Day 1

This trip begins with a scenic float through the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument which will allow your crew to practice paddling as a team before jumping into the action of the rapids. After a delicious riverside lunch prepared by our guides, we will paddle into our most popular stretch, the Racecourse! Don’t forget to look up! The geology radically changes as we pass onto the Embudo fault line, one of the largest intercontinental fault lines in North America. After crashing through the infamous Souse Hole, we will head to our first night’s camp on the river.

Each evening, you will enjoy sleeping under the stars of the New Mexican skies at our riverside camp within the heart of the stunning National Monument. Sit back in one of our camp chairs and take in the vibrant colors of the sunset while the guides pass around appetizers and prepare a delicious dinner and dessert. With views like these, you won’t want to forget your camera. There will be ample fishing opportunities as well as hiking trails directly from camp! In the morning you’ll wake up to a hot cup of coffee and a beautiful breakfast before heading to the river.

Day 2

Day two will bring an expedition-style adventure! Depending on the time of year, we will enjoy inflatable kayaking the remote and seldom explored section of the Middle Taos Box where the wildlife sightings are endless, or the action of New Mexico’s premier class IV stretch, the Taos Box rafting section. Regardless, this day will provide you with one of the single best river adventures in the country.

Day 3

Our final day is the perfect mix of river and rock. We will start at Dead Cholla Wall in the heart of the Rio Grande Gorge. The Dead Cholla Wall is an established New Mexico rock climbing area featuring over two dozen climbing routes for all skill levels. Whether you’re a first-time or experienced climber, your professional guides will provide you with all the tools to ensure a safe, challenging, and memorable experience. After a riverside lunch, it’s time to cool off! This afternoon we will enjoy a combination of stand-up paddleboarding and inflatable kayaking amongst some of the most incredible views of the canyon! Be sure to keep a lookout in the water for river otters, the cliffs for bighorn sheep, and the sky for bald eagles! Once off the river, we will make our way back to our Headquarters where your vehicles will be waiting for you. You will have an opportunity to take a look at your photos from the past couple of days and grab some NMRA merch to commemorate your adventure!

Our Guides For The Rio Grande Multi-Sport 3 Day

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. With experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one of our guides as much as we do!

The Ute Mountain section of the Rio Grande is a unique opportunity to experience a very remote and seldomnly run section of river.  This section starts just downstream of the Colorado state line and continues into an inaccessible canyon.  The section we run is approximately 10 miles in length and requires a moderate although rarely traversed short hike in and out to the river.

Due to its inaccessibility, the Ute Mountain section of the Rio Grande is truly one of the most pristine sections to this beautiful canyon that you’ll ever have the opportunity to experience. From river perspectives to wildlife to that great feeling of remoteness, this trip delivers that elusive, true, wilderness river expedition experience that you may be looking for and have yet to find. This is yet another “expedition” style full day trip offering from NMRA.  We use kayaks exclusively for this section in order to increase the window of runnable flows and give more people the opportunity to experience this special, off the beaten path section of the Rio Grande.

Our Guides for The Ute Mountain Kayaking trip

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. Due to the nature of this particular trip, anyone not meeting the head guides minimum standards will not be allowed to participate and will forfeit deposit.

All of our river guides are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. Many with experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do and will certainly help to make your day on the river the best possible.

Due to the lower flows and challenging access in and out, this trip is only offered as an inflatable kayaking trip. About half way through this pristine section of the Rio Grande, your trip will stop and take a break on one of the beautiful riverside beaches. Here, an expedition style river side lunch is enjoyed by all.

Minimum age for the Ute Mountain section is 16 and a parent or guardian must be present. The Ute Mt. trips are water level dependent and usually are best run June through Oct. Please note that some seasons, this section is not available. Please call, 1-800-983-7756 for available dates and river conditions.

This trip is yet another reason why New Mexico River Adventures is your choice for the greatest and most unique white water rafting in New Mexico!

Only accessible by the 1 mile long hike down a beautiful trail in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area. The kayaks and gear are packed down by the group in lightweight backpacks to our put-in at the confluence with the Rio Grande and the Red River. The whitewater on this section is calm with one class III rapid. A wonderful opportunity to see interesting wildlife and visit some riverside archaeological sites. This is also a great section for inflatable kayaking. Paddle your own boat on this section with all the necessary training from your guide you can enjoy the Middle Taos Box trip from your own kayak. One of our most popular full day trips on the Rio Grande, this trip has it all and is a great experience for the whole family!

Middle Taos Box Inflatable Kayaking Trip Logistics

We start at our headquarters where you’ll meet your guides for the day who will outfit you with all the gear necessary for the day on the river. At the headquarters, you’ll find safe secure parking, clean restrooms, changing rooms, shaded picnic tables on our patio rooms and any last minute items you might have forgotten including sunscreen, water shoes, hats and much more. This is the perfect place to start your adventure.

Middle Taos Box Trip Guides

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. Many with experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do and will certainly help to make your day on the river the best possible. Join us for this rare glimpse of a gem of Northern New Mexico’s Wild and Scenic Rio Grande Gorge.

We start at our headquarters where you’ll meet your New Mexico white water rafting guides for the day who will outfit you with all the gear necessary for river floating New Mexico. At the headquarters, you’ll find safe secure parking, clean restrooms, changing rooms, shaded picnic tables on our patio rooms and any last minute items you might have forgotten including sunscreen, water shoes, hats and much more. This is the perfect place to start your adventure. After the short drive to the starting point in our vans, your New Mexico river floating trip begins with a placid float through one of the most scenic parts of the canyon with great opportunities to see a variety of wildlife including mule deer, river otter, beaver and many different birds of prey.  Float on your own and get closer to the Rio!  Choose between tandem kayaks for couples or parents and kids or single kayaks for those 12 yrs old and up.

The Lower Gorge of the Rio Grande is a broad canyon with lush riparian habitat along the banks of the Rio. A fantastic full day adventure for families, first time rafters and groups.

When the Rio Grande water levels drop during the later part of the summer, typically July-Sept., we are able to offer this spectacular full day trip in inflatable kayaks. River running in New Mexico offers great whitewater throughout the summer. For those people that are looking for the most exciting and challenging river adventure, we have it for you! If you are one of these adrenaline junkies and the water levels are high, typically in May and June, you might want to think about the Taos Box Full Day Rafting trip. If we are having a lower water level season or it is later in the summer, you might choose our Rio Grande kayaking trip. Just remember that either option requires you to be able to swim and be interested in the most challenging whitewater experience available.
The first half of the day is beautiful float through the Orilla Verde section of the Rio Grande with incredible scenery, gorgeous riverside lunch stops and ample opportunity to work on your paddling in preparation for the exciting whitewater of the Racecourse to come in the afternoon.

Our Rio Grande kayaking full day trip meets at our headquarters at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. daily and the minimum age during most of the year for kayaking is 14 years old. Please remember that if you have younger kids, we can always take part of your group in a raft and the more adventurous can be in kayaks. You will still be on the same trip and moving downstream together.

Looking for the best kayaking New Mexico has to offer? This trip has it all and is perfect for those guests looking for the ultimate whitewater challenge when the water levels are at their lowest and the Taos Box Rafting trip is closed for the season. This is a classic trip and its located a mere 1 mile away from our headquarters. If you’re looking for a memorable addition to your vacation in Northern New Mexico, stop by our headquarters or reserve your space for this wonderful whitewater rafting experience.

Starting the Racecourse

We start at our headquarters where you’ll meet your guides for the day who will outfit you with all the gear necessary for the day on the river. At the headquarters, you’ll find safe secure parking, clean restrooms, changing rooms, shaded picnic tables on our patio rooms and any last minute items you might have forgotten including sunscreen, water shoes, hats and much more. This is the perfect place to start your adventure.

Paddling The Racecourse

The Racecourse Kayaking is the perfect trip for first repeat guests or those whitewater enthusiasts who only have a limited amount of time available and want the biggest challenge the Rio Grande has to offer. It is class III to III+ and absolutely perfect for adrenaline junkies. This trip is usually available during the early and later months of the season when the water levels on the Rio Grande are at their lowest.  Don’t worry about the cold as we still offer wetsuits and splash jackets for you at no extra charge. Please call if you have any questions about water levels or our minimum ages for any of our trips. We’ll tackle rapids with names like The Maze, Eye of the Needle, Big Rock and the infamous Souse Hole.

Racecourse Kayaking Trip Availability

We do not make this trip available to reserve online due to varying availability which depends on water levels and fitness/adventure levels of guests.  When water levels are lower, typically in the late part of the summer, this can be a great way to increase your adventure level and provide an alternative to the Taos Box.  Please feel free to reserve the Racecourse Rafting Trip and inform us by replying to your confirmation email or giving us a call that you would prefer being in an inflatable kayak.  All trips meet at our Headquarters. Morning Trips meet at 8:30 AM. Afternoon Trips meet at 12:30 PM. On busier days we also have a 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM departures. All availability can be seen online. Please give us a call anytime at, 505-983-7756, to reserve your space.

Due to regularly scheduled releases from El Vado Resevior, we are able to enjoy this incredible canyon and three day rafting trip, most weeks from April through August. We raft 33 mile section of river outside of the the alpine town of Tierra Amarilla, NM.

Rio Chama 3 Day Trip

The trip consists of a float through the stunning colorful sandstone and limestone walls of this amazing canyon and finishes up near the renowned artist village of Abiquiu. The upper reaches of the river are well known for gorgeous pine trees lining the banks of the river and spectacular views of the desert cliffs that border this area and that are so famous in many different artists works, such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams. The mellow whitewater here affords ample opportunity to take in all of the colors and beauty of the famous canyon. Red, yellow and purple color bands are painted across the desert as the river flows past towering sandstone cliffs.

The relaxed 3-day itinerary allows us the flexibility to stop often and explore the many treasures within the high reaching walls like hot springs, ancient Indian ruins, and dinosaur tracks to name a few. We will spend two beautiful nights out under the bright New Mexican sky. The Rio Chama is known for it’s nice sandy beach and grassy bench camps, most with ample shade from towering old growth Ponderosa Pines. Each night’s camp will be right on the river’s edge and backed up by excellent opportunities for hiking and the exploration of numerous side canyons and vistas. Sit back in one of our camp chairs and take in the sunset as the colors of the canyon walls change right before your eyes. Enjoy a cold drink as the guides pass around appetizers and prepare a gorgeous dinner and dessert. This is luxury camping in one of the most beautiful river canyons in the Southwestern United States. Don’t worry if you don’t have your own tent, sleeping pad or sleeping bag. Just let one of our friendly staff know at the time of reservation and we’ll take care of everything.

Our Guides for The Rio Chama 3 Day Trip

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. Many with experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do and will certainly help to make your day on the river the best possible.

We highly recommend that the adventurous types opt for navigating the river in their own craft, an inflatable kayak. Of course there will the raft(s) to paddle, allowing everyone the opportunity to be active in our voyage down this Wild and Scenic River. We always bring a large oar powered raft to carry the equipment needed for this incredible wilderness experience.

Minimum age for the Rio Chama multi-day rafting trip is 6 y/o; children should be adventurous and have some previous outdoor experiences. Groups of 4 or more may request Custom dates, subject to availability. Contact us today for more information: 1-800-983-7756.

Grab a paddle and let’s hit the river! Team-building takes on a new form as you work with your crew to crash through rapids, route each other on while rock climbing as well as learning new paddling skills in kayaks and paddleboards. Keep your eyes peeled in between the action of the rapids for Ancient Puebloan petroglyphs, freshwater springs and incredible breathtaking geological features.

Day 1

This trip begins with a scenic float through the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument which will allow your crew to practice paddling as a team before jumping into the action of the rapids. After a delicious riverside lunch prepared by our guides, we will paddle into our most popular stretch, the Racecourse! Don’t forget to look up! The geology radically changes as we pass onto the Embudo fault line, one of the largest intercontinental fault lines in North America. After crashing through the infamous Souse Hole, we will head to our first night’s camp on the river.

Each evening, you will enjoy sleeping under the stars of the New Mexican skies at our riverside camp within the heart of the stunning National Monument. Sit back in one of our camp chairs and take in the vibrant colors of the sunset while the guides pass around appetizers and prepare a delicious dinner and dessert. With views like these, you won’t want to forget your camera. There will be ample fishing opportunities as well as hiking trails directly from camp! In the morning you’ll wake up to a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate and a beautiful breakfast before heading to the river.

Day 2

Depending on the time of year, water levels and average age of the Scouts, we have two options for this day’s adventure.  one option is a multi-sport day in which we will rock climb in the morning and inflatable kayak through the Monument in the afternoon.  The second option is rafting the Taos Box section of the Rio Grande.  Both options can be discussed at the time of booking in consideration of your particular trip dates river conditions.

Day 3

This morning, after breakfast, we will enjoy a yet another new adventure, stand-up paddleboarding, amongst some of the most incredible views of the canyon! Be sure to keep a lookout in the water for river otters, the cliffs for bighorn sheep, and the sky for golden eagles! We will finish just before lunch (not included). Once off the river, we will make our way back to our Headquarters where your vehicles will be waiting for you. You will have an opportunity to take a look at your photos from the past couple of days and grab some NMRA merch to commemorate your adventure!

Our Guides For The Rio Grande Multi-Sport 3 Day

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. With experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one of our guides as much as we do!

Our Guides For The Ultimate Scouting Adventure

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology and history and just love being on the river. With experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, I know you’ll enjoy each one of our guides as much as we do!

For our Scouting Groups, it is possible to cover the skills required for the Whitewater Merit Badge. Please call our friendly reservation staff to discuss the details.

This trip is available on a specific group basis. Call for available dates and river conditions.