The five day Yampa river trip traverses 72 miles through Yampa, Whirlpool and Split Mountain Canyons. These 2,000 ft. deep sandstone gorges are a remote, pristine wilderness in the heart of Dinosaur National Monument . Since the canyons are roadless, we bring all food and gear on the rafts to undeveloped camps each night. Adrift provides transportation from the meeting place to the start of the river trip, and then back to the Adrift Adventure store at trips end. Professional guides and all boating related equipment are provided, including one watertight duffle bag per person to carry personal gear. All meals from first day to last day lunch are included, and we offer vegetarian alternatives. No previous rafting experience is required. Minimum age is 8 years, except on special family trips.

You start your whitewater boating adventure in the remote northwestern part of Colorado about 55 miles west of Craig. Here the Yampa River, the last major free-flowing tributary of the Colorado River system, roars through a colorful canyon maze with canyon walls towering 2,000 feet above the river, containing rock strata spanning a geologic time period of 1.5 billion years. During spring and early summer when runoff from high mountains fills the channel, the Yampa provides over 40 intermediate to advanced (Class III) rapids along with one of the big drops in the west, Warm Springs rapid. The rapids are fun, but there are also plenty of opportunities to serenely float past the canyon walls and observe bighorn sheep, geese or golden eagles. At lunch and camp you'll have a chance to hike side canyons or join in campfire festivities.

You have three boating options to choose from, and you can stay with one type the entire trip or switch at any time. Choose between a paddle powered raft where you grab a paddle, and with the assistance of a guide who sits in the back, maneuver the boat through the rapids as a team; or select an oar powered raft where you just sit back and let the guide do all the work. Another option is to run the rapids "on your own" in a 1-person inflatable kayak with a support raft drifting nearby. Several of these easy-to-use boats are provided per trip and they are shared by all participants. If you desire a kayak for your own personal use the entire trip, you must request it in advance.

Weather in the boating season can be highly variable with afternoon highs in the 50's to 80's and lows from 40 to 50. Sunshine dominates but you need to be prepared for infrequent afternoon showers. River flow rates are related to snow melt in the headwaters, making it somewhat unpredictable, but our launch dates have good water even in droughts.