Rio Grande Gorge Full Day

Overview

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

Wed 25 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $145.00

Make a reservation

Wed 25 Dec

Starting at $145.00

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

World Class Guides

Safe, Secure Parking,

Full Service Headquarters

All rafting Equipment

Lunch

Signature, Hot Chicken Fajita Lunch

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
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
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
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

What To Expect

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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (175)

Betulaceae

Sep 2016

New Mexico River Adventures were a well organized, safety conscious, knowledgeable and fun company to raft with. We did the Rio Grande full day and had a blast. Zach, our guide, entertained us with stories about the history, geology and animals of the river. He guided us through gnarly whitewater and served a delicious lunch. What fun! Thank you NMRA!

Response from Host

Sep 2016

Zach is a fantastic guide whose gnarly whitewater navigating skills are top notch! Thank you for letting us know how much you enjoyed the trip!

Erin M

Aug 2016

We did the full day Rio Grande rafting excursion. We had an amazing day on the water with Luke. He was very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna and pointed things out to us as we went along the river. He kept us safe and reviewed the commands that we would need throughout the day several times. Lunch was a nice lunch with some snacks (crackers, hummus, fruit) and sandwiches with a variety of meats and cheeses and topping to choose from. We loved it and would do this again if we're in the area.

Response from Host

Aug 2016

Hi Erin, Thank you so much for the feedback on your Rio Grande excursion wit New Mexico River Adventure. We love Luke so much. He is such a fantastic character to have on the river!! We definitely love to chow here and it is super important on any of our full day trips to replenish your bodies energy with a nice loaded sandwich to finish the day out strong! Hope you guys come back and visit us soon.

Cecyrich

Jul 2016

Highly recommend NMRA. Highly qualified staff and they are known for how they consider safety as their top priority. My husband and I had our 5 kids ranging from ages 19, 16, twins 15 and our youngest 9. They loved it and would do it again. They make the experience welcoming and not scary for our youngest daughter. We did the Rio Grande full day and the lunch was also great. Kim and Emily were great and made us feel very comfortable.

Response from Host

Jul 2016

New Mexico River Adventures thanks you for the awesome review and we are super excited to hear that you guys had a good time! Safety first is our motto, but fun comes right after! Kim and Emily make a great pair of guides. You couldn't have a better crew to assure a fun adventure and your safety in one package deal!! Hope to see you and your family back for more!!