MID SUMMER WHITEWATER RAFTING UPDATE
Whitewater rafting is one of the most popular recreational activities in central Rockies. Thousands of locals and visitors paddle their way down Colorado’s beautiful rivers every year. With over 31 years of commercial rafting experience, Nova Guides is the choice for the best whitewater rafting in Colorado. Nova Guides is permitted to run rafting adventures on the Colorado, Eagle, and Arkansas Rivers.
Eagle River – The Eagle River is the Vail local’s favorite but is only around for a short amount of time, typically May through the first week of July. This river is based off of the local snow melt. With the lack of spring snow the 2015 rafting season on the Eagle River was predicted to be short. Fortunately with all of the spring and early summer rain the Eagle River was a blast to run through the beginning of July. Nova Guides ran the last Eagle rafting trip of the year last week, but are gearing up for some incredible Colorado fly fishing on our local waters.
Colorado River – The famous Colorado River offers whitewater rafting trips for the whole family. Join Nova guides on the Upper Colorado, from Rancho Del Rio to State Bridge, on our favorite scenic float. Did you know kids as young as two years old are welcome?
Or, for a higher level of adventure surge class II-III rapids through the Shoshone section of the Colorado. At the current level of 4160 CFS the Shoshone is running great! This is our most popular trip, winding through the beautiful Glenwood cabin, it offers unbeatable scenery and great whitewater for the novice to intermediate rafter. The Shoshone section of the Colorado River is dam controlled which has two major advantages; one, the water levels are kept at raftable levels until October; and two, the water is held in a reservoir and is warmed by the sun, by mid-July the water temperature is quite nice!
Arkansas River – The “Ark” is the most popular rafting river in the state, if you have been on the Arkansans River it is easy to see why. Beautiful canyon scenery lines the river walls with epic Colorado picturesque backdrops of fourteen thousand foot mountainous peaks. This river offers whitewater from class levels beginning at class two ripples to raging class five. The Arkansas River is dam controlled so the water stays a good rafting level throughout the season. Currently the class four section, called Numbers, is running at a solid 1060 CFS, and Brown’s Canyon is holding strong at 1240 CFS. The Arkansas River closes every year on August 15th, so plan your trip soon!
Feel free to contact Nova Guides at any time regarding river conditions. We strive to provide guests with up to date information on all three of the local Colorado Rivers. The whitewater rafting season is nearly half way over so plan your guided Vail or Beaver Creek whitewater rafting trip with Nova Guides today.