Colorado whitewater rafting companies are reporting a steady flow of customers and fun, splashy conditions despite the below-average snowpack in the state this year.

Performance Tours Rafting owner Kevin Foley said that after a pandemic-driven spike in rafting that peaked in 2021, demand has tapered off to pre-pandemic levels. While bookings were up to start the year, they dropped off when the weather got colder but have since bounced with the warmer weather, Foley said.

“The weather has factored in a little bit for us with some hot temps, then some cooler temps, then some warm temps, then some cooler temps again,” Foley said. “So, it’s been kind of a rollercoaster with the weather. That’s affected things a little bit. But overall, the season seems to be tracking fairly normal for us.”

Foley said that Performance Tours offers guided rafting trips for all ability levels on the Arkansas River near Buena Vista and the Blue River in Summit County, as well as at Royal Gorge near Canon City. 

While Colorado’s snowpack lagged the average this year, it remained above average in parts of the northern mountains until the springtime, when warm conditions led to a quick meltout, dropping levels below average.

For Performance Tours, that meant most of the rivers the company rafts “were pretty normal coming into the spring,” Foley said.

This will be the third season in a row that Performance Tours will lead guided trips on the Blue River in Summit County. 

Because the Blue River’s flows are controlled by dam releases from the Dillon Reservoir, Foley said the company is not able to raft that section of river — which offers views of the Gore Range — every season. He said he expects to see about a two-week season on the Blue River.

“This year we’re gonna see a shorter season on the blue just because of a lot of different variables that affect the flow on the Blue,” Foley said. “The Dillon Reservoir is largely controlled by the Denver Water board.”

The Dillon Reservoir is Denver Water’s largest reservoir. When water demand is high, the water from the reservoir can be diverted under the Continental Divide and to the Front Range via Roberts Tunnel.

International travel to the United States has been down this year, Foley said, noting that this year his customer base has largely been from “drive-up states” like Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, Utah and California.

Downstream Adventures Rafting co-owner Jonathan Snodgrass agreed that customer demand appears to have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Snodgrass said business took a small dip last year but appears to have rebounded this year, with the early season tracking ahead of last season and advanced bookings looking good.

“Coming out of the COVID years, there were a lot of people coming to raft, people getting outside,” Snodgrass said. “It seems like that has tapered off. We had a dip last year in customers. This year feels like a normal year. We’re not seeing that post-Covid surge.”

Snodgrass noted that while it won’t be a “high water year” on the Arkansas, where his company offers guided trips, the recreational water diversions there are designed to keep the river running at raftable flows throughout the summer. 

Downstream Adventures also leads tours on Clear Creek, which offers “intermediate and high-level adventure,” Snodgrass said. Driven by snowmelt, the flows on the Clear Creek this year have been at a “nice, fun medium level,” he said.

Meanwhile, the season on the Upper Colorado River, where Downstream Adventures offers beginner-level whitewater tours, started out with low water levels but has since rebounded to normal flows, Snodgrass said.

“We’re looking at a good year,” Snodgrass said. “There’s been some concerns about water flows and all that. But we have a decent snowpack and the river is flowing really good. We’re not going to see aggressive high waters this year. A nice medium flow. Now’s the time to get on the water.”

Offering whitewater rafting from Steamboat Springs and Vail, Colorado River Guides has seen bookings track in line with last year, owner Chelsea Worley said. She agreed that demand seems to have dropped back to pre-pandemic levels.

In addition to offering trips on the Colorado River, Worley said her company also offers trips on the Eagle River, where flows depend on snowmelt. Thanks to close-to-average snowpack around the Eagle River, the river had medium flows this year, which have spiked, and are now declining, she said.

With the whitewater season off to a “nice, splashy start,” Chaffee County Search and Rescue volunteer Kiki Lathrop, who flies drones to locate people and equipment in the river during whitewater rescue missions, said anyone getting out on the water should plan ahead and practice basic safety guidelines.

Calling Colorado’s stretch of the Arkansas River “one of the best sections of river in the U.S.,” Lathrop also noted that whitewater activities involve inherent risks. There can be obstacles, sometimes called “strainers” in the water, and conditions on the river can change quickly, especially if a storm leads to flash flooding, she said.

Those who are planning to whitewater raft for the first time should consider taking a guided trip with someone who is experienced and knows the river well, Lathrop said. And, most importantly, anyone who heads out on the water should wear a life jacket and a helmet, she said.

“Life vests, life vests, life vests and helmets. I can’t say that enough,” Lathrop said. “There are so many people that say ‘Oh, I don’t need a life vest.’ And those are the ones that break our hearts because they don’t always end well. Life vests can make the difference.”