The 2 hour white water rafting trip was an amazing experience. Worth every penny. Our guides, joe and patty, were extremely friendly and accommodating. They made the trip very fun, even though the water level was low. Definitely worth spending a little extra to do the kayaks. You won't regret it. read more

We were scheduled for the 3 hour Animas rafting adventure, but got a call saying the water levels were just too low, so the 1 hour trip was our best option. I appreciated the heads up and customer service. Our guide, Joe, was great with all of us (especially the kids) and made our rafting experience adventurous and fun, even with the extremely low water. The kids(9/11) thought they were pros by the end of the tour. read more

Incredible outfit. We had the best time!! Kids (9 & 6) have been raving about it nonstop. Josh Slone was our guide - the best. Extremely knowledgeable, personable, and entertaining. Considering doing it again before we leave town. You can't go wrong! read more

Loved this rafting trip. Our guide was Dom and she was great. Request her if you get a chance. The river was pretty mellow although it went from a Class 1 to a Class 3 in one spot pretty quick. Still okay for small kids. At one point my daughters just sat on the floor and didn't paddle. Thanks for a great experience. read more

Thanks to our guide Ben, my family's first rafting trip was super cool! super exciting and super fun! The rest of the crew also that day seemed very friendly, very professional, and you can tell they enjoy what they are doing! We were properly briefed on safety and it was just FUN after that! read more

I took my wife and two girls (ages 10 and 8) on a trip down the Animas last Saturday. First of all, I recommend this trip for anyone young, old and in between. The river actually goes through the town and the sites are amazing. THEY LOVED IT! I mentioned this was only my kids second rafting experience in the office and it seemed everyone knew it by the time we got on the raft. They were very accommodating. The thing that really made my girls day was that the owners dog, Atlas, apparently loves rafting and they asked if my girls would feel safer if he went. I thought they were kidding, but the dog actually rafted the whole time with us. It was awesome! Our guide was great too and was always checking in with them to make sure they were having fun. Sad thing is we remember the dog's name, but not the guides. Anyways, great experience! read more

I went on an Upper Animas Trip in June and it was absolutely spectacular! I did the one day trip on the Silverton section which was a class IV-V. It was a wild and crazy ride and hands down one of the funnest things I have ever done. The guide was great and I felt completely safe the whole time. The best part was the scenery; it was some of the most beautiful country I have ever been through. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who wants some more excitement and this is the company to do it with! read more

I am very upset and disappointed with my rafting experience yesterday with Mountain Waters. We initially chose this company of its high rating on Yelp and because they tout the experience and competence of your guides. On our first trip with them they assigned us to a guide who was making her first trip with customers. (We were not informed of this until late in the trip.) She showed some signs of inexperience, but overall appeared competent. We enjoyed the trip. We thought that having a first time guide was probably a rare experience, so we used the same firm again yesterday when we had our grandchildren with us. We were not informed until we entered the boat that we were assigned a guide who was actually taking a "test" to potentially become qualified to be a guide. We were told that a competent guide would also be in the boat, so we were unhappy, but it seemed that we would be reasonably safe (we assumed that the aspiring guide had been thoroughly vetted for competence before taking customers). What we found is that the aspiring guide was thoroughly incompetent and managed to turn a ride on a relatively low placid river into a terrifying experience. She seemed incompetent from the beginning, She got stuck on some rocks in an area where there were very few rocks available to hit. She hit another rock head on and one of my granddaughters and I flew out of the boat. There were other areas where she did not seem to be steering the boat effectively or giving clear commands. At any one of these points, it was obvious to me that the experienced guide should have terminated the test and taken over control for the safety of the passengers. However, it seemed that in her mind, giving the aspiring guide the opportunity to continue her test was more important than the safety of the passengers. So she neither took over nor even gave instructions to the inexperienced person who was left in charge of our safety. The inexperienced guide entered Smelter rapids much farther to the right than any of the other boats, encountered an unexpected obstacle in the form of a stranded empty kayak, and was not looking far enough ahead to be able to avoid it. Moreover, she responded inappropriately when she did take action and completely flipped our kayak. Putting all passengers into the water in the most dangerous part of the rapids. Two of us were initially trapped under then boat and then were washed downstream. I struggled to get my head above water to breathe and was bounced over many rocks as I struggled almost to the end of the rapids before I was rescued by another boat. Four other passengers were struggling to save themselves in the area near the boat. The incompetent wannabe guide was injured (which is very sad and she has my sympathy), which meant that she was unable to provide any aid to the passengers. The experienced guide decided to focus on the boat, the injured aspiring guide, and her phone, so all of the passengers had to save themselves. Since I was washed downstream, my husband was left to rescue our two small grandchildren. The terror for their safety and the guilt for exposing them to such danger was overwhelming, but would be thoroughly understandable to any parent or grandparent. It seems totally inappropriate that Mountain Waters would put customers at such high risk by using them as "props" in their testing process for potential new hires. A safe operator would use employees for this or, if that was infeasible for some reason other than economics, would use volunteers from the community. Even if they thought that using customers was essential to the testing process (inconceivable in my mind), there is no justification whatsoever for putting small children in that boat. I can forgive them putting me at such terrible risk, but there is no way I could ever forgive them for putting my little grandchildren's lives at risk. There are plenty of other rafting companies in Durango. I will choose a more safety conscious firm in the future and anyone who reads this should do so also. read more

This was my first trip to Durango even though I live in Colorado.....the city as a whole....unfriendly, BUT the Mountain Waters crew were phenomenal. We had so much fun and can't wait to come back. We did the Lower Animas trip as it was my kids' first time on the river. It was a great day with great people! read more

These guys were great! Easy to book. Even offered a AAA discount. Awesome tour guide (terrick). Made the whole experience so much more enjoyable! Hanks so much we will be back next year!! read more

We had a great time rafting with Mountain Waters! We took the 1/2 day family friendly trip and it was fantastic! Cheddar was our guide. He was very knowledgeable, fun, and skilled. He asked at the beginning of the trip if we wanted to get wet or if we wanted him to avoid getting wet. Everyone in our raft wanted as much water and waves as possible. Cheddar delivered! He made our ride extremely fun. We were also impressed with the company as a whole. The check in process was very efficient and organized. It was cloudy and cool when we arrived so almost everyone rafting opted for the full warm gear (wet suit, boots, and splash jacket). They got everyone outfitted easily. We were very happy with our choice to wear all the gear. The trip leader, Carl, was great, as well as all the guides. Carl made eve feel comfortable and informed as he gave the safety presentation. He also ran the trip with confidence. He is a great leader. Walker and Camille were super fun. Walker talked with us during the bus ride after the trip. He was very interesting and personable. We highly recommend Mountain Waters and we hope to take another trip with them at some point. Our experience could not have been better! read more

Great experience doing a half day rafting trip through this company. Staff were super friendly and helped give a run down of everything/what to expect. Had a great day out on the Animas and would totally do it again. Chips and salsa for a mid trip snack was great and Krista was an awesome guide. Thanks guys!! read more

Amazing time and first class guides! Texas club loved Carl our guide and our safety guides. Safety is key for this company yet they make sure you have an exciting time. Highly recommend them! Thanks guys from the lone star gang! read more

I have to say that this was an awesome adventure going rafting down the river. It just rained and the water was mudding but very much flowing. The staff at the hut was so helpful and very friendly. I decided to go on the half day trip. The price was very reasonable. I really want to say that our guides Meleana and Terik were very funny and nice and friendly that made the river ride so enjoyable. It nice to see worker's that enjoy their work. They would make it a point to converse with each and everyone on their raft and get to know them.. thumbs up. read more

Fun company for a quick trip on the water. We squeezed in a quick half day and the company was very friendly from start to finish. Our guide Katie was a sweetheart. It was a new experience rafting through town instead of wilderness, but it's a great river and Durango is such a unique town it was actually pretty cool. (and no long bus rides!) read more

A great outfit and very fun. The guides were super knowledgeable and experienced. I felt very safe with all of them. They were funny, engaging and clearly loved their jobs. The whole family loved the 2 hour economy excursion (one hour on the water). We hit all the best rapids, same as the half-day. My more adventurous children wanted to do some Class 4-5, the the bits of Class 3 were perfect for the rest of us. They had all the gear we needed, bathrooms, changing areas, etc. I highly recommend Mountain Waters rafting. (We did this in conjunction with a train ride-through the train site and it was an awesome day!) read more

My family and I got on the last trip of the season. And, even though the waters were low, we still has a blast. The staff is super cool and fun. We really enjoyed every bit of the trip and would recommend this to anyone. You get much more then what you pay for. read more

I typically bring a group of 10-15 youth (older boyscouts) to Colorado to river raft every year. Due to a sub par experience with a different company last year we decided to change things up this year and give Mountain Water rafting a try. I spoke with James in February who was extremely flexible and easy to work with. Trying to set up a group trip is a lot of work and Mountain Waters rafting made it easy. We had originally signed up to go down the Animas river, but unfortunately the water levels were too high. So they gave us a backup option to do a marathon trip down the Piedra river, both the upper and lower Box. We had done this trip with a different company last year. This year Flows were higher than last and the trip was amazing. The guides Tarik, John, Aaron, roger and Anna were some of the best we have been with and really that is what makes or breaks these trips are the guides. They were not over bearing, but they kept everyone safe. The lunch was great and they had more than enough food for 17-18 year old boys, not easy to do. From start to finish they took care of the details. Five star Company and will go again next year. read more

This was our second raft trip with our guide Rebecca and it was another wonderful time! The river was fast and beautiful, I got wet thus cold. I would recommend renting a wet suit if you are cold natured. We have taken the 11:00 1/2 day both trips. MWR provides a nice snack of chips, salsa, and apples. But being at lunch time we found taking sandwiches this time really helped the hunger pains! I wore a fanny pack and the sandwiches fit well. This is a great trip from the time you book it to the end of the ride. We received 2 phones confirming the trip and being informed of what to wear and bring. Great trip with a great group! Matt was our other guide this last trip and he was hilarious! read more

We are three sisters in our 60s and 70s. We took a 2 hour raft trip with Mountain Waters yesterday as part of the Raft and Rail package offered through Durango and Silverton Scenic Railroad. We had a wonderful time! Our guide, Matthew Riggins, was clearly very experienced and we felt very confident that we would be safe. He kept up a witty commentary during the ride--and made sure everyone had a chance to get wet. Our trip started out with some trepidation on the part of our four companions in the raft, two of whom were non-swimmers. By the end of the trip everyone was hooting and hollering. Lots of laughing, a short stretch of Class 3 rapids, and beautiful scenery! We recommend Mountain Waters highly and would definitely do another trip. read more

What a BLAST! Our whole family totally enjoyed it. Our guide, John, was fantastic and very knowledgeable about our surroundings. Can't wait till next trip! read more

Great experience; wonderful service, friendly staff and our guide Joe was awesome. 6 of us in our group, 2 kids and 4 adults none of us having ever rafter before. The trip was safe with enough excitement to make it fun. Definitely recommend this company to anyone looking for a float trip on the Animas. read more

The half day trip was so much fun!!! The guides were great! I highly recommend them. They were professional and safety conscious while being fun and exciting. I can't wait to go back again. My 11 year old and my 18 year old loved it! This is wonderful excursion for the whole family! read more

We had a great time with mountain waters! Andrew was the best guide we could have asked for! We felt very safe with him and learned a lot about the river and the surrounding areas during our trip down the animas! Thank you for a great first rafting experience! read more

What a great time we had with Mountain Waters Rafting!! We came the first week of August. The water levels were low but the guides delivered an awesome trip! They were friendly, sociable, and knowledgable of rafting and kayaking. We took the 1/2 day trip in which they allowed plenty of opportunity to play in the water and even stopped for a snack/water break at a riverside park. We had such a fun time we decided to come back the next day for another 1/2 day with the rafting group in the Ducky (single kayak). SO MUCH FUN! Highly recommend especially if you are a beginner. Thank you, Teddy (our raft guide on day one) Bo, Jeremy, Andy, Drew, & a few more as well as the ladies who took awesome photos and helped set up our trips, Travis our shuttle driver. You guys rock!! Def will be back next year!! read more

Professional and courteous staff made the experience flawless from check in to leave taking. The check in staff were helpful and pleasant. Our guides Christen and Drew were absolutely great. The actual rafting was fantastic. Incredible scenery, exciting rapids without being too much, guides who were both capable and entertaining, and a nice riverside snack all combine to make a memorable and thoroughly excellent experience. I would recommend this crew to anyone interested in rafting in Durango, and this trip specifically to anyone who wants some fun and excitement but isn't sure about the more technically difficult river runs. read more

What a great trip my wife and 7 year old grandson had this past Thursday. All the staff we encountered were clearly invested in making sure we had fun. Our guide, Bo, was awesome. They take the kids off before one of the higher class rapids. Good thing! Cuz we flipped. What a blast. I felt well prepared because of our safety instructions. What was impressive is how all the rafting outfits care about safety. My wife and I were hauled out by two different outfits. I know the object is to stay in the boat, but I had the time of my life. I'll definitely go back and will definitely use Mountain River Adventures again. Great trip and thanks to Bo. read more

wow this was the greatest. We did the Rockwood run. It was as exciting as it needed to be. My wife and I were in our own boat with Just our guide Jesse. He was great light when appropriate and serious when needed. I felt safe the whole time and it was intense. Mark and Laurie. Cant wait to try it again. The other guides and guest were all so nice to be around. No jerks and no bad attitudes. read more

Our whole family had an awesome time! Our guide Andy B was great! My kids (10 & 12) had a fun time & felt completely safe on the trip! Looking forward to our next visit! Thanks to everyone on the team! read more

Amazing Tour of Mesa Verde! We booked the full day tour of Mesa Verde. Our guides Frank and Mike where fantastic! Our driver Cathy was awesome, so sweet and teaching us how dogs lost their ability to talk. ;) As a bonus Carl, a rafting guide joined us on his day off to experience the tour himself; imparting knowledge of the area and having fun with our two older boys. Frank and Mike have so much local knowledge of the surrounding area as well as in depth knowledge of the park and the Ancestral Pueblo people that once inhabited it. We found ourselves walking away with even more questions than we had before and a hunger to return again and see more of this amazing area. The itinerary was relaxed and geared toward what we wanted to experience. Our guides remained flexible and we never felt rushed. This isn't some prepackaged tour where the guide reads a script. These guides know their stuff and they share their passions and knowledge with you freely. Keep an open mind and you will learn about a people that lived in harmony with this special area. Getting to know our guides and hear their personal experiences and knowledge added so much to our experience. This is interactive, relaxed, extremely informative and above all FUN!!!!! We never would have learned so much trying to tour the park ourselves. We cannot wait to book another tour and experience more of this amazing, spiritual area. read more