Gold Rush Clear Creek Rafting Adventure

Splash down the Clear Creek mining valley on our 1/3 day Gold Rush trip. Just a short half-hour trip from Denver, this family-friendly rafting adventure offers a fun outdoor adventure that everyone in your group will enjoy.

The Gold Rush rafting trip is a fun trip for all abilities, packing in eleven rapids as you paddle your way down the historic Clear Creek mining valley. If you’re looking for an adventure for a family trip, work event, school event, or scouting trip the Clear Creek Gold Rush is the perfect introduction to beginner whitewater rafting.

Trip Highlights

What to Expect

• 1/3 day trip covering about 7 miles on the water
• Family-friendly fun through 11 class III rapids
• Convenient rafting less than 30 minutes from Denver
• The opportunity to engage with Idaho Springs’s unique mining history
• Wildlife spotting on the banks of the Clear Creek
• Experienced raft guides

Trip Itinerary

• Check in, gear up, and meet your guide at our Idaho Springs outpost
• Shuttle to the water with your group
• Receive basic paddling instructions from your guide
• Hit the water and enjoy splashing through these mellower class III rapids
• Shuttle back to our Idaho Springs outpost
• Review photos from your Gold Rush rafting adventure

Who will love this trip?

• Families with kids as young as 6 hoping to get everyone out on the water
• School groups, sports teams, or scout groups looking for a fun outdoor adventure
• Groups near Denver searching for a convenient adventure close to the city

Related Packages

1. Browns Canyon Express

   Experience the best of the Arkansas River on this 3/4 day trip through class III rapids and the majestic Browns Canyon National Monument. You'll get the best of our Brown's Canyon half-day with even more splashy fun and a later start to your day.

2. Gold Rush Rafting+ Zipline

     Join us on one of our best family trips, and experience Colorado fun on the river and in the air. From our Idaho Springs outpost, paddle Clear Creek's best family-friendly whitewater and soar through the trees on our cliffside zipline course.  

3. Colorado Scenic Float-Half Day

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4. Blue River Express White Water Rafting Trip

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5. Browns Canyon 1/2 Day

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Not sure yet? Here are some other activities

1. Cliffside Zipline Half Day

   Fly through the trees on our exciting 6-line zipline course in Idaho Springs. This trip includes features such as a dual race line, hanging bridge, and log cross, with the entire family having a blast on this half-day adventure!  

2. Browns Canyon Rafting + Via Ferrata

   Excitement and scenery await on your Browns Canyon + Via Ferrata full-day adventure. Climb into the Rocky Mountains and rush the rapids of the mighty Arkansas River.

3. The Numbers Half Day + Zipline

   Experience an action-packed day with two of Colorado’s best summer activities. Soar between trees on our Mountaintop Zipline course and then splash your way through nonstop whitewater on the Numbers Rafting section of the Arkansas River.

4. Upper Clear Creek 1/2 Day + Via Ferrata

   Spend your day venturing through the mountains on with this thrilling combo of activities! You'll have the opportunity to challenge yourself on the water and land, as you rush class IV rapids on the Upper Clear Creek and climb high into the cliffside on our Mount Blue Sky Via Ferrata course.  

5. Gold Rush Clear Creek Rafting Adventure

     Splash down the Clear Creek mining valley on our 1/3 day Gold Rush trip. Just a short half-hour trip from Denver, this family-friendly rafting adventure offers a fun outdoor adventure that everyone in your group will enjoy.

6. Polaris RZR 2 Hour Rental+ Scenic Float Package

   Looking to kick up a little dirt and then wash it off? Experience the best of Colorado's outdoors on our full-day UTV Rental and Scenic Float adventure package!  

7. Browns Canyon Sizzler

   The full-day Browns Canyon Sizzler represents the ultimate Colorado rafting experience! This trip offers a full day of classic white water rafting through class III rapids on the Arkansas River, complete with a riverside fajitas lunch.  

8. Starlight & Full Moon Zipline

   Join us for one of the most exciting and popular Colorado mountain summer adventures - ziplining! The starlight zipline adventure allows you to experience AVA's same cliffside zipline course after dark, with the moonlight zipline taking place under a full moon.

9. Colorado Via Ferrata – Granite

   Adventure awaits as you conquer the cliffside on this unique mountaintop climbing experience. Feel a rush of adrenaline as you traverse across and above the Arkansas River Valley, using iron rungs, bars, and other features to ascend. Your stomach will drop on our hanging bridge and freefall flight line!

10. Stand Up Paddleboard Half Day

    Try the newest, most fun activity on the river - Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP)! On this half-day trip, you'll SUP 5 miles down the Colorado River. You'll stand up or kneel on a large, surfboard-shaped board and steer with a long paddle as you navigate down the river. Prepare yourself for falling into the water, as it's highly likely that you'll go for a swim!