The snows continue to pile up in the high country of the Southern Rocky Mountains here in Colorado—where the Rockies reach their zenith—and here at Echo Canyon River Expeditions H.Q. we’re keenly looking forward to this year’s upcoming rafting adventures!
2024 Rafting Season Highlights & Reflections
Last year, we saw some fantastic whitewater conditions on our playground of the Arkansas River, where we offer adventurous routes, family-friendly rafting, and everything in between.
The Arkansas River basin boasted above-average snowpack coming into the 2024 season, and also a cool-ish springtime that helped prolong the duration of the high-country white stuff into the warm season. You can read about it in our blog, “2024 Colorado Rafting Season in Review” which we posted last fall. In May 2024, Colorado had the third-highest snow cover in the western United States. At the start of June, the Arkansas River basin held 168% average snow-water equivalent (SWE), which describes the amount of liquid water resulting from hypothetically melting down the standing snowpack at any given time.
This shook out to a prolonged high-flow season for us on the Arkansas and top-notch rafting levels extending deep into summer. Our skillful and dedicated river guides got to hone their boating skills even further, our office staff proved adept at making day-to-day logistical adjustments due to the beefed-up flows, and altogether we feel our Echo Canyon River Expeditions team became even more effective—both on and off the water.
Our guests certainly had a great time, as some of the testimonials we summarized in last year’s season-in-review show!
Anticipated Rafting Conditions Colorado 2025
As of early February, the Arkansas River basin held 83% of normal SWE: a bit below average, but solid enough for now. We’re still a way out from the typical peak snowpack of early April, and the February forecast’s looking promising for snowfall right now.
Colorado Rafting Season 2025: La Niña & Its Possible Effects
The La Niña conditions—characterized by cooler-than-normal surface water in the east-central Pacific Ocean and a more northerly jet stream than average—which climatologists had been predicting for some time officially got underway last December: a rather late arrival, and this La Niña is looking like a fairly weak one.
La Niña, which usually brings cooler and wetter winter weather to the northern U.S. and warmer and drier conditions in the southern part of the country, doesn’t really have consistent or clear-cut effects here in Colorado. We’re sort of in between those more pronounced (on average) temperature and moisture effects, and consequently, highly variable weather, rather than above- or below-average snowfall, tends to be the distinguishing feature of our La Niña winters. That said, some La Niñas seem to produce above-average snowfall west of the Continental Divide in Colorado and below-average snowfall east of it.
Given the late onset and weak strength of this La Niña, it’s hard to say what kind of impacts it’ll have on our regional snowpack for the rest of the winter and into the early spring. But we’re feeling good with our decent Rocky Mountain snowpack and crossing our fingers for some big late-winter storms to enhance it!
When Does the Rafting Season Begin in Colorado?
It is, of course, the melt-off of that alpine snowpack that provides peak seasonal flow on the Arkansas and other major Colorado rivers, and which, therefore, establishes our world-class whitewater rafting. The highest flows on the Arkansas River usually come in June, as the snowmelt pulse works its way through the watershed.
When is the rafting season in Colorado? Here at Echo Canyon River Expeditions, you can roughly visualize our main rafting window as Memorial Day to Labor Day. We usually start leading trips in May with guests hardy enough to deal with the chilly early-season waters of that month. But the really prime window usually starts in June, when peak discharge is usually occurring and air temperatures are warming up nicely.
Rafting Conditions Colorado 2025: Keeping Tabs on River Levels/Flow
How can you keep track of current river conditions and water levels once the 2025 Colorado season gets underway? U.S. Geological Survey stream gauges produce a great real-time online resource for doing so. Starting April 1st, you can keep track of Arkansas River conditions and streamflow via the local USGS Parkdale, CO gauge, one of the key tools we use for managing our whitewater trips.
What is the Best Rafting River for the Colorado White Water Rafting Season?
In our expert opinion, our backyard, the Arkansas River, offers the best whitewater rafting in the state of Colorado. The Arkansas River includes the utterly spectacular Royal Gorge, which combines extraordinary deep-canyon scenery with Class IV+ rapids, as well as the beautiful, wildlife-rich, and little-bit-of-everything flow of Bighorn Sheep Canyon—plus the Upper Bighorn Sheep Canyon float, some of the best family rafting in Colorado.
Upcoming Events During the Colorado Rafting Season 2025
In the heart of peak river-running season here on the Arkansas River, Cañon City throws its biggest summer fiesta: the Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival, held right on the riverbanks in Centennial Park.
Hosting loads of whitewater races and other competitions, the festival also features awesome live music, food, and other fun, so mark your calendars for July 18th and 19th and consider Royal Gorge Cabins (a stone’s throw from our Echo Canyon headquarters) for your accommodations!
Plan Your 2025 Colorado Rafting Trip Today
We’re eagerly anticipating another outstanding season of whitewater rafting in Colorado, and can’t wait to introduce you—or reintroduce you—to the world-class flows of the Arkansas River. Colorado rafting experiences with Echo Canyon are unforgettable, and we’d love to facilitate some white water adventure for you this summer!
Join us on an exciting journey for the 2025 Colorado rafting season. Don’t wait—start planning your unforgettable getaway today. Contact our experienced rafting experts who are here to answer any questions and help you craft the perfect vacation.
