Few outdoor activities so unforgettably bond a family than whitewater rafting. It doesn’t get more exciting than running a river together, whether it’s a low-key float with young children or a bit more of a thrill ride through some family-friendly rapids. There’s a good chance you already know that if you’re reading this! But perhaps you’re wondering just how to pull off a family rafting vacation without breaking the bank.
Well, here’s some good news: At Echo Canyon River Expeditions, we provide some of the highest-quality and most budget-friendly rafting Colorado offers, playing out on whitewater of world-class caliber. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to plan affordable rafting trips in Colorado with some family vacation budget tips and also address some of the special considerations involved in river running with kids.
Researching Budget-Friendly Rafting Options for Family Vacations
An early step in the planning process when it comes to planning a kid-friendly river trip is, of course, figuring out what kind of rafting route is appropriate for your family. What are the ability levels of your young ones? Can they swim? Are they capable of paddling, or are they better suited to being rowed along in a paddle-assist raft?
At Echo Canyon, we lead rafting trips on the Arkansas River and other top-tier Colorado rivers for all skill levels and nearly all ages. Our family-friendly Gentle Scenic Float through the Upper Bighorn Sheep Canyon, for example, is open to children as young as four years old! Older kids may well be able to handle somewhat higher-level whitewater, as on our Bighorn Sheep Canyon rafting trip, which involves Class III (and, at higher flows, Class IV) rapids and is a great blend of exciting waves and calmer stretches. (This is our most popular trip, in fact, and quite doable for beginner-level rafters—with a lower age cutoff of six years old.)
Budget-Friendly Rafting Colorado-Style: Finding Affordable Accommodations
One way to save a bit of money (not to mention time!) when planning a family rafting adventure is choosing accommodations close to your put-in/takeout spots. At Echo Canyon River Expeditions, we partner with Royal Gorge Cabins to provide family-friendly lodging—luxury cabin rentals and glamping tents with fine mountain views—just a hop, skip, and a jump from our headquarters.
These constitute some of the best accommodations in the Royal Gorge Region, and, should you take advantage of them, you’re definitely minimizing fuel costs when it comes to traveling to and from your rafting destination!
Cost-Effective Family Vacations: Food & Activities
It’s often very possible to lump together other family-friendly activities with a rafting excursion courtesy of multifaceted outfitters or partnerships between different adventure companies. That’s certainly the case at Echo Canyon River Expeditions, where our local partners help make possible such delightfully fun add-ons to a rafting trip as ziplining or a sightseeing train ride. Talk about an unforgettable day!
And, in general, a rafting destination such as the Royal Gorge Region and the Arkansas River puts a lot of other recreational and adventuring opportunities on the table, from mountain biking and hiking to rock climbing and Jeeping. Cheap things to do in Colorado, needless to say, can be amazing experiences, given the wealth of free or low-cost outdoor recreation and sightseeing available.
Our Echo Canyon headquarters are also within shouting distance of such regional family hotspots as the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience.
All of that river-running and other “out-and-about-ing” will inspire some hearty appetites. A rafting destination close to crowd-pleasing eateries will also save you some travel expenses. Good thing the kid-friendly 8 Mile Bar & Grill is right by Echo Canyon H.Q.!
Rafting With Kids: Safety Considerations
What sort of safety measures should you be considering when planning a rafting trip with children? With Echo Canyon, you can rest assured you’ll all be outfitted in proper rafting safety gear, from helmets to Coast Guard-certified Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs), and also given a safety briefing by your river guide. Our Echo Canyon guides undergo rigorous river training above and beyond what many other rafting outfitters require.
You will want to think about how to deal with a self-rescue situation with kids, who are less likely than adults to really be thinking that through. Of course, on many of our family whitewater rafting experiences, self-rescue is unlikely to be required, but it’s something to think about—and we’re of course happy to talk it through with you as you try to decide what river-running trip might best fit your crew.
Timing Your Rafting Vacation
In most cases, whitewater rafting anywhere has a seasonal component, as ideal flows tend to be dependent on factors such as snowmelt, recent weather, and (in places) discharges from reservoirs. On the Colorado rivers we guide here at Echo Canyon, the main rafting season is roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day, with the biggest flows coming between late spring and early summer via the melt-off of our ample Rocky Mountain snowpack.
That’s great news for families, of course, because peak rafting season corresponds to summertime and its school vacations. Mid or high summer is often what we recommend for families, given that’s when the weather is warmest—and therefore conditions probably most comfortable for your average kiddo—and flows, while still optimal, are down from the more intense levels earlier in the rafting season.
Making Affordable Colorado Adventures Happen: Take Advantage of Packages & Promotions
Another way to engineer affordable rafting trips in Colorado, just like any travel experience, is to savvily hunt out special deals, promotions, and getaway packages. On our extensive Deals & Coupons page, you can explore a whole host of such budget-friendly options, including discounts on group and multi-day trips and rafting outings at certain times of the day. We also offer all-the-time discounts for military members and first responders as well as Fremont County residents.
And don’t forget to check out accommodation deals over at the Royal Gorge Cabins site!
The Echo Canyon experience is also just generally a high-value one: Besides helmets and PFDs, we make splash jackets, river shoes, and wetsuits available at no extra cost on every rafting trip we run.
Planning a Family Trip: Kid-Friendly Rafting Adventures With Echo Canyon River Expeditions
We’re excited to help create cherished family memories that will last a lifetime. With options available for every budget, we look forward to showing you why our customers keep returning. Reach out to our dedicated team today for more information.
Adventures Out West Zipline Tour Package
For the best Colorado zip line experience, we partner with Adventures Out West, where you’ll find yourself on a half day tour zipping through beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery.
Overnight Experience
Your 24 hour trip includes an afternoon half day raft trip on day one, a freshly prepared evening meal, camping at our private river-side landing, followed by a hot breakfast and another half day trip on day two. Your guide will be with you every paddle stroke and every step of the way on this Echo Canyon exclusive trip.
Royal Gorge Raft & Zipline Package
Combine the exhilaration of flying above gorgeous Rocky Mountain scenery on Colorado zip lines with a day of white water rafting adventures. This combo trip package is a full day experience.
