Advanced Colorado River Rafting

Gore Canyon

• Advanced Plus, Class IV-V
• Full day trips
• $179, min age 15
• Meet at AVA’s Kremmling Outpost: See Map
• This Colorado River rafting trip available Friday through Monday, August 3-September 2, 2013

Colorado’s ultimate challenge in commercial whitewater rafting is only for serious paddlers. This remote wilderness canyon on the Colorado River serves up the steepest gradient drop per mile, including a vertical waterfall. Gore Canyon has long been known as one of the most advanced whitewater excursions in the country.  Dropping an astounding 120 feet a mile with a vertical waterfall in the heart of the canyon, this trip is strictly for the adventurer. Meet at AVA’s Kremmling Outpost (about 40 miles north of Silverthorne, 50 miles south of Steamboat), then we’ll drive out to the put-in of Gore at the confluence of the Blue and Colorado Rivers.

My son is turning 16 very soon. This means a drivers license, and a job in the next few weeks. I wanted to spend some time with him before our schedules make a trip like this impossible. Your trip gave us the venue in which to enjoy nature and each other’s company. I have been in a service business since 1986, so I know that pleasing “the public” is a tightrope walk at best. You have to be professional without crushing fun. You have to command respect, without being a Nazi. You have to make the difficult appear to be effortless. Your Crew of Cheyenne, Sally, Adam, Miles and Jed accomplished this tightrope walk with ease. I anticipate booking new river raft trips in the future. Possibly Gore Canyon or the Grand Canyon. I will consider AVA when I make my choice. Thank you and the crew for a great experience! — David and Jake Decoteau

The group will float through a couple miles of stunning mountain scenery to get to this remote canyon that cuts sharply through the Gore Range. This allows for time for a thorough safety talk and paddle talk from your guides. At the mouth of the canyon, the team will do a swim practice through a class III rapid, a flip drill, and work on getting back into the boat on their own. Next we head into the canyon, navigating through Apple Sauce, Gore, Scissors, Ship Wreck, Pyrite, and several unnamed Class IV rapids until we reach the top of Tunnel Falls. Here we’ll scout our run and each boat will go one at a time with safety set below the falls. After a safe run we’ll break for a light snack. We’ll then finish up with one of the biggest rapids of the day: Kirshbaum. This is the longest and most technical rapid in Gore Canyon. We’ll float out of the canyon where a late gourmet lunch will be waiting. We’ll feast and relive the amazing day. Then it’s back to our Kremmling office.

Availability is limited, depending on water flows. Season generally runs July through September and depends mostly on dam releases on the Colorado River. Don’t miss the hardest whitewater you can run commercially in Colorado! Lunch included. Minimum age 15 years.

Excellent physical condition required. We ask that at the very minimum Gore Canyon rafting guests are able to run a mile and swim 10 laps. This description is not entirely inclusive of all requirements. Physical fitness level and swimming ability are very important on this trip. (AVA reserves the right to change age requirements depending on water levels and individual qualifications. AVA also reserves the right to turn away a guest at the meeting or put-in point if it is deemed unsafe for that guest to run the trip.)

Whoa! Too much whitewater? Try an Arkansas River rafting trip through Brown’s Canyon or The Numbers.