We offer whitewater rafting adventures 7 days a week from mid May through Labor Day, depending on water conditions. The Cache la Poudre River is dependent on Mountain snowpack and some reservoir releases for water flow. As a result, the water levels generally peak in mid June with Class II-IV+ whitewater. The River gradually recedes and slows to mainly technical Class III & IV rapids as the summer progresses. If you are looking for the biggest thrill, early season from May 20 to June 28 is very exciting and usually has the biggest rapids although every year is different. June 28 to July 15 is generally medium water with warm air and water temperatures and medium water conditions that provide fun rapids. July 16 through the end of the season is usually lower water although reservoir releases start and the River can rise with releases and/or be quite steady with warm temperatures and technical exciting and fun rapids. The Poudre is fun at all water levels and the canyon is always gorgeous. The owner took his first rafting trip in late July in 1974 at very low water conditions and the experience was so scenic, exciting, and fun that it was life changing.

Since the Cache La Poudre River is dependent on snow melt, the water temperature early in the season can be cold (45° F), requiring the use of wetsuits especially for anyone on the most challenging class IV trips. As the summer progresses, the river warms up dramatically and many of our guests enjoy a refreshing swim in some of the calmer stretches of the river. By the end of June the River water temperature can be 60-65° F and then (depending on how hot the summer is) 66-70 ° F near the end of the season. We have people arrive from all over the world on very limited schedules to raft the Poudre, so we go rain or shine! Bad weather usually moves through the canyon quickly and we wait it out for a few minutes. Often in the summer there will be a quick summer shower followed by the sun breaking through for an absolutely glorious afternoon. As most of our Guests say; “Let’s Go, We’re going to get wet anyway”. Rafting can be a great way to spend a rainy or cloudy day. Splash jackets are provided at no charge and wetsuits can be rented if the day is cloudy, cool, rainy, or just because you want to be toasty.

The Poudre River is a classic Rocky Mt. River, meaning it can become incredibly swollen with runoff under extreme conditions, especially early in the season, such as continuing rains and/or continuing hot temperatures running for many days in a row. If the River is running in extreme mode, we reserve the right to change or cancel any rafting trip due to inappropriate water levels, weather conditions, or other circumstances beyond our control. The River water levels change daily depending on many factors. If you could view the River as a cross section you would see a daily bell curve or wave moving down the River depicting the melt water going from the cool of night to the heat of the day and then back again. Your location on the River, the time of day that you are rafting, and how much time it takes for that water to get to you, are all factors that determine where you would be located on that bell curve at any one time. The curve is steep and dramatic in the early season and flattens out in late season with reservoir releases, but the water levels are always changing and thus the rafting trip. The seasonal bell curve also adds to the mix with the River starting out low, moving to peak, and moving to low again with the supplement of Reservoir releases later in the summer. Reservoir releases late in the summer keeps the rafting fun all the way through August. Colorado is famous for its wild weather and when you also throw this in, you can see why we say it’s a different River every day.

Our guests will need to arrive at our main office for check no later than 8:45 am or 1:00 pm depending on your trip time. Most groups arrive a little early and if you plan to rent wetsuits or booties it is a good idea to arrive at least a half hour before the check-in time and you will need to leave a drivers license for rentals which will be returned upon check-in of gear. After you arrive you will need to check-in and fill out the required paper work (liability form, contact info) for your trip. After the paperwork, if guests didn’t arrive in their rafting attire then they usually head for the changing rooms to change into such. See “what to wear” for rafting attire. Most people lock any valuables in their vehicles and check their keys with the staff during the trip; please don’t take valuables on the river with you as they will get wet or lost and things such as key fobs may not work afterwards. After check-in and changing into rafting attire, you can relax in our picnic area until the guides call everyone over to be fitted for life jackets (PFD’s) and helmets. You may also go and pick up any rental gear after checking in. Note: We are regulated and have a set launch window to launch our rafts into the River; we cannot be early or late for the window so we cannot leave the shop early because there is only a small group scheduled for a meeting time. Whether the group size is 2 or 120 for a meeting time, we have to leave our shop at the same time each day in order to hit our launch window and for this reason we cannot wait for late parties. At times, it may seem like we are dragging our feet or delaying when actually we have to adhere to a time schedule which is standardized to accommodate large groups. So please be patient, our time schedules are standardized, assigned to us, and we cannot change them. The safety talk comes next and is conducted at the picnic area for 10 to 15 minutes. Please listen carefully as we cover worst case scenarios and other valuable information for your rafting trip. Don’t be alarmed by the Safety talk, it covers things that can and do happen, but not that often. Next we load up on the vehicles (Buses/vans) and it is about a 20 minute ride to the River depending on which trip you are doing. Once at the launch area, you can stand aside or help walk the rafts down to the River. Whatever you do, you need to be CAREFUL as you disembark the bus, there is heavy traffic on the road and some staging areas are very tight with rocks and bad footing, poison ivy, or even snakes on the trails to the River. Sometimes, in all the excitement, a raft can be mishandled and/or dropped while unloading, so you need to be watching. The staging areas are the most dangerous part of the trip and most injuries occur in these areas, so please stay watchful and stand out of the way in a safe spot if not participating in equipment transport. If you do want to jump in and help, just make sure to watch your footing and make sure you’re very aware of your surroundings. Keep your helmet on at all times and watch for traffic on the road because some of the staging areas are tight and close to the road! Keep an eye on your kids and keep them corralled at all times. At the River Put-in, we unload the rafts and get the crews in the water where the guide reviews some communication & safety items before slipping into the current. The rafting ensues which involves maneuvering and paddling down the River for roughly 2 hours depending on water levels and the trip you’re on. At higher levels the River moves much faster so we do longer stretches and at medium and low levels the River moves slower and becomes more technical (has more obstacles). Different trips run different stretches of the River at different times of the season and we always strive to give the safest, most exciting, and longest trip available at the water level available at the time. We call the trips “half day” because the entire time from meeting to arrival back at the shop is about 3.5 to 4 hours total. At the River take out, we once again load up the rafts, board the vehicles, and return to the shop where you can check in your gear, pick up your license if you rented gear, pick up your car keys, change into street clothes, look at images from your trip and pick up items such as snacks, T-shirts, or other memorabilia before departure.

Dress according to weather and water conditions. During early season people dress much warmer than in mid season or late season. Rafting attire is generally shorts, T-shirt, a bathing suit or trunks, water shoes or shoes which can get wet and provide protection to the top of the foot like water shoes, wetsuit booties (we rent), or tennis shoes that can get wet but NO street shoes or concrete galoshes. Shoes with protection on top of your foot work best because they protect the top of your foot while the foot is under the cross tube or in a foot cone. No flip flops, your shoes must stay securely on your feet while in the water. Strap-on River sandals are ok but your feet will be very cold in the early season and the top of your foot my get chaffed from the cross tube. . We rent booties if you want to keep your feet warmer or you don’t have any footwear. Cotton wicks up water so materials such as lycra, spandex, polypropylene, polyester, or synthetics like those found in exercise clothing work best especially during the early season when It’s cold. You should wear shorts that will stay tight on your waist in a rapid, or you could find yourself without any. On rainy days or cool days during early season, wetsuits, wool or fleece shirts, hats, socks, neoprene booties, along with splash tops and rain pants will make your rafting adventure more enjoyable. We require you to have a wetsuit for advanced trips in the early season. We rent wetsuits or you can bring your own if you are on the #2 (Wild & Scenic) trip or the #3 (All day trip) before July 1^st. A driver’s license is required as security when renting wetsuits. Spandex or nylon shorts or leggings and shirts can be worn under a wetsuit and offer a thin comfortable under-layer. You might want a light duty poly-pro or fleece shirt as an extra layer with the wetsuit especially if it’s early season, raining, or cool. A dry warm change of clothes for after your return is always nice. We are the only outfitter to have invested in actual heated changing rooms where you can get into some warm clothes after your trip. Sunscreen, lip balm, a bandana, and sunglasses (we sell) may be important as UV rays can be very intense in Colorado. We sell ties for your glasses or sunglasses if you plan on wearing them on the River. Watches, glasses, hats, jewelry, rings, phones, wallets, water bottles, etc. are subject to damage or loss. A good way to think of what to bring on the River is to bring only things that can get wet, lost, or ruined. If you want to take a towel, water, or a quick snack with you (we sell these), that is fine, but these items are usually left on the bus as paddling requires both hands on the paddle and the River is very lively! Valuables are generally left in your car or you can rent a locker from us and you can check your keys with the office staff while you’re rafting. No alcoholic beverages are allowed on a raft trip and anyone arriving for a trip while under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be allowed to participate and no refunds will be given. Complementary splash tops are available upon request.

In order to stay glued to the raft, you need to know how to sit and paddle in the raft. There are 3 points of contact while paddling which will provide you with the bracing & balance you need to stay firmly planted in the raft. Your first point of contact is your foot where one or both feet are either under the cross tube or in a foot cone in front of you. You will need to keep your foot firmly planted under the cross tube or in the foot cone in order to paddle efficiently and stay in the raft during turbulence. Never place your foot so far under the cross tube such that your foot comes out on the other side of the tube or you could get stuck, only place the forward half of your foot into the cone or under the tube such that the top of your foot is making contact with the tube or cone. Your second point of contact is your seat. In order to paddle efficiently and strongly, you need to sit on the outer rim of the raft, not towards the inside of the raft. In order to reach the water with your paddle, achieve a strong stroke, and maintain balance, you MUST be seated towards the outside of the tube on your side. The only time you move off of the outer rim of the tube is if your guide calls a command such as “Get down” or “Lean in” or other special command. After the special command, you get back to your regular seat position and continue paddling as before. Your third point of contact is the paddle with the River. Believe it or not, executing a good strong paddle stroke keeps you balanced and provides a huge amount of bracing while maneuvering down the river. So if you want to stay in the raft, paddle as vigorously as you can while staying in sync with your fellow paddlers and following the commands of the guide. You will be amazed at how stable you are in a bucking raft IF you are braced with your foot, seated properly on the tube, and paddling in sync and vigorously. Remember that paddling together is the most important aspect of the guide maintaining control of the raft; a group of girl scouts paddling together will easily maneuver through the toughest rapids while the NFL players who are paddling out of sync often end up out of the raft and swimming.

People can and do fall out during a rafting trip. Part of the excitement of rafting is the ever present possibility that someone could end up in the drink. People should have at least basic swimming ability if they are planning on rafting. The River is narrow, and it is generally no more than 20 or 30 feet, at most, to one shore or the other. We supply you with a large Personal Flotation Device (PFD or life jacket) and you can swim through any of the rapids if necessary. Make sure to keep your PFD tight at all times while on the River so that it will function properly if you do find yourself swimming. When people fall out they are usually very near the raft and are pulled back in immediately. If you do fall out, relax, breathe in the troughs of waves, point your feet downstream and assume the river safety position which is like sitting in a recliner with your feet near the surface and facing downstream to fend off rocks. You can maneuver in this position by doing a backstroke with your arms combined with kicks if necessary. Occasionally, people get separated from the raft and the guide will point for them to swim to shore, towards the raft, or away from an obstacle. Look for instructions from the guide and they will point positive in the direction they want you to go. If you need to, roll over on your stomach and swim with an aggressive crawl stroke to get back to the raft, the shore, or away from an obstacle. Don’t be afraid to self rescue and get yourself out of the river or back to the raft if necessary. Swimming in the River is not really hard and every instance is unique, but on average, people are pulled back into the raft immediately about 99% of the time. We will explain more on this in our safety talk before the trip.

We take kids down to age 7 on our family trip (#1 Wildwater trip) all summer long and they don’t need to paddle while the minimum age for our #2 (Wild & Scenic) trip varies with water level. When the water is high, 15 is the minimum age on our #2 trip, then 12 as the water drops and 9 late in the season. Just about anyone can go whitewater rafting if they are of minimum age, are healthy enough to paddle, can follow the paddle commands, and are able to swim. People can and do fall out of the rafts occasionally and people need to build this into their realm of possibilities. People fall out of rafts even on the easiest of trips. No previous experience is necessary for our trips, but all of our trips require paddling (except kids) and you can expect to get wet. A1 Wildwater welcomes rafters young and old. People of all ages should be fit enough to swim to shore if necessary and be able to paddle down an exciting River while following the commands of a guide. With advance notice and screening we can accommodate a variety of special needs. People should not have serious health complications such as heart conditions, COPD, or other illnesses where falling out of a raft and possibly swimming in cold water could have serious implications. Our maximum PFD size (PFD=life jackets) will accommodate a chest size of 55 inches so we cannot take people larger than this. If older people are in good shape, can swim well, can cope with falling out of raft and swimming in cold water, and can self rescue by getting to shore on their own if necessary, they will probably do great. Please let us know if people of advanced age want to raft, the screening depends on water level, weather conditions, previous experience, the health of the individual and the trip they wish to sign up for. Please call us for specific details and answers.

During High water, larger rafts are used which seat 8 people (7 plus the guide). We use Hyside self bailing rafts all through the season, which are considered the best in the industry due to their material strength, design, and handling capabilities. During high water, 7 people plus a guide make the raft heavy enough to break through large waves and holes and not get pushed around easily by the River. 7 is an odd number and sometimes we have to break up groups to make the raft handle at its optimum. We try our best to keep groups together but at times we are constrained by the water conditions or other factors. As the season progresses, we move to smaller rafts and the number of guests goes to 6, then 5,and 4 in late season plus the guide. By using smaller rafts as the water drops we can keep the excitement level high, and we are the only outfitter on the Poudre doing this. We have more flexibility to move people around in the rafts later in the season while keeping the trip exciting. Please be aware that we cannot overload or under load rafts at certain times of the year. It’s possible, but not likely, that there could be a problem with keeping a group together because every once in a while the numbers just don’t work out. When this happens we may have to break up a group in order to keep the trip safe. Please include this slight possibility into your trip acknowledgement.

As with any outdoor activity there is an element of inherent risk with whitewater rafting, and we require all participants (or parents or legal guardians) to read and sign an Acknowledgment of Risk form before every trip. Every member of your group must sign one of these at the meeting place. In the case of unaccompanied minors these forms must be signed by the parents. For large groups, call our office for an Acknowledgment of Risk form in advance, copy as necessary to ensure that each minor has one signed by parent or guardian, and bring the signed, organized, and counted documents with you as a group. Individuals sign at our Shop and adults in a group can sign at our shop. Once again, each and every Individual or member of a group must have a Liability Release signed before they will be allowed to board a raft. The State of Colorado requires each individual who signs a liability to fill out current contact information.

The protection that the Poudre River enjoys as Colorado’s only nationally designated Wild and Scenic River provides for a first class River experience but also restricts the number of people that we can take down the River on a daily and per trip basis. This means we are very restricted as to the number of people that we can take rafting on any given day. This is the only River in Colorado which has both Daily and Per Trip limits on the number of people we can take down the River. We often have to turn people away once our allocated quota has been reached and people make other plans quickly if we can’t take them. If you don’t show up for your trip or try to reschedule at the last minute we often can’t re-fill the spots even though we may have turned many people away from the spots previously. For this reason we have to be very tough with our refund policy. If you have to cancel your trip, we will refund your money less 20% if written notice is given to A1 Wildwater at least 10 days prior to your launch date. No refunds are available if you have to cancel your trip less than 10 days prior to your launch date. If a trip is booked less than 10 days prior to its launch date, there are no refunds. Please make this information available to all trip members. Late arrivals risk missing the trip and will be held responsible for the entire trip cost. No-shows are subject to 100% of the trip cost. In cases of extreme emergency, and ONLY on a case by case basis, A1 Wildwater may try to reschedule the trip to an available future date when availability options are possible and feasible.

The International Scale of River Difficulty rates the difficulty of a given rapid, or an entire run, on a scale of I to VI. This scale works well in providing a general description of whitewater difficulty. The level of difficulty for your trip may be higher or lower than described here. It is for this reason that we reserve the right to cancel or change any trip for safety or any other reasons. The definitions below are the abbreviated main points of the International Whitewater Difficulty Rating Scale. Our trips are rated using the scale below as a reference. Keep in mind that these ratings are based on the flows during which we normally run, but that changes in water level can have a large impact on difficulty.

Class I: Moving water, riffles, small waves.

Class II: Easy rapids, waves, clear channels.

Class III: Large waves, obstacles, narrow passages.

Class IV: Long rapids, unavoidable waves, many obstacles.

Class V: Violent rapids, extremely difficult, unseen hazards.

Class VI: Unpredictable, dangerous, nearly impossible to run.

Note: River conditions and ratings can changes with any change in flow volume. Whitewater boating has an element of risk at all ratings and levels.

We have photographers which follow the trip and take photos and/or short videos of your trip. You can purchase individual photos or packages upon returning to our shop after the trip. Due to limited internet options in the area of our shop, we cannot upload photos to the cloud. Your best option for viewing pictures or videos is to plan a short stay at our shop after rafting to view your images. You can purchase the images after viewing at our shop. Please do not have relatives, etc. follow the trip to take photographs as the Forest Service does not allow this practice due to the tight nature of the canyon, small pull-offs, traffic, and the private bridges which do not allow trespassing. If you want to take your own camera a go-pro fastened to one of our helmets is the only feasible option which will allow you the ability to paddle down the River. If you bring a go-pro, please bring a helmet mount that you can put on our helmet.