Wild Rafting Trips
These are the real deal. Nature’s best thrill rides. The gut-puckering, hair-raising, knee-knocking tests of mettle that you’ll brag about around dinner tables for the rest of your life. You’ll get splashed, and you’ll have to paddle hard, but you’ll have the time of your life on these legendary class IV-V runs down the Roaring Fork and Arkansas rivers.
Slaughterhouse, starting minutes from downtown Aspen, takes its name from the fearsome, six-foot-high Slaughterhouse Falls that highlight this run’s serious rapids. Numbers on the Arkansas offers up nine miles of nearly continuous whitewater and rapids 1-8, which earned their numbers by being deemed non-navigable by miners in the 1800s. For the ultimate whitewater adventure, sign up for the Pine Creek and Numbers Full Day, which pairs an afternoon trip down the Numbers with a morning run of the infamous Pine Creek section of the Arkansas River, one of the most difficult stretches of whitewater in Colorado.
If you’re an experienced rafter or a physically fit first-timer ready to dig in and help navigate the intimidating drops and holes on these runs, you can’t get much more exciting and bragging-rights-worthy than this. Give us a call to arrange a trip when you decide to see what you’re really made of.
Departs From
Aspen/Snowmass
Trip Length
1/2 Day
Level of Difficulty
Wild
Aspen Price
$175 Adult
Twin Lakes Price
N/A
Departs From
Aspen/Snowmass, Arkansas River (Twin Lakes)
Trip Length
1/2 Day
Level of Difficulty
Wild
Aspen Price
$180 Adult
Twin Lakes Price
$130 Adult
Departs From
Aspen/Snowmass, Arkansas River (Twin Lakes)
Trip Length
3/4 Day
Level of Difficulty
Wild
Aspen Price
$265 Adult
Twin Lakes Price
$225 Adult
Departs From
Aspen/Snowmass
Trip Length
1/2 Day
Level of Difficulty
Wild
Aspen Price
$170 Adult
$160 Child
Twin Lakes Price
N/A
Rafting experience helps, but physically fit, adventurous first-timers can join. Wild trips are an active, challenging ride: everyone paddles hard and must know how to swim. If that sounds like too much, try one of our Mild or Adventurous trips.
Class IV rapids (Wild) feature long, unpredictable, and powerful rapids that require precise maneuvering. AWR offers two Class IV trips Slaughter House Falls on the Roaring Fork River this trip is accessed from our Aspen office and Numbers on the Arkansas River this trip can be accessed from our Aspen and Twin Lakes offices. Class V rapids (Extreme) are the upper limit for commercial rafting—extremely difficult, violent, and long. AWR offers the Pine Creek and Numbers trip for a full day Class V/IV trip. You can find more detail on the river difficulty scale in our FAQ – Know Before You Go.
Yes. Knowing how to swim is required on all of our Class IV and V trips. Everyone wears a Coast Guard approved life jacket, but the chance of falling out of the raft is higher than on Class II and III water
Every guide holds First Aid and CPR certification and meets the state requirements to guide Class IV and V water. Our Class IV guides have at least three years of guiding, more than 1,000 river miles, and have trained on the section at least five times. Class V guides need four years, 1,500 river miles and river rescue skills. On Slaughterhouse and on Pine Creek and Numbers, a safety kayaker follows the rafts. Everyone on a Wild trip must know how to swim, be physically fit and paddle the whole way. We provide wetsuits, splash tops, fleece, booties and helmets.
We provide all necessary safety and rafting equipment, including a life jacket, helmet, and paddle. We also offer complimentary use of wetsuits, splash jackets, Fleece tops, and booties to keep you warm. You should wear a swimsuit or quick-drying athletic clothes underneath. Avoid cotton! For a complete list of essentials, please see the “What to Bring” section on our FAQ – Know Before You Go page. Rafting Essentials: Non cotton bathing suit or shorts, Athletic top, dry fit, under armor type. If it is cool out you can bring a sweatshirt and you can leave it in the vehicle while you are on the water. Towels are not necessary because of the arid climate, but you can bring them if you wish.
Class IV trips are for ages 15 and up, and Class V trips for ages 18 and up. River flows can raise the minimums on some days. There’s no weight requirement, but everyone needs to be in good shape, fairly athletic and able to paddle through the whole trip. Call us or see FAQ – Know Before You Go for the minimums on your date