Rio Grande Gorge Full Day in New Mexico booking from $145.00

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

Sat 21 Sep

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Starting at $145.00

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Sat 21 Sep

Starting at $145.00

Make a reservation

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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)

Michelle S

Sep 2013

My husband and I chose NMRA for our first white water adventure because of their fantastic reviews on tripadvisor, and I can honestly say we were not disappointed! We were hoping for a day of both thrills and relaxation, and NMRA delivered. When we arrived at their headquarters, we were informed that we were the only guests that day, which made us a bit nervous since we'd just heard the day before that the same thing happened with a different outfitter in Taos, and the trip was canceled, leaving one guest stranded without a ride home. Not so with MNRA. The staff were as friendly as they could be, and assured us our trip down the Rio Grande would be fun and relaxing. Richie was the guide for our trip. Truly one of the nicest people we've met. He is extremely knowledgeable in all things pertaining to the river and its surroundings. We learned tons of interesting facts about the area and its people both past and present. Richie was able to answer questions and elaborate about rock formations and local wildlife we passed along the way, making for very interesting conversation while floating the slower areas. A lite but satisfying lunch was provided at about the half-way mark. We pulled over onto a beautiful rocky beach where Richie set up a table and laid out fresh veggies and meats for sandwiches, fruit, chips and drink choices. All bases were covered in taste choices, and even this somewhat picky eater was entirely satisfied. After a relaxing break, lots of laughter and time for a swim, we set out again for more rapids. The trip never seemed rushed or 'timed'. Richie would pull the raft over to show us interesting sites along the way so we could fully absorb the history and beautiful surroundings. Because I've been a river rat since a very young age, of course I was disappointed when the end of the trip came, but that's no different than when I float the rivers in my home town. But all good things must come to an end. Transportation was ready for us at our landing site, making for an even more comfortable trip. NMRA headquarters is well appointed with extremely clean restrooms and changing areas, as well as a well-kept merchandising area where guests can purchase almost anything needed for before or after the rafting trip. What impressed me about this is the lack of up-charge. Most places like to overprice their merchandise, but not so here. We had forgotten a few items for our trip and were prepared to pay 1 1/2 times the normal price at the headquarters, but to my surprise, the prices are pretty even to any convenience or big-box stores. So no worries, if you forget sunscreen or a camera, straps for your sunglasses, the prices are not astronomical. When we return to NM we will again head down the Rio Grande with NMRA, but this time we will choose a multi-day trip. Having spent a full day with the NMRA staff, more time would be even better!! Thank you to the staff for a wonderful day full of memories!!!!

Jill B

Aug 2013

My husband and I (ages 53 and 65) did the full day Rio Grande Rafting Experience and it was fabulous. Katrina was our guide and she was a true gem. Her communication skills were excellent and we felt safe and under control the whole trip. She was also very knowledgable about the area, the history and animal life. The equipment was first rate and the facility and staff were all very professional and friendly. We felt comfortable about our choice from the very first interaction online before we booked. We would highly recommend this outfitter.

flosoya

Aug 2013

The trip was awesome! We were not sure what we were getting ourselves into at first when the guides were telling us about what to do when and if we flip over or fall into the water, but it was for safety measure. We did the all day tour which included 5.5 miles of rafting level 2 and 3. This also included several stops for a swim and an awesome lunch as well. Our guide Garrett was an excellent tour guide. Kudos to him for his knowledge and expertise on the Rio Grande. The trip was from 8:30 - 2:30, which what they told us it would take. This was our first time doing anything like this and now will not be the last one. I highly recommend this excursion. If you are having second thoughts don't because you will never experience this like we did! I would recommend the full day instead of the half day to really take advantage of this awesome experience.

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Rio Grande Gorge Full Day

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