The Lower Gorge of the Rio Grande is a broad canyon with lush riparian habitat along the banks of the Rio. A fantastic full day adventure for families, first time rafters and groups. The first half of the day is beautiful float through the Orilla Verde section of the Rio Grande with incredible scenery, gorgeous riverside lunch stops and ample opportunity to work on your paddling in preparation for the exciting whitewater of the Racecourse to come in the afternoon. The Rio Grande Gorge full day trip meets at our headquarters at 8:30 a.m. daily and the minimum age during most of the year is 5 years old
City: New Mexico
Sat 31 May
i
You can choose the date already on the booking website
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
What To Expect
1
Rio Grande Gorge
Starting Out
We start at our headquarters where you’ll meet your guides for the day who will outfit you with all the gear necessary for the day on the river. At the headquarters, you will find safe secure parking, clean restrooms, changing rooms, shaded picnic tables on our patio rooms, and any last minute items you might have forgotten including sunscreen, water shoes, hats and much more. This is the perfect place to start your adventure. Craft choices are dependent on water levels. The large majority of our guests like to participate and paddle along with the guide in the back of the boat giving paddling commands, however, you may also choose to sit back and let the guide do the work on an oar boat. And for the adrenaline junkies, ask about an inflatable kayak at no extra charge.
Floating the Rio Grande Gorge
After the short drive to the starting point in our vans, your river trip begins with a placid morning float through one of the most scenic parts of the canyon with great opportunities to see a variety of wildlife including mule deer, river otter, beaver and many different birds of prey. This section also affords us time to practice paddling techniques, swimming and simply enjoying the Rio Grande. Somewhere in this stretch, we’ll stop on the side of the river for a nice lunch put together by your guides. After lunch, we run the Class III rapids of the “Racecourse.” The Lower Gorge of the Rio Grande is a broad canyon with lush riparian habitat along the banks of the Rio. As we enter the “Racecourse” section the geology radically changes as we pass onto the Rio Grande fault line, one of the largest intercontinental fault lines in North America. But let’s not forget the whitewater! The Racecourse is 6 miles of action-packed class 2-3 rapids. Perfect for everyone from beginners to intermediate/experts. There is something for everyone to enjoy on this section. With rapids like the Maze, Albert’s Falls, The Narrows, and The Thunderdome make sure you are braced in and ready to get wet! Listen to your guides as they negotiate these rapids and don’t forget to ask them to surf when the water levels are lower.
Guides for the Rio Grande Gorge Full Day
Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. Our Guides have experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do. They will certainly help to make your day on the river the best possible.
Full Day Rio Grande rafting trips available EVERY DAY starting in March through September. Our minimum age at most water levels is 5, however, at the higher flows, that minimum age rises to 13. Book online or call us anytime, 1-800-983-7756, to reserve your space.
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
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Reviews (188)
Mary Anne R
Oct 2024
The guide team were very knowledgeable, not only of river rafting points, but on history of the area and history of indigenous peoples and current systems protecting the rainforest and resident animals by some indigenous people. First, we reviewed intensive safety and procedure exercises.
The month we enjoyed the river it was mostly class III, and some Class IV. We enjoyed meeting friends from South America and Europe.
gotoAZ86
Sep 2024
Despite the rain for a good portion of the day, we had the best time on this rafting trip.
Our guide Auston, was the best. Request him if you go! Having said that, everyone there was super nice, and seemed to love their jobs. The facility was nice, and they have a lot of items at the shop, and yes, they are reasonably priced. Instructions for safety were made clear and reiterated when necessary. The lunch they made and served was delicious! I am highly recommending them, and want to thank them one more time for a great adventure!
Z1240EZandys
Sep 2024
The full day trip was excellent! Our guide, Dan, was outstanding. Made sure everyone was safe and was a wealth of knowledge about the surrounding area and all the nature we saw. NMRA did a great job in providing a great lunch. Would highly recommend this trip. We plan to come back and try their multiday trip down the Chama.
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