely rises through the remote, desert canyon of the state’s southwest. The Dolores is but one river on the bucket list of enthusiasts in the…