Upper Piedra River Trip Highlights
For the folks who want a thrilling white water rafting experience near Pagosa Springs, the Piedra River is the ultimate way to spend the day. Unlike Pagosa’s popular excursions on the San Juan River, the Piedra is one of the least known rafting trips in Colorado. Offering up to Class IV pool drop rapids, in as highly protected area of the San Juan National Forest, this rafting trip is a must for those who want a more adventurous and wilderness experience.
Highly restricted access by the Forest Service
Unique pristine wilderness area in a dense, rainforest-like setting
Pool drop rapids in between constant class II-III rapids
Narrow corridors lined with granite cliffs and overhangs
Most exciting whitewater rafting trip close to Pagosa Springs
A good introduction to higher adventure rafting
- Opportunities to spot wildlife, including bald eagle, hawks, bear, elk, deer, beaver, or otter
Single Day Piedra River Adventure
More About This Trip
Through the rich forests of the Piedra River Canyon, a glimmering and free-flowing mountain stream rollicks with adventurous whitewater come spring. It’s Colorado’s most regulated and restricted river, and rafting within such a raw wilderness requires one eye for the rapids and the other for moose and black bears.
The Upper Piedra’s narrow waterway sends rafts bounding between gorgeous granite and hefty boulders, making the ride just as scenic as it technical for paddlers. The beginning of the run comes with long Class II rapid sections, followed by Class III and IV drops once the river fills from its contributing creeks along the way.
Be ready to spin and skirt around the river’s obstacles, and drop into chutes and staircase rapids— a great way to earn an evening at the hot springs!
Upper Piedra River raft trips start at $209.00.
Trip Options
Upper Piedra Rafting Trips
Pagosa Springs, CO
1-day trip on the Upper section of the Piedra River in Southwest CO near Pagosa Springs.
- Adult/Youth: $209
Our Client Reviews from Google
Robert Sharp2025-07-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Rafting was great for first timers. Dillon was awesome working and helping Tim that was visually impaired. Great job and I highly recommend there service. Ron Howard2025-07-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. During our family of four 40-day adventure we spent four nights in Durango, Colorado. My 12 and 13 year old daughters had never been rafting so the Lower Animas Rafting 3/4 day adventure was the perfect choice. Steven was our guide and was the best! He ensured we were prepared before stepping into the raft. Safety, technique, and fun were the agenda for the day. While the river was lower than normal it was fun navigating different ways to get past the many rocks. It was also nice that Steven suggested we grab some trash that washed was stuck in river debris. Tyler was another guide helping kayakers we traveled with and was really nice. It was fun interacting and enjoying the perfect day together. I recommend the 3/4 day which includes lunch and more time on the river. There was plenty of time to jump for a swim and we even surfed one of the rapids. Eric Steinberg2025-07-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. All the folks at Mild to Wild are great and clearly love what they do. It’s like rafting with friends. My son, his friend and I had a great time! A special shout out to our guide Ryan who was outstanding and a ton of fun. Michael Barber2025-07-23Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had a fantastic raft ride with Mild to Wild’s guide Toby. He was funny, informative and clearly very skilled at his job. We did a “Mild” ride but he still managed to take us on a class 2/3 rapid for a little wild and talked us through perfectly . 10/10 would definitely recommend Adam Kane2025-07-23Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We did a 3/4 day rafting trip, and had a FANTASTIC time! Our guide was Stephen, and he was AWESOME! Really professional on the water, and worked with us early on to work as a team on the water. The rapids were a blast, and the lunchtime stop was refreshing with some local sandwiches. Would HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Ronny Robinson2025-07-23Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Sam is a great guide! We did the 1/2 day raft, and it was great! Toby was a guide in another raft, and they had good comradery going down the river together! Great time! Jacob Finseth2025-07-23Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Ryan our guide was the best captain 🫡. - The Fantastic 4️⃣ Beth Barber2025-07-23Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fantastic time on the River with Toby as our guide. Friendly, knowledgeable, concerned about safety and clear instructions. Great time! Thank you Toby! Mel Garofalo2025-07-23Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My wife and I booked a half day tour of Arches NP with Mild to Wild while staying in Moab. Due to the high temperatures and our age, we were not looking for strenuous hiking so we booked a guided tour on an air conditioned 15 passenger van. It turned out we were the only two who had booked this tour so we essentially had a private tour with Darren, our driver and guide. He was extremely knowledgeable, interesting to talk to and overall provided a great 4.5 hour experience. We stopped frequently, sometimes for short hikes, others for pictures. He left it up to us as to how much hiking we did. Besides doing Arches tours Darren does river raft trips and jeep tours as well. Highly recommend him and his company.
What are you waiting for? Call today (800) 567-6745 OR (970) 247-4789
Payments & Cancellations
Payment Options
- 1/2 down, 1/2 charged 30 days prior to trip.
- 1/3 down with remaining balance charged in thirds.
- Call for other arrangements!
Free Courtesy Hold
We don’t want you to miss out on this trip so we’ll hold your spots, payment-free, for 24hrs while you make your final arrangements & prepare for payment.
Fees
In addition to the listed trip cost, we collect an additional 9% for River and Land Access Fees (ie. Forest Service, BLM, City, Private Land Use).
Cancellation Policy
Receive an 80% refund with written notice 5 days prior to trip departure. Less notice, no refund.
Gallery
Plan Your Trip
FAQ
Getting to Durango
Best Times to Visit
Lodging
First Timer's Guide
Map
Special Ways We Care for You on the Upper Piedra River
- Low guide to guest ratio, with an average of 4-6 guests to 1 guide
- Safety boater included on single boat trips, or trip operated with 2 boats for safety
- Highly trained, professional trip leaders with an average of 2,000 river miles experience
- Thermal wetsuits available for rental including the 5.5 mm wetsuit, 2.5 mm jacket and wetsuit boots
- Multi-faceted Satellite/Spot communication systems to increase safety
- Different boat options for various water levels and adventure desires