Durango 1/4 Day Rafting Trip - Lower Animas River

Overview

Available languages

English

2 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Splash through Durango with an awesome river guide on the Lower Animas River! This adventure is an absolute must for visitors and locals alike.

Everyone loves this trip for its accessibility, picturesque scenery and rollicking rapids. It’s an adventure that offers a perfect mix of excitement and time to enjoy the sites along the way. We take rafters ages 4+!

Along the way you'll bound through plenty of Class II rapids and an exciting Class III at Smelter Whitewater Park. Class II rapids are "fun and friendly," rolling over the bow and dousing those at the front of the boat. Class III rapids are "wet and wild," usually soaking everyone in the raft head to toe.

Our experienced and entertaining river guides will get you downstream while sharing plenty of stories and fascinating history about the area. You're welcome to paddle with them or just sit back and relax

All trips come with a safety orientation and paddling instructions from the best river guides in Durango.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Minimum age is 4 years

Wet-suit and wet-suit boot rentals are highly recommended through June

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Pre-trip safety orientation

River and land access fees included

Round trip shuttle from main office

Free Parking

Free splash jackets and helmets (if desired)

Highly maintained equipment

Trip Leaders average 2,000 river miles

Gratuities

What To Expect

Mild to Wild Rafting and Jeep Tours

Meet at our Durango Office and suit up for the river! Your fun, knowledgeable and experienced river guides will get you fitted for a life jacket, helmet, and other river getup if needed (wetsuits when the weather/water is chilly). We'll then shuttle over to the river and have a quick safety orientation before heading out on the beautiful Animas River for an hour. We'll splash through plenty of refreshing Class II rapids, and one exciting Class III as we paddle downstream. Class II rapids are "fun and friendly" splashing those at the front of the boat, while Class III are "wet and fun" soaking everyone head to toe. Spring trips usually have higher flows with bigger splashes, while summer tends to have lower flows with more mild splashes. If you're rafting later in the season, we'll have some additional entertainment as we navigate between the rocks in the river! After an hour of fun, we'll take out, load up the boats and shuttle you back to our Durango Office.

30 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

1/4 Day Afternoon Rafting Trip

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
2:15pm - 4:45pm

1/4 Day Fall Rafting Trip

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
1:30PM-4:00PM

1/4 Day Morning Rafting Trip

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
10:30am - 1:00pm

Reviews

4.95

584 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

565

Great but short.
cassiesg,
Sep 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Staff was great! Made you feel really comfortable. Only negative was that the 1/4 day was actually an hour on the water. Couldn’t be helped because of water level, but it would have been nice to be given the option of a refund instead of taking the trip. Definitely suggest calling ahead prior to any trip and ask what the conditions are.
Do it!
elizabethkZ5531HA,
Sep 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The river was pretty low so not as 'adventerous' as some of our family had hoped for, but overall a fun experience. Our guide, Skylar, was a lot of fun and gave the kid lots of opportunities to participate! Definitely recommend!
Rafting the lower Animas River with Wild to Mild in Durango, CO
grockwood2024,
Sep 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Even though the water was lower than normal, our guide made sure we had a great time! Lots of fun! Highly recommend the team at Wild to Mild!
Mild Raft Trip
Ekat 003,
Sep 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Dylan was our guide and he was great! The river was super low. While we had a good time, I’d have preferred wilder rapids. This is prob a good beginner trip or one for people nervous about the rapids. We would use their services again.
Amazing experience and Guide
807rustyh,
Sep 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Lauren was an amazing guide... She was in charge and made us feel safe as well as having fun. 5 stars is not enough for her or the team
Labor weekend rafting
Patricia M,
Aug 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great experience. Adequate time in the river for beginners. Would love to do again. Kaleb our tour guide was excellent.
Dylan Was A Great Guide
Micah L,
Aug 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great guide. Easy to book and easy to work with. Went with children and we felt very safe and crew was informative.
Want Adventure? Mild to Wild is your place.
Cynthia C,
Aug 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
First timers! We had a great time under the expertise of Sam! He loves what he does, and he explained the ride with passion. We danced the river beautifully. We will be back! We definitely recommend Mild to Wild and ask for Sam.
Mild to Wild for the win
Road10837811355,
Aug 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
So many places to choose from, so we lucked out picking Mild to Wild—we just wanted a little time on the water, so 1/4 day trip was a perfect option. Corbin was our guide and we lucked out with him too! Very knowledgeable and competent—the river was down as typical in August and probably isn’t the easiest time to navigate but he did great, also a great teacher and made it so fun for us. Will def use again if we are out this way.
Rafting Animas River.
ronaldaS7480EJ,
Aug 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a Great time rafting down the Animas River. Lauren was our guide she was amazing We can’t wait for our next trip to Durango. We will definitely book with Mild To Wild again. And ask for Lauren.