Trip Details

2 Day Browns Canyon Rafting Trip

The two-day Browns Canyon trip offers an approachable adventure for guests ages 7 and up, with lunch, dinner, breakfast, and a final lunch included. Covering thirteen miles through Browns Canyon National Monument, this stretch begins at Fisherman’s Bridge and ends at Stone Bridge just north of Salida. The river flows through fourteen named Class II and III rapids such as Zoom Flume, Seidel’s Suckhole, and Seven Stairs. Calm pools in between the rapids allow for fishing and swimming. Towering granite walls, pine-covered hillsides, and wildlife sightings create a setting that embodies Colorado.

Half way through the canyon, the rafts beach at a scenic riverside side camp for relaxation, hiking opportunities, and games. Guides prepare a three course dinner, followed by an evening around the campfire. The next morning starts with a hearty breakfast before proceeding down the river for more Class III whitewater. The 2-Day Browns Canyon Trip offers an approachable adventure for guests ages 7 and up, with lunch, dinner, breakfast, and a final lunch included.

2 Day Numbers & Royal Gorge Rafting Trip

For guests 15 and older ready to step up the excitement, the 2 Day Numbers & Royal Gorge trip combines two of Colorado’s most thrilling sections into one continuous adventure. The journey begins north of Buena Vista at the Numbers Put-In, where the river drops seventy feet per mile through six miles of consistent Class IV whitewater. Rafters navigate boulders, breaking waves, and steep drops. After lunch, the trip winds down with 7 more river miles of class II and III through the Narrows and takes out in the town of Buena Vista.

After the first day on the water, guests arrive at Railroad Bridge Campground, a vehicle assisted riverside camp located six miles north of Buena Vista. The site sits beneath the towering Collegiate Peaks, with panoramic views of 14,000 foot Mount Columbia, Mount Oxford, and Mount Harvard. Easy river access provides time for fishing, campfire games, and quiet relaxation along the water. Guides prepare an appetizer, a hearty dinner, and dessert.

The second day warms up with an 8 mile stretch of class II and III through Bighorn Sheep Canyon. After lunch the Royal Gorge delivers a dramatic finale with 1,200 foot granite cliffs and 15 class III and IV pool drop rapids.

3 Day Browns Canyon, Numbers, & Royal Gorge Rafting Trip

The 3 Day Arkansas River trip connects Colorado’s most iconic rafting trips into one adventure. Picking up from the 2 Day Numbers & Royal Gorge Rafting Trip, the 3 day trip camps two nights at Railroad Bridge and includes Browns Canyon. The trip progression starts with a Browns Canyon warmup on the first day leading into the Numbers on the second day and the Royal Gorge on the third day.

River Conditions & Seasonality

Multi-day rafting on the Arkansas River runs from May through early September. Snowmelt from the Sawatch and Mosquito Ranges fuels powerful spring flows in May and June, while Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake reservoirs releases sustain ideal rafting conditions through mid August.

Early season water levels average 1,500-3,000 CFS with cool temperatures around 45-50°F, offering big and fast whitewater for thrill-seekers. By midsummer, flows settle between 700 and 1,200 CFS, and water temperatures rise to 55–60°F. Warm, dry days in the 80s and 90s and crisp mountain nights make for comfortable rafting and camping throughout the summer.