Adventure makes life more interesting. It also makes road trips more interesting. I wanted to make the most of my time in the Denver area so I jumped at the chance to add some whitewater rafting to the itinerary.

Whitewater Rafting Class IV

We went to Rocky Mountain Whitewater Rafting in Idaho Springs, Colorado for an afternoon of rafting on the beautiful Clear Creek. The weather started out a bit dicey and thunderstorms were predicted all afternoon. In fact, we received a flash flood alert en route to Idaho Springs.

Me: Should we be in a river when there is a flash flood warning?

Jill: It’s ok, we’ll be in a raft.

Whitewater Rafting Guide

Magically, our weather luck continued and the rain cleared just as we prepared to depart.

Whitewater Splash Point of VIew

We started with a series of Class II and Class III rapids before hitting the more dramatic Class IV rapids. I was a little nervous about my prospects of staying inside the raft after my disastrous kayaking experience, so I dug my feet into the raft as deep as possible to secure myself. I even used one foot to kick the other one to wedge it in as far as it could go. I was determined to stay put.

Whitewater Rafting Clear Creek

We rafted down the river for approximately 8 miles and ran rapids called the Hemorrhoids, Deliverance, and Outer Limits, among others. We got thrown around a fair bit, but we all managed to stay in the raft.

Whitewater Clear Creek

Just in case things got a bit too wild, there was a safety guy in a kayak who stayed ahead of us in case we needed fishing out. On the more intense rapids, a guy with a rope (who you can see in the video below) stood on the shore to drag us in.

Rafting Clear Creek

It was a chilly day in the 50s but our wetsuits kept us pretty warm and dry. That was a pleasant surprise. A few times icy water managed to make it inside of the top of my wetsuit . . . which definitely woke me up.

Clear Creek Water Wheel

When we weren’t paddling or navigating the rapids we got to enjoy the scenery of Idaho Springs.

Paddle High Five

We passed beautiful hills, dramatic cliffs, gold mills, water wheels, and waterfalls.

Whitewater Guide

If you are visiting the area, I definitely suggest enhancing your stay by experiencing a little white water. If you choose Rocky Mountain Whitewater Rafting, ask for Steve.

You can watch a video of one set of rapids here: