Advanced Royal Gorge Whitewater Rafting Trip in Cañon City booking from $120.00

Advanced Royal Gorge Whitewater Rafting Trip

Overview

Royal Gorge whitewater rafting is the ultimate half/full day rafting adventure trip in Colorado. Huge waves, steep technical drops, and almost continuous whitewater rapids in a narrow canyon await you with rapids like Sledgehammer, Wallslammer, the Narrows, Boateater and the infamous Sunshine Falls. The Royal Gorge may demand so much attention you don't even notice the world famous Royal Gorge Bridge 1053 feet above the river. This exhilarating trip is recommended for rafters or adventurers in good physical shape who are ready for aggressive paddling. Our Royal Gorge whitewater rafting trips are our most popular advanced trips! If you are seeking lots of excitement, this trip is for you and your group. Lunch will be served at a stop on the river.

City: Cañon City

Sat 21 Sep

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $120.00

Make a reservation

Sat 21 Sep

Starting at $120.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Professional guide

All taxes, fees and handling charges

Pickup and drop-off from designated meeting points

Use of Helmet/Life Vest/Splash Jacket

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Recommended dress code is no cotton. Anything synthetic such as swimwear, workout gear, and sandals/sneakers with a heel. No flip flops for crocks Please
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Masks will not be worn on the river as it is hazardous in a water environment

What To Expect

Arkansas River Tours

You will arrive are out Canon City location, check in with our friendly reservation staff, meet your guide for the day, be outfitted with necessary rafting gear, go through an in depth safety orientation and then hop on a van or bus for a short 5-10 min ride to the river put in

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park

Once you arrive at the river you will be given specific instructions by your guide and then hit the river for an amazing adventure. You will float through the world famous Royal Gorge! Amazing views of the Royal Gorge Bridge and amazing whitewater on this trip. This is the premiere trip on the Arkansas River!

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (123)

mariagB2089YT

May 2021

Finally made it back out to Colorado, for a trip down the royal Gorge again. At ART we were lucky enough to have Austin as our guide. I cannot say enough about how knowledgeable, conversational and friendly Austin was. I brought a first time white water rafter on this trip and he loved it. Austin’s instructions were simple and to the point. He was very relaxed but also made us feel very safe. We will definitely be back AGAIN.

Response from Host

May 2022

Thank you for your review. We are happy to hear that you had a great experience while rafting with us. We are looking forward to rafting with you again in the future.

Jean-Pierre G

Nov 2020

Went on a tour provided by a guide called "Hannah". The gross negligence, ineptitude and unpreparedness almost cost the life of three rafters the were under the supervision of Hannah. We were dumped in the river while cross Sunshine Falls Rapids and instead of performing what is called "Swift Water Rescue" as they loudly advertise on the bus on the way to the river. After almost drowning and having to rescue ourselves because the guide was more concerned with unpinning an UPRIGHT raft, rather than human life. The river current carried us for a couple hundred meters all while getting water boarded by the current and badly beat up by boulders and rocks everywhere... After rescuing ourselves, we said we didnt want to continue any longer, but Hannah said this is the only way out of the river. Later on we found out, that's not true, essentially being held hostage on a raft. LOL We were trapped on more rocks further down and forced to get off the raft and hike next to a section high in elevation and very dangerous, many times we were needlessly navigated through rougher water, after we were dumped in the water. I reached out to the owner and advised that we were considering legal action from the sheer negligence that his raft guide caused. As a basic settlement, it was asked that Arkansas River Tours cover the medical copay for my fiance which is $500 plus our money back which was $200 and some change. Essentially just pennies on the dollar. The owner said he would "consult with his attorney and get back to me" two days passed and I didn't hear from Billy so I sent a follow up email outlining my offer and also mentioning our willingness to sign a release...nobody replied back to the email (of course). I'm still exploring my options if I want to take up the headache to move forward with filing suit in Colorado Court, but still undecided. This review is TO WARN YOU. These people take you on tour and have no regard for your life or safety. RAFT AT YOUR OWN RISK AND BE PREPARED TO SAVE YOURSELF, DO NOT RELY ON BILLY'S POORLY TRAINED TEAM. IT CAN COST YOUR LIFE...TAKE HEED OF MY WORDS. I DIDN'T THINK HAVING TO RESCUE MYSELF WOULD HAPPEN BECUASE THEY REITERATE THAT THEY'RE TRAINED IN SWIFT WATER RESCUE, BUT THE REALITY IS QUITE A DIFFERENT ONE. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PIC, IM TRYING TO REACH TO MY FIANCE TO PULL HER IN AND THE RAFT GUIDE IS BUSY ON THE RAFT TRYING TO UNPIN THE RAFT RATHER THAN RESCUE US. Take your money to AVA Rafting & Zipline, those people know safety

Response from Host

Jan 2021

Dear Jean Pierre, Thank you for your comments on your outdoor adventure experience. We are sorry that your expectations of a perfectly calm experience on our class IV and V whitewater tour were not met. Running rivers, like life, can be unpredictable and that is why we put so much emphasis on safety protocols prior to getting on the river. In our history we have serviced over 300k happy guests over the last 49 years and through this time we developed extensive professional river training and certification with our guides. Is there a risk of falling out of a raft or intentionally getting out of the raft on a tour? Yes, that is why it is called adventure travel and 99.9% of our guests have tons of fun with us running rivers. During your pre-trip safety meeting your trip leader highlighted that self rescue is the best rescue when possible. Meaning that if you find yourself outside of the raft then try to get back into the raft or swim to shore based on your guides direction if possible, don’t just keep floating downstream. If self rescue is not possible then your guides will move to best alternative course of action to get you out of the river. In no situation do we want guides or guests intentionally jumping into the river to swim after someone, creating an even bigger situation or possibly leaving behind other guests in an unguided boat. When multiple guests go into the river which can happen when rafting rivers, then our guides do their best to help everyone and keep track of all their people under their care. Again, that’s why guests are given instruction on what to do if these types of situations occur so they are informed on how to work with our guides to keep everyone safe. When our guests and staff work together to deal with variety of rapids and challenges out on the river, the experience if fun, rewarding and exciting. Since 1973 Arkansas River Tours has been committed to a fun and safe experience. Our guest thinks so too and that’s why we have 100’s and 100’s of 5-star reviews, a very high repeat guest ratio and endorsements from church groups, Scouts, and many more. In our numerous conversations after your trip I offered to help pay for your fiancé’s medical expenses as you had asked and had requested documentation of medical services. You then explained to me that she still hasn’t gone to see medical attention yet with a few months of time since your tour but demanded payment with our without treatment. Again, we are sorry that your river rafting trip experience, our conversation and our offer to pay for a medical claim did not fulfill your expectations.

Notfromtexas_karen

Nov 2020

My friends and I had the time of our lives on the royal gorge whitewater rafting trip! Our guide was not only very professional but knew how to have a good time. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the river and the canyon. Definitely want to go rafting with ART again! As rafting is a very dangerous adventure, I think that they handled every possible situation with diligence and care. The raft guides also made it clear that our safety was at risk due to the pure risk of being on swift water that could put any professionally trained guide at risk of their life. As it was completely obvious that A.R.T. attract a lot of out of state groups, they handle even the toughest customers. While observing many groups who were first time rafters, it must be known to all who are interested in rafting that this is not a leisurely activity. Much like any guided outdoor sport, there are always risks. Be cautious as to signing up if this is your first time rafting because there is a good chance that you will get wet and you might possibly flip in the raft! Not due to any raft guide but due to the fact that the water is hard to manage with people who are inexperienced and from big cities who have little to no experience in the outdoor community. If you are afraid of the risks stated above, I would suggest going to the moped tracks or casual hiking as there are ALWAYS risks in extreme outdoor sports. Because, as it should be known, that the guides are putting THEIR LIVES in danger to maintain the safety of their customers.

Response from Host

May 2022

Thank you for your kind review. We are happy to hear that you had a great rafting trip with us. We are looking forward to rafting with you again in the future,

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Advanced Royal Gorge Whitewater Rafting Trip

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