Places to visit in Colorado
Arkansas River
4.5
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A popular river for white-water rafting.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

4.5
10 reviews
Excellent
8
Very good
1
Average
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Terrible
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Jeff D
Littleton, CO3 contributions
Jun 2020
We had a fantastic half-day rafting trip down Brown's Canyon in early June with Salida River Advenures. Matt was our knowledgeable and personable guide and was key in making the trip a success for our family of four including two teens. The river was running high and the class III+ rapids were awesome fun. Matt expertly guided us through the rapids and was entertaining throughout the whole trip. We've done several rafting trips in the past and can't more highly recommend both the Arkansas River and Matt as your guide. Great time had by all.
Written 12 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark Vetock
Gretna, NE1,101 contributions
Jun 2020 • Friends
A beautiful walk along the river with great views of the area. If you are in the area this is a great place to walk, relax and enjoy the scenery. The trail is right above the river...you are very close but at a safe distance.
Written 11 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vols84
Atlanta, GA119 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
I have rafted most of the East Rivers from WV down to TN/NC and the Bighorn Sheep Canyon rapids remind me of a slightly larger Ocoee or Nantahala. We went July 4th week so expected large crowds. It was definitely busy but never felt crowded on the river like some of these over used Eastern ones do. We had two teens on our raft who had never rafted before so this was a good introduction with some bumps that got you wet and some smooth section where you could swim.

We originally planned Royal Gorge but the water levels coming into that week were very high so we backed down to the easier section and I am glad we did because it was fun and exciting without any stress over riding a rapid without your raft. No one came out of a raft on our trip.

We traveled with Royal Gorge Rafting and our guide was a young lady who did a super job of making it fun and interesting.
Written 14 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

stockmanjohncox
Keenesburg, CO20 contributions
Nov 2016 • Solo
Great river walk along the Arkansas River in Canon City. Main trail is approximately 7 miles long. Very scenic with great old trees providing shade for much of the way. Clean restrooms (especially for a public park/trail), lightly used (compared to other urban parks in Colorado), well maintained and litter free. You are only at about 5000' elevation and the trail offers a smooth surface with little elevation change making it a nice leisure trail for older folks or those visiting from lower elevations. The trail gets less wind as it is down low and the trees give protection. Given Canon City's low elevation it often meaningfully warmer than the nearby mountain towns. When I visited it was 75 in Canon City while Florissant, Woodland Park and Cripple Creek were all in the 50s. 20 degrees and no wind make a huge difference in comfort in the cooler seasons but might not be an advantage mid-summer.
Written 21 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Noni314
Saint Louis, MO508 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
Fun and exciting. Echo Canyon River Rafting did a great job of making us feel competent and comfortable.
Written 13 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jim81212
Canon City, CO46 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
This scenic river-walk along the Arkansas River as it meanders through Canon City is a restful and scenic walk or a great place to bicycle and let the kids or grand-kids work of energy. The easiest access is to turn-off Highway 50 at 4th Street and park across the river from Centennial Park near the Royal Gorge Railroad depot. Its a good place to look at the river, watch birds, walk dogs or just sit and enjoy the river as it rushes by.
Written 16 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

phildeanx
Kansas City, MO27 contributions
Jul 2012 • Friends
When in Canon City, it is a great time to visit this local swimming hole.

It's right off of 4th Street by the Royal George Rt Railroad. It is a great place to swim or watch other people swim. Now beaware, the current can be pretty strong depending on the water level of the river. So this can be slightly dangerous but that is also what makes it fun.

This whole area is awesome. You can tell the city of Canon has put alot of money it this park area. There are miles of walking trails and new playground equipment.
Written 1 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vincent L
Colorado Springs, CO154 contributions
Sep 2011 • Solo
US-50 along the Arkansas River is a very pleasant, though not spectacular drive. From just west of Canon City to Salida, great rock formations in a fairly deep canyon are quite beautiful, and the highway is very good. There are numerous pullouts, some with National Forest restrooms and picnic areas. At one spot there is a marker noting where Zebulon Pike's party crossed the frozen river. While I-70 is more spectacular overall, US-50 provides an alternative...at least once.
Written 25 September 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joe G
Buena Vista, CO17 contributions
Jul 2010
We held a family reunion in Colorado and had a wide variety of ages and fitness levels. They were able to find sections of the Arkansas River that were suitable for all of us. Browns Canyon is awesome...big waves, rocks to dodge, great views of 14,000 foot peaks. Some of us rafted the Royal Goge, I heard it was intense and the canyon walls go straight up. They even had a trip for our youngest... a 4 year old! Great river and Wilderness Aware is a great outfitter!
Written 8 April 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John B
Westbury, NY13 contributions
We are a father and daughter who took a 1/2 day whitewater rafting trip with the Royal Gorge Rafting Company (RGR ) in early May 2010. It still being early in the 2010 season, we were the only two rafters to sign on that particular Tuesday. Despite there being only two of us, we were treated superbly by all the staff at RGR; our guide, Cameron, was experienced and personable and made us feel very much at home. We received instructions as to safety and raft handling before we left so we were well prepared for the river. After the trip was over, we had the opportunity to view and purchase pictures taken during the trip, but we were not pressured to buy any. All in all, a great experience.

Emily & Jay Bould, Westbury, NY
Written 8 May 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Arkansas River (Colorado) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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