< Back to Search Results

Whitewater Rafting on The Piedra River

Whitewater Rafting in Colorado with Mild to Wild Rafting, Inc.

Highlights

  • Experience incredible pristine wilderness unsurpassed for undisturbed wilderness river rafting
  • Delicious meals on the river and in camp
  • Professional, highly trained and educated guides

 

Full Description

Paddling through 1000-foot deep canyons, alpine rain forests, heart pounding whitewater and then stopping at soothing hot springs, you'll experience a true Rocky Mountain jewel in the Piedra River. We run three trips on the Piedra River: the Upper Box (an intermediate adventure), the Lower Box (an advanced adventure) and the Two Day which runs the Upper Box on the first day and the Lower Box on the second day after a night of catered camping in a beautiful alpine wilderness.

The Piedra's Lower Box holds some of the biggest drops we run on any river. The gradient of the river increases from an average of 53 feet per mile to 100 feet per mile in the heart of the Lower Box. This incredible pristine wilderness is unsurpassed for undisturbed wilderness boating and river rafting.

The 2-Day trip on the Piedra River is particularly magical as we put in on a creek (Upper Box) with barely enough water to float and then bump and grind our way through technical rapids as we watch creek after creek cascading into the river. The river proceeds to grow and grow into a raging torrent by the second day. Bear and elk are often spotted along the banks and if we are really lucky, they are forging the river in front of us. Fresh water otter can also be found playing in the fresh mountain waters of the Piedra River. "Piedra" is the Spanish word for rock, named by the conquistadors Dominguez and Escalante. "The River of the Stone Wall" lives up to its name with towering granite walls and a boulder-strewn riverbed.

Both sections of the Piedra River (the upper & lower boxes) are part of the most highly restricted and regulated river in Colorado. So Reserve your seats early...or hope for a cancellation.

Includes:

  • Professional, highly trained and educated guides
  • All boating equipment
  • Safety orientation and boating instruction
  • Free Coast Guard approved life jackets, helmets and splash jackets
  • Delicious meals on the river and in camp
  • Unlimited water and lemonade
  • Snacks
  • Comfortable camp chairs
  • Camp tables
  • Beach games
  • Small water resistant personal dry bag
  • Water resistant gear bag on overnight trips
  • Quality shuttle

Excludes:

  • Sleeping bags
  • Sleeping cots/pads
  • Tents
  • Wetsuits/wetsuit boots/fleece on early trips

Day by Day Itinerary

One-Day Piedra River Upper Box Trip

We meet at the Piedra River store at 9:00 AM. We arrive at the put-in at 10:00 AM for our safety orientation & instruction and rig the boats. Then we are on the river, warming up with continuous class II+ rapids and passing through breathtaking wilderness. After more fun class II+ rapids, we stop for lunch at 12:00 PM. By 1:00 PM we board the rafts for more class II+ action. Soon we enter second box canyon & the action begins as we experience "Lone Pine" rapid and "Lime Stone" rapid. At 2:30 PM, we return to Piedra River store.

One-Day Piedra River Lower Box Itinerary

We meet at the Piedra River Store at 9:00 AM. By 9:30 AM we board the rafts & begin with a short class II warm up. At 10:00, we enter first box canyon with Class III whitewater. We boat continuous class III before dropping into the class IV "Big Drop" rapid. We continue to bounce through more class III+ rapids, then scout & thread "Eye of the Needle" rapid class IV+. We next scout (or portage) the "Mud Slide" rapid (class IV+ to V+), then onto "Climax" rapid (class IV). At 12:45 it's time to chow down on lunch at a riverside hot spring. After lunch, we raft on in class II & IV. At 2:30 we land at Piedra River Campground and take a 10-minute shuttle back to cars.

Two-Day Piedra River Trip Itinerary

Day One - We meet at the Piedra River Store at 9:00 AM. At 10:00 AM, we arrive at the put-in, receive safety orientation & instruction and rig the boats. We warm up with continuous class II+ rapids, stopping at 12:00 PM for a delicious lunch. At 1:00 PM we board the rafts for more class II+ action. Soon we enter the second box canyon & the action begins. We experience "Lone Pine" and "Lime Stone" rapids. At 2:30, we hit camp with time for spectacular hiking and fishing (bring your own fishing gear). Dinner is at 6:00 PM, a salmon and steak feast.

Day Two - Coffee is ready at 7:00 AM (early bird hikers get the worm!) and breakfast at 7:30 AM. We break down the camp and at 9:30 AM board rafts & begin with a short class II warm up. Soon, we enter first box canyon with class III whitewater, continuing to "Big Drop" rapid (class IV). We bounce through more class III+ rapids, then scout & thread "Eye of the Needle" (class IV+ rapid). Next, we scout (or portage) the "Mud Slide" (class IV+ to V+) rapid and by 12:15 PM hit the "Climax" class IV rapid. At 12:45 we chow down on lunch at a riverside hot spring! By 1:30 PM we are back on the river, rafting on class II & IV rapids. We land at Piedra River Campground at 2:30, then take a 10-minute shuttle back to cars.

About The Operator:

Mild to Wild Rafting, Inc.

Headquarters:

Durango, CO

Established:

January 1997

Molly and Alex Mickel started Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Trail Tours in 1997. Molly and Alex have four children: Benji, Trudy, Charlie, and Freddie. Much of Mild to Wild's focus surrounds family, safety, and fun, all of which they have incorporated from their family.

Mild to Wild is focused on providing superior customer service, with knowledgeable guides, state-of-the-art equipment, and creating lasting memories for each guest's vacation. To provide each guest with the best experience, it is necessary for the Mild to Wild Staff to work as a cohesive unit, whereas each employee is trained fully on each trip option, and the unique ways Mild to Wild cares for our guests.

Company Mission: To provide our guests with the highest quality outdoor experience & have our guests leave with a desire to tell others about us, our trips and return year after year for the same or another one of our trips.

Mild to Wild Vision Statement: To become the largest and most reputable outdoors adventure company in the Southwest.