The Best Rafting in Idaho Springs, Colorado
We are a Colorado family who has been to many mountain destinations and done many adventures. But one thing we hadn’t done as a family is go rafting. After missing our chance and regretting it in Buena Vista, we decided to go rafting in Idaho Springs.
Let’s Jet, Kids! uses affiliate links. As an Amazon (and other networks) Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It is no extra cost to you.
It was the one thing my son REALLY wanted to do on our visit, so we decided to go for it. I had to do a little research to find an easy, gentle, family-friendly rafting trip in Idaho Springs. There are many companies that offer this along Clear Creek, but we decided to go with AVA, Arkansas Valley Adventures, for our trip.
Here’s my full review of AVA Rafting in Idaho Springs and what to expect with them. Next time you’re in the Colorado mountains, you can rest assured you’ll have a great time with them too.
Disclosure: We received a slightly discounted rate with AVA with the assumption that a review would follow. This review is our honest experience.
What is AVA?
AVA is an acronym for Arkansas Valley Adventures. They specialize in both rafting and ziplining, while also offering Via Ferrata trips and rock climbing. The company works in different cities thoughout Colorado, with most of their adventures happening in the Idaho Springs area, Breckenridge/Frisco area, or near Buena Vista.
AVA is a well known, reputable brand for outdoor adventure, and we were happy to book with them. Here’s a bit about what to expect rafting in Idaho Springs with AVA.
Arrival at the AVA Idaho Springs Rafting location
Before you arrive, make sure you’ve made your reservation for your rafting trip!
Where to Park
We stayed in town in Idaho Springs at the historic Club Hotel (highly recommended and you can read more about staying at The Club).
This was a great location because it was walking distance to so many things. While we drove to AVA to start our raft trip, we realized it would have only taken about 15 minutes to walk to.
Why is this relevant? I researched a few rafting companies before we went. While there are options nearby, some were a good drive away. I liked that we didn’t have to leave an extra hour early to find our location.
There is a dirt lot you can park in right at AVA’s departure center. If that is full, there is overflow parking almost adjacent to the lot, just a quick walk away.
Check in
Once you arrive, just head to the front desk and let them know you’ve arrived. They’ll find your reservation and get you checked in.
You’ll need store store any items in your car, and hang your keys on the “key board.” This is located just outside the building in front of a big window that can be seen from the front desk.
Not gonna lie, we felt a little iffy about this. Our other option was to take the keys with us and chance them getting wet (which they definitely would have) and ruined.
So we went with the key board and nothing went awry, and I’m assuming they have a good track record of watching the keys or else they wouldn’t still do it.
Then you can wait outside while you wait for the guides to be ready.
Getting Equipped
AVA offers both wet suits or just pull-over water resistant jackets. On a hot day, the jacket is good enough. On a really hot day, you’ll probably be fine without anything extra.
My kids and I all got the pull over jacket, but it was one of the hotter days of the Colorado summer and we regretted it. When we were at a safe stopping place on the side of the river (waiting for other rafts), our guide let 2 of my kids take off their pull overs because they were so hot!
So yes, the pull overs really do help keep you warm from the cold water. But on an especially hot day you may want to skip it.
Each person will also get (and be required to get) a personal floatation device (PFD) and a helmet.
Then you’ll head behind the building for all the talks about safety and what to do in the event you fall overboard.
As you’re ready to head out, you’ll grab a paddle.
Getting to the Launch site
We did the Gold Rush rafting trip, which is an easy, family-friendly rafting in Idaho Springs. To launch for this trip, we just had to walk about 2 or 3 minutes down the same road as the AVA building. It’s not a very busy road, so not a big deal.
The rafts are here waiting and the guides will have them lined up and you’ll choose a raft. Your guide will assign a spot in the raft to each person. Since it was us and our four kids, we adults were in the front.
My youngest child was given the choice to paddle, or just enjoy the ride. She chose to just go along for the ride, so she was able to sit on the inside “seat” and hold on to an anchored strap.
You’ll then help your guide carry the raft down a few feet to the water, where you’ll officially launch!
Rafting on the Clear Creek
While AVA offers many different options for rafting in Idaho Springs, we chose the family-friendly adventure. So this experience is based on the Gold Rush rafting stretch. Other trips will go over different sections with different intensity of rapids.
The Gold Rush tour has rapids from Class I, II, and III. The II and II rapids were big enough to cause excitement for our kids, but not big enough for me to ever be worried one of them would go overboard.
This run is around 6 miles and lasts about 1-1/2 hours on the river.
As you have moments of floating down the creek, our guide was great about explaining a little bit about the area. We passed the Charlie Tayler Wheel, which she explained the history and how it was moved over. We also passed two gold mine entrances, which have been blocked off so people don’t try to enter.
It was fun getting a brief history of highlights along the river. But she was also really good about letting us know what was coming up on the river, which I thought was great for the kids.
“Right after this bridge is our first class III rapid…”
The water itself wasn’t super rough, making a great, enjoyable trip for the whole family. There were moments of calm floating, and moments of the need to paddle a few times.
Guide Skills
We were quite impressed at how good our guide was at “parallel parking” the raft when we needed to pull over to wait for others in the group that fell behind.
You can tell they are well trained not only in the water, but working with families.
My daughter dropped her oar in the water and felt really bad. The guide simply pulled out a spare and handed it to her and said “that’s why we bring extra!” It was no big deal at all and I was glad she made my daughter not feel bad about it.
*Oars along the river get collected throughout the day by all raft companies and then returned to their proper owner 🙂
Heading Back
At the end of your rafting, you’ll exit the river and load onto a bus. It’s just a few minutes back to AVA.
When you’re back, you can look through pictures that were captured from a photographer on an overhead bridge. They are not cheap, but do make for a fun souvenir.
You can also look for your guides Venmo code on the wall by the bathrooms to send your gratuities for giving you an awesome trip.
In addition, the building has shirts, hats, sunglasses cords (useful for before you take off on your rafting trip), and other great souvenirs.
Other Rafting Trips by AVA
While we did the easy, family-friendly rafting trip in Idaho Springs, you may be looking for something kicked up a notch. AVA offers 2 different levels of rapids for visitors in Idaho Springs.
Gold Rush was perfect for families like us that have younger kids and wanted beginner rapids from Class I, II, and III.
The Upper Clear Creek half-day trip offers 8 miles on the water. The rapids are around Class III and IV and are great for those who have gone rafting before and everyone in the party is at least 15.
Want more adventure? You can book a rafting + zip lining combo through AVA.
Good to Know
- You must fill out waivers. You will be emailed these after you book.
- Phone are strongly discouraged from taking on the river.
- No flip flops allowed…shoes must go all the way around/have a heel strap (like Keens)
- Ages 6+ allowed on Gold Rush; 15+ on Upper Clear Creek
- Real bathrooms located inside AVA building. No bathrooms after that until you get back.
- Yes, you will get wet 🙂
Any Downsides?
Overall, no. We had a great experience.
The only thing I can think of that didn’t go as expected is that it seemed we were running behind. It felt like we waited a long time to get started.
However, we were not the first trip of the day. Once you end your trip, you take the bus back to the building. During the time of our trip, there was construction on I-70, which always puts a huge delay on traffic.
My assumption is that the trip before us finished and the busses/rafts got delayed on I-70 coming back, giving us a late start time.
Did it ruin the experience? No. We just hung out, talked with some fellow rafters, and enjoyed the morning.
AVA Rafting- Gold Rush
Book your family-friendly rafting adventure!
- Great Staff
- Fun, safe rafting experience
- Easy access from Idaho Springs
- A great memory for the kids to keep forever.
Final thoughts on the Best Rafting in Idaho Springs with AVA
While I didn’t try out all the rafting companies, I would still rate AVA as the best rafting in Idaho Springs. We had a great time, the kids were safe and excited, and it was a highlight of our trip to Idaho Springs.
What made AVA great?
- Very close to Idaho Springs for departure
- Multiple trip times each day to choose from
- Great guides
- Offers combo packages with other adventures
- Multiple difficulty options to match your groups needs
Would we use AVA again for our next rafting adventure? Yes, absolutely. If you want the best for your next Idaho Springs rafting adventure, give AVA a try.
Don’t miss the beautiful, nearby drive up Mount Blue Sky
