Idaho Springs and Clear Creek Rafting Adventure!

The Lower Canyon of Clear Creek

• Jared Black
• Jul 29, 2019
• Travel

What I did this past weekend and what you should be doing next weekend!

Hello all! I just wanted to wish everybody a happy Monday after a hot but amazing weekend! I'm not sure about you guys or what you did this past weekend but my weekend was an action packed wet & wild ride. Here I am Friday midday with the coming weekend upon me and I'm sitting in my office wondering, what exactly am I going to do this weekend? Most my weekends are spent working, sleeping in, going on bike rides, hikes, or maybe hitting a brewery or two and enjoying a great patio. This weekend I was feeling something different. I'm not sure about you but every once and awhile I think it's best to get some adrenaline mixed into your life. I've been a long time supporter of adrenaline and its effects on the brain, some handle it well, others could live without it, and some just need it to get by like myself. I don't view adrenaline as a pure means of being scared, or nervous. I see adrenaline as a means to focus, you're generally in a situation that requires your complete focus and without it, things can go wrong. Being aware, being in that singular moment, and thriving off what your doing is why I really enjoy activities with a little adrenaline packed into them. 

Back to my trip though! So, I decide Friday the 26th that I just need a little fun. I give my good friends at AVA Rafting a ring to see if they have any availability for the upcoming day (yes everything is bookable online but next days you just like to make sure). Sure enough I get the info. that the Lower Canyon on Clear Creek could use 2 spots so I texted my friend Kathleen to see if she was in and she was! I booked on the spot. Now I was amped, I was looking more and more into what the Lower Canyon was all about because not to long ago, you couldn't even run it due to the water being too high. High water has been a serious hazard this past summer so when they say it’s a no-go, they mean it. Hooray though! The water has dropped and I was told that it was running at about 600cfs (cubic feet per second). As I woke, Saturday the 27th, I couldn't help but feel the excitement. I texted Kathleen and made sure we had everything we needed. If you're reading this and you don't know what to wear I recommend swimwear, chacos, water shoes, sunglasses with a strap, sunscreen and eating a good meal before going rafting. Once I picked her up we both seemed pretty giddy about hoping on Clear creek as neither of us had down this stretch of river yet. Sadly, as we drove we hit some traffic that pretty much kept us from being on time so do pay attention to what time you're leaving as i70 traffic out of Denver is more often than not pretty terrible. 

We made it though! We arrived into the small mining town of Idaho Springs located about 45 minutes from downtown Denver. Rafting is certainly abuzz in this small town considering there has to be 25+ different rafting operations located within city limits. You can sense the excitement in the air from rafters beginner to advanced. You start by checking in and getting the safety rundown from the guides going with you on your trip that day. You will then head over and get your equipment including, a wetsuit, dryjacket, helmet, and PFD. The safety talk then goes a bit longer and you then make your way to the van or bus where you will be transported to your put in, which only ended up being about 10 minutes away in our case. We arrive to the river and to my surprise I saw an otter! I didn't realize how rare it was either because one of the guides said they hadn't seen one in some 7 years on the river. Our guide was Lindsay and you could tell she was a rockstar, she had a presence about her that made all the guests feel welcome and safe. She even has a pretty good joke for older clientele in the boat haha. As we offload the boats we hopped in on dryland and were given a runthrough on the proper paddling techniques.

In short, if you listen to your guide you will be just fine going down the river. As we entered the cold clear creek water the real rush began, you start off slowly but be strapped in because the 1st rapid lies only about 4 minutes from the drop in and it’s an awesome one to start off the trip. From there you navigate down the canyon hearing history, facts about the river, and maneuvering technical rapids with some drops. The clear creek drops about 150ft per mile which is one of the steepest gradients in all of Colorado. In short this trip was awesome, enough adrenaline but wasn't sh** your pants scary, had lots of big splashes and laughs as well. Once we reached the end, we offloaded the boat and carried it a short way up the shore where we then met our driver and made the trip back to the outpost. 

What a day though! Make sure you bring extra clothes as well, you're rafting, you'll get wet and having additional clothing is super important. My choice for after rafting was beer and food so we hit a local brewery where myself and Kathleen snacked hard, had a beer, and then walked over to this famous old water wheel alongside the highway of i70. All in all this was a great trip and I highly recommend it! Minimum age is 15+ The Lower Canyon - Clear Creek

 

 

What a day!