Numbers Extreme Whitewater Rafting

Overview

Extreme Colorado white water rafting on the Arkansas River in Buena Vista is for experienced rafters or adventurous beginners in good physical condition. The Numbers sections offers some of the most technical white water rafting in Colorado. Be prepared for a full body workout as your professional river guide directs your group through each back to back rapid. Enjoy scenic views of the 14,000 foot Collegiate Peaks and cottonwood lined riverbanks between paddle strokes

City: Buena Vista

Fri 20 Sep

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $119.90

Make a reservation

Fri 20 Sep

Starting at $119.90

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

Professional river guide

Transportation to and from the river

National Park fees

Use of helmet, personal flotation devices and necessary river equipment

Lunch on full-day trips only

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
Minimum age is 14 years (increases at high water during late May and early June)
Section may close during high water (late May through early June)
Vegetarian and gluten free options available, please advise at time of booking if required
A minimum of 4 people per booking is required
Not available for pregnant women

What To Expect

Arkansas River

The most popular whitewater rafting river in Colorado.

Wilderness Aware Rafting

Meet at our riverside headquarters located just 2 miles South of Buena Vista, Colorado 30-45 minutes prior to your scheduled departure time. Upon arrival our helpful staff will direct you on how to prepare for the day and will make recommendations about rental gear (wetsuits, splash jackets and river shoes) based on weather/ water conditions. After getting changed into your river clothes and receiving a comprehensive safety orientation, we will transport you about 15 minutes to the river put-in location. After paddling through 6 miles of the heart pumping rapids of the Numbers section you will either end your half-day trip and return to our office, or if you are doing the full-day trip you will enjoy a riverside lunch. The full-day trip then continues into the technical class III-IV Narrows section and ends at our office take-out. Don't forget to view your photos before saying good bye to your guide!

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews (28)

O3971HKmarkb

Aug 2021

A great trip on a fun challenging section (the numbers). Lana, our guide, was great. A guide needs some serious skill to run this section, and the guides for the two rafts rocked it.

beccaswindow

Jul 2021

Even though I've kayaked before, Gomez knew I was really nervous about rafting Numbers, to the point I was considering not going in the afternoon, but he did a great job of explaining everything thoroughly while we were on Brown in the morning. He was a wealth of information in many regards which totally eliminated all my fears. I knew I was in good hands! Then when we were on Numbers, again, he was explaining every detail as we went along so we knew what to expect with every rapid. As it turned out, I started to slip out of the raft on one of the rapids, but Gomez was on it and he immediately pulled me in! I didn't even get wet! It was a blast and I was REALLY happy I'd stayed on for Numbers. It was an excellent, fun-filled experience I'll never forget!! My son and I will definitely go back.

Gina R

Jul 2021

Let me start by saying we have used this company every year for past 10 years and always had a great time so I considered this was maybe a fluke and I waited weeks before deciding to write this review...but it's still bothering me. We did half day Numbers (me, my husband, 17 yo daughter and her 17 yo boyfriend). We had another Father and his adult son with us. The 17 yo's chose to sit up front and our guide (his name was "Dude") said that the people up front needed to be good paddlers. We got stuck on at least 2-3 rocks (one for almost 15 min) that we probably shouldn't have even hit. It felt like his steering/planning wasn't great. "Dude" pulled us over to yell at the kids and even cussed at them using the F word. I'm not offended by the F word in general but don't cuss at my kid using it. It was totally unprofessional. After the 2nd rock we were stuck on, I asked if we should maybe switch them out since CLEARLY he was pissed at them and he snapped at me with a "NO!" At this point everyone in the boat was uncomfortable. If you really want the stronger people in the front then why wouldn't we switch...and at that point the kids just wanted to get out and go home anyway. The other crappy thing about the "half" day was that we had to be there by 830a, didn't leave for the water until 915 and the numbers is so fast it was only 90 min at most on the water. Not their fault but don't bother with a half day...go for the full day. Also, at the end when we pulled over to get out, there was a Father and his 2 young sons fly fishing by the beach and our guide basically rammed into one of the kids trying to get to the beach without even asking them to move over or saying excuse me. That Dad was pissed. I will admit that my daughter's boyfriend had never rafted before and maybe got confused a few times early on but he's a 17 yo football player who is strong and figured it out quickly. If you're going to expect more from your paddler's then don't let them sit up front, and maybe increase the min age to 18. I guarantee my kids did better than any 14 yo's who are allowed on this trip but maybe they get cussed at too. We just all felt like he got us stuck on the rocks, then couldn't figure out how to get us UNstuck, and then got mad at us for it. The rest of the staff there were AWESOME and friendly and we've always had great guides before but we'll probably go with another company next time.

Response from Host

Jul 2021

Gina, Thank you for the review. The Numbers section is for advanced paddlers and demands aggressive paddling. While your opinion is understandable from your perspective, the safety of your group and the others on the raft was paramount. The teenage paddlers were not following instructions and quit paddling several times which resulted in the incidents you mentioned. The guide navigated you and your family safely with no incidents other than getting stuck. We are sorry you didn't enjoy this trip and we do take pride in delivering a high quality product. We appreciate that you had been rafting with us before and hope you will give us another opportunity in the future.