SeniorTravelerTF
Aug 2019
Two things to note: One, I too looked askance at the rating to wonder how it could be so positive. Two, the recommendation to book ahead is valid. Our date was filled when we arrived, so if we did not have reservations we would not have been able to hook up with a trip. Our guide, Nathan, was very experienced and despite having a wealth of time on rivers around the country of varying length and degree (1-5), he seemed perfectly at ease taking our family on the lesser (1-3) trip than some of his less experienced guides. The Bighorn Sheep trip is mostly tame, so the calm time was filled very amiably with his stories and knowledge of rafting and the area. However, there was just enough whitewater to give my pre-teen granddaughter a thrill and toss my wife overboard (Nathan got her back in the raft quickly and safely). Canon City is 45 minutes from the Springs, then you ride on a bus to put in, raft for about 60-90 minutes, ride back on the bus, then drive back to the Springs - so it is half a day at least. You can take longer and more adventurous trips, but this fit us as newcomers perfectly. We were able to have a raft to ourselves, with two guides, and another family occupied a second raft, so that was nice not to split us up. I had thought about taking my phone/camera, but there really wasn't a place to make sure it would stay dry. If I had planned ahead and used a sandwich bag or similar it probably would have worked.