1/4 Day Family Rafting In Durango

Overview

Explore Durango’s Lower Animas River on this half-day family rafting trip through town. The Lower Animas is a popular river for visitors and locals alike. Get a unique view of Durango through the rapids, savor a river side snack and experience the scenic beauty south of town. Paddle along with the guide or sit back and relax as the guide does all the work. Learn the history of the region and stories of local traditions as you experience Durango, Colorado river rafting. Rafting on the Lower Animas in Durango offers a great mild trip option for ages 4 and up.

City: Durango

Sun 20 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $75.21

Make a reservation

Sun 20 Oct

Starting at $75.21

Make a reservation

New York City Tours

Unique Activities (21) Transfers & Transportation (103) Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises (113) Entry Tickets (47) Sporting Events (1) Good for Small Groups (6) Seasonal & Holiday Tours (41) Walking Tours (697) Outdoor Activities (20) Limitied Availability Tours (6) LGBT Friendly Tours (4) Family-friendly Activities (7) Solo Travelers' Tours (147) Food & Drinks (27) Travelers recommend (73) Good for Groups (8) Top Activities (18) Guided Audio Tours (3) Art, Culture & History (135) Attractions to explore (38)

What's Included

Pre-trip safety orientation

River and land access fees included

Round trip shuttle from main office

Free Parking

Free splash jackets and helmets (if desired)

Highly maintained equipment

Trip Leaders average 2,000 river miles

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Minimum age is 4 years
Wet-suit and wet-suit boot rentals are highly recommended through June

What To Expect

Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Tours

This is the meet location for the tour.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (422)

Bill C

Jun 2014

We did a last minute 5 day trip to Durango from San Antonio. When I asked the lady that we were renting our house from, she recommended Mild to Wild and we couldn't have been happier. We booked the Rivers, Trails and Rails package and enjoyed every moment of it. Our jeep driver and guide Brant (I hope I got the name correct) was awesome during the Silverton Mining and Ghost Town Tour. We were the only family on the tour that day so he really tailored the trip to what we wanted to do, including cracking rocks to find specs of silver an some gold in them. The ride back on the train was a beautiful way to end the first day. The second morning was our 4 hour rafting trip with Dylan as our guide. He was great and added to the fun of the trip. From Ellen who booked our trip to everyone along the easy, this was a first class organization.

Response from Host

Jul 2014

Thank you Bill! We are so glad you enjoyed every minute of your trip! And thank you for taking the time to address each of the Mild to Wild teammates that helped you! We love telling them how great of a job they are doing! We hope to have you back again!

Missi154

Jun 2014

I have been a resident of Durango for 26 years. I am very accustomed to tourist town activities and having contact with adventure activity representatives. I have had a delightful time on the phone this a.m. with Haley with Mild to Wild while booking my families raft trip. Very informative, fun and professional....all wrapped in to one representative. Lovely experience, so excited for our actual rafting excursion.

Response from Host

Jun 2014

Thanks for the rave review for Haley, Missi, we will be sure to tell her! Can't wait to have you as our guest!

TexTravelChick

Jun 2014

We booked the jeep/train ride for one day, Mesa Verde the next, and the 1/2 day Animas River raft. The booking process was easy and the girl that helped me was great. She suggested we get a boxed lunch (sandwiches) from them for our Mesa Verde tour. I was hesitant because it was $12 per person, but I was glad and will address that later. She was very patient and explained things well. The price for all these tours seemed little high for me as I booked, but after we did them all I think it was worth it. My husband and I traveled with a 6 and 9 year old. The jeep/train tour required a bus ride to Silverton. Martin was our driver and Phil (?) was the second guide. They were friendly, funny, and knowledgable. They pointed out interesting things and made the hour long drive fun. Silverton was a sweet, little touristy town. Martin was our jeep driver. The jeeps are open topped with 3 bench seats in the back. My family of 4 fit on one seat. The weather was overcast and chilly- in the 50's in Silverton. One of our kids forgot their jacket, but Phil let us borrow a fleece pullover. As we started, it became clear why jackets were needed. The wind as we drove was very cold. Thankfully, Martin had blankets for everyone. The tour was beautiful. There was still snow on the mountain tops and lots of thick snow in the ditches (from avalanches, I think). We stopped and "mined" for gold in a pile of rocks. Basically it was cracking rocks. My kids really had fun with this. The history of the mines, mills, ghost town, toll booth, and the area in general was interesting. Martin was well versed in the area and was very patient with my kids. The trip back down was colder as we drove faster. My kids were cold, but my husband and I were fine. Can't blame Mild to Wild for that! We really enjoyed the jeep tour. After the jeep tour, we rode the train back. We did not enjoy this very much, but it was no fault of Mild to Wild. We forgot to print off our ticket info and Martin went to the office to retrieve them. We appreciated that. The train ride was over 3 hours and that was just way too long for our kids, my husband, and I. It was a pretty ride, for sure, just too long for us. I am sure there are some hard core train lovers that would love it. I think if we'd brought some books along to occupy us for a bit, it would have been more relaxing and enjoyable. Be aware, the open air cars are pretty chilly until you go down in elevation. We moved into a closed car after the train guides gave us the go ahead. After a while, my husband and kids went back out to the open air car. The railings get pretty sooty, but there are restrooms available. Our Mesa Verde trip was great. We rode in the giant van. There were 6 bucket seats and a 3 person bench in the back. Our guide Sashe (?) was great. He told us a lot of info on the drive from Durango. He was very friendly and chatted up my husband who was riding shotgun. He assessed the desires and physical needs of everyone to help us determine which tours we would attend. We all wanted the Balcony House and Cliff Palace ranger guided tours. Some of the attendees could not go on the tours we selected, but he indicated that the other guide, Martin, would take them to other sites. Sashe bought our tickets and paid our admission fee. On the 30 minute, very curvy ride, Sashe provided some good commentary on the area's history, geology, and geography. I think it saved time having Sashe take us where we needed to go. The lunch was great. I think the park has a cafeteria, but I'm glad we got a boxed lunch. Going back to the cafeteria would have wasted time. The $12 sandwich turned out to be worth every penny. It was made by a bakery in Durango. The bread was homemade and it came with Boar's Head turkey, a great tomato, and fancy greens. It was such a dang good sandwich! It also came with some good, fancy chips (can't remember name), and pasta salad (with feta-yum) or a potato salad. Our guide had lots of bottled water for our day and we drank it all. Sashe was flexible on our trip and said "I just want you to have a good time" on a couple of occasions. Could we have travelled to Mesa Verde and done this on our own? Yes. But, I really think the chauffeured drive, commentary Sashe gave us on the trip, the awesome lunch I did not have to pack/transport, Sashe's knowledge of which rangers were the best, and Sashe's knowledge of the park so that we quickly got from place to place were worth it. The 1/2 day Animas River trip was enjoyable. Our guide was Jesse. If you are looking for adrenaline pumping raft trip, this is not for you. But if you have young kids or elderly folks, this is perfect. My two kids really had a great time. There were a few big splashes, but I never feared that either would fall out. They had to get out and walk around one class 3 rapid because you had to be 10 or older. There were lot of leisurely rolling waters. We got to paddle quite a bit. The river was very cold, so if they recommend the wet suit- take their advice. They provided the suit, booties, a shirt (tarp like material, but great for keeping the water out!), and a helmet (optional, but we wore them). On the section of the river called the lake, they asked if anyone wanted to get in the water. My crazy little 6 year old got in! She said it was very cold, but was glad she did it. Halfway through the trip we made a snack stop consisting of water, apples, oranges, and granola bars. There was a restroom (yeah!). The stop lasted about 20 minutes. The rest of the trip was fun. I would definitely recommend this for families with kids. Mild to Wild helped us have a great vacation.

Response from Host

Jun 2014

Wow! Thanks for your thorough explanation of our River, Rails, Trails and Mesa Package. We are so glad you and your kids enjoyed all our trips, our lunch, our great guides and our office staff! We can't wait to share another adventure with you.