Arkansas River Attractions & Things to do

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is Colorado's top train experience and America's most scenic railway. Join us with friends and family to journey through the winding Royal Gorge, along the Arkansas River, deep within Colorado's grandest canyon. Indulge in made-to-order entrees for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, from our fresh grill menu along with fully stocked bars featuring specialty drinks, beers, and wines from regions worldwide. Enjoy your drinks at your table or on an open-air car, where you can soak in the breathtaking scenery, and a closer connection to nature. Choose one of the following classes of service:

Vista Dome: Offers unparalleled views of the Royal Gorge from glass-topped dome cars.

Deluxe Class: Offers elegant seating and an adjoining table for absolute comfort, with expansive windows providing breathtaking views of Colorado’s Royal Gorge.

Coach Class: Features comfortable seating (no tables), with large windows to take in the spectacular views of the Royal Gorge.
Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes.

Experience excellent Colorado Rafting as you hit the most exciting and iconic rapids in the Bighorn Sheep Canyon. This is the perfect Arkansas River trip for beginner to intermediate rafters.

Journey Quest is a non-profit Christ-centered rafting ministry, and these trip are uplifting, family-friendly adventures. You’ll love the scenery, the experience, and the intentional ministry led by our guides on your next Colorado whitewater rafting adventure.

For more information about this or any of our other activities, please contact Journey Quest
Duration: 3 hours.

Experience the Numbers, a challenging, fast-paced technical section of the Arkansas River. Professional and knowledgeable guides will take you though one of the most exhilarating sections the Ark has to offer. This full-day, Class IV rafting trip includes a deli style lunch on the banks of the river.
Duration: 6 hours.

Get an introduction to rafting on this 1-hour family friendly rafting trip. Enjoy impressive mountain views, easy splashes, and soul-soothing current. This gentle floating adventure is great for children over the age of two years. 

Please note: This in one hour on the water!

 
Duration: 2 hours.

Experience excellent Colorado Rafting as you hit the most exciting and iconic rapids in the Bighorn Sheep Canyon. This is the perfect Arkansas River trip for beginner to intermediate rafters.

Journey Quest is a non-profit Christ-centered rafting ministry, and these trip are uplifting, family-friendly adventures. You’ll love the scenery, the experience, and the intentional ministry led by our guides on your next Colorado whitewater rafting adventure.

For more information about this or any of our other activities, please contact Journey Quest.
Duration: 3 hours.

Explore Colorado's Bighorn Sheep Canyon with this half-day river experience. Spend three hours rafting along the Arkansas River, an ideal excursion for first-time rafters and families with kids. Bighorn Sheep Canyon provides beautiful vistas set in a diverse desert ecology, with a variety of Class II and II whitewater rapids. Prepare to have fun and get soaked. There will be an opportunity to stop and swim along the way.
Duration: 3 hours.

Enjoy the experience of a lifetime with family friendly Colorado rafting through Browns Canyon National Monument on the Arkansas River. Exciting class III-IV rapids intermixed with calm water in between make Browns Canyon rafting great for beginners and experts alike.
Duration: 4 hours.

This is by far the best Family Float trip on the Arkansas River! This convenient trip offers the best whitewater for little kids with spectacular Rocky Mountain scenery. Our 1/4 day is a 5 mile trip with easy Class II-III rapids. This is the perfect introductory trip for families with little kids or timid beginners. You will float from Coaldale to our riverside base in Cotopaxi while enjoying scenic views of the Sangre de Cristo Range. This itinerary is the best trip for rafting in Colorado on the Arkansas River for families with young kids. We are the only outfitter offering this trip since we conveniently finish this trip right at our riverside base!
Duration: 90 to 150 minutes.

The Royal Gorge is one of the most thrilling and exciting whitewater rafting trips on the Arkansas River. Enjoy the beauty and thrill of God’s creation as you experience 1,000 foot high canyon walls, confront exciting Class IV-V rapids, and see the famous Royal Gorge Bridge.

The Royal Gorge is a serious section of river facing Class III-V Rapids, and a half-day trip is not a suitable introduction for beginners. Previous class III or higher paddling experience and strong swimming ability are recommended for all guests. For the safety of our guests and guides, we cannot take guests who are over 250lbs or individuals with a history of heart or serious medical problems.

Journey Quest is a non-profit Christ-centered rafting ministry, and these trip are uplifting, family-friendly adventures. You’ll love the scenery, and the intentional ministry led by our guides on this rafting adventure.
Duration: 3 hours.

Brown’s Canyon rafting trips contain the perfect combination of Colorado scenery and adventure and are great for the whole family. If you are considering Rafting in Colorado, Brown’s Canyon is a must! This section is filled with plenty of fun and exciting rapids and is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face!
Duration: 6 hours.

Situated in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the Arkansas River threads its way through a vacationer's paradise. From the river's source in the beautiful Arkansas Valley with dramatic 14,000 foot peaks to the bottom of the Royal Gorge, the Arkansas has it all. This trip includes 6 hours of clear, crisp water crashing through the Granite Gorge, a river guide and all boating equipment: rain gear, drinking water and personal floatation device. Lunch is also provided on this full day adventure.
Duration: 6 hours.

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
Duration: 6 hours.

Enjoy Colorado's #1 rated rafting & zip line tour with Royal Gorge Rafting & Zip Line Tours.

Raft the morning Family Friendly & Fun Bighorn Sheep Canyon, then lunch & afterward, our afternoon Classic Zipline tour.
Duration: 7 hours.

Experience 3 hours of clear, crisp water crashing through the Granite Gorge. This half-day adventure is led by a local guide and all boating equipment such as rain gear, drinking water and personal flotation device is included.
Duration: 3 hours.

The Royal Gorge is one of the most thrilling and exciting whitewater rafting trips on the Arkansas River. Enjoy the beauty and thrill of God’s creation as you experience 1,000 foot high canyon walls, confront exciting Class III-V rapids, and see the famous Royal Gorge Bridge. Full-day trips start with Bighorn Canyon (class III-IV), break for a delicious riverside lunch, then drop into the Royal Gorge (class IV-V).

Journey Quest is a non-profit Christ-centered rafting ministry, and these trip are uplifting, family-friendly adventures. The Royal Gorge is a serious section of river. Previous class III or higher paddling experience and strong swimming ability are recommended for all guests. For the safety of our guests and guides, we cannot take guests who are over 250lbs or individuals with a history of heart or serious medical problems.

For more information about, please contact Journey Quest directly at 719.276.2227
Duration: 6 hours 30 minutes.

Experience the rapids of the Royal Gorge on this guided, full-day rafting trip. This is the ultimate Colorado rafting adventure. Combine a Bighorn Sheep Canyon run in the morning with a Royal Gorge excursion in the afternoon. It's is the perfect whitewater trip for rafters who want to truly experience the rapids of the Royal Gorge. A riverside lunch is included.
Duration: 6 hours.

A wonderful family friendly white water rafting trip in Colorado! Splash, swim, and take in the stunning views while a professional river guide rows you down the river without the interruption of paddling (unless of course, you want to paddle)! Enjoy bouncy wave trains, man made white water park, and wildlife sightings on this calm and picturesque section suitable for children as young as 4.
Duration: 4 hours.

The Full-Day Bighorn Sheep Canyon trip is a perfect way to have fun with family and friends. With a full-day on the river, there’s plenty of time to take a plunge into the Arkansas River, play games, view wildlife, and enjoy everything else Bighorn Sheep Canyon has to offer. Join us on your next full day of Colorado Rafting fun!

Journey Quest is a non-profit Christ-centered rafting ministry, and these trip are uplifting, family-friendly adventures. You’ll love the scenery, the experience, and the intentional ministry led by our guides on this Colorado whitewater rafting adventure.

For more information about this or any of our other activities, please contact Journey Quest directly at 719.276.2227 or visit https://journeyquest.org
Duration: 7 hours.

Explore Colorado's Bighorn Sheep Canyon with this full-day river experience. Spend six hours rafting along the Arkansas River, an ideal excursion for first-time rafters and families with kids. Bighorn Sheep Canyon provides beautiful vistas set in a diverse desert ecology, with a variety of Class II and II whitewater rapids. Prepare to have fun and get soaked. A fresh, gourmet deli-style lunch is included, and there will be plenty of opportunities to stop and swim along the way.
Duration: 8 hours.

Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River is our most popular trip! This in an intermediate trip but also not too scary for first-timers. The unique combination of lots of exciting whitewater, spectacular canyon scenery, great mountain views of some of Colorado’s highest mountains and opportunities to spot wildlife make this the ideal raft trip.

Please note that we offer over 20 trips on 4 rivers. However, not all trips are able to be booked through Trip Advisor. Please contact us directly for more detailed information about the many whitewater raft trips that we offer.
Duration: 6 hours 45 minutes.

Floating past spectacular geological formations and views of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range as you run exciting Class II-III rapids. This trip is suitable for families, first timers or experienced rafters with great views and lots of adventure. You will run the best 10 miles of whitewater in Bighorn Sheep Canyon, groups or individuals looking to experience whitewater rafting in Colorado for the first time or tenth time. Great views and adventure! 2 to 3 hours on the water. This is the only trip that can start out of either of our locations.
Duration: 3 to 4 hours.

The Full-Day Bighorn Sheep Canyon trip is a perfect way to have fun with family and friends. With a full-day on the river, there’s plenty of time to take a plunge into the Arkansas River, play games, view wildlife, and enjoy everything else Bighorn Sheep Canyon has to offer. Join us on your next full day of Colorado Rafting fun!

Journey Quest is a non-profit Christ-centered rafting ministry, and these trip are uplifting, family-friendly adventures. You’ll love the scenery, the experience, and the intentional ministry led by our guides on this Colorado whitewater rafting adventure.

For more information about this or any of our other activities, please contact Journey Quest directly.
Duration: 6 hours 30 minutes.

The Numbers rafting is the ultimate Colorado rafting adventure! Experience the non-stop thrills and excitement of rafting in Colorado at the headwaters of the Arkansas River. You’ll navigate through tight passages, steep drops, and continuous action on this incredible Colorado river rafting trip.
Duration: 6 hours.

The Numbers Class III-IV: Test your endurance and paddle experience with whitewater adventure in the high country with big splashes and fast rapids. On this 2-3-hour trip, you'll run the Numbers 1-10 rapids, an incredibly fun section with pine forest lining the river banks and the Collegiate Peaks towering over 14,000 feet above the river corridor. Highly experienced guides touting the highest credentials will lead you along this exciting trip.
Duration: 3 hours.

Here the canyon walls open to beautiful views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, rising to over 14,000 feet. This whitewater rafting trip is perfect for families and all ranges of paddle experience.
Duration: 2 to 4 hours.