Beginner Whitewater Rafting on Historic Clear Creek
Recommended by 99% of travellers
Badge of Excellence
Idaho Springs, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Even beginners can enjoy a whitewater rafting trip on Clear Creek with this guided tour in Colorado. All instruction and equipment—wetsuits, paddles, life vests, and personal drybags—are provided for you. This tour is suitable for those who have no experience and is also perfect for families with children, too.
- Use of all equipment, including personal drybags
- Instruction provided, perfect for beginners
- Experience whitewater rafting in a safe way
- Guide provides navigation and commentary
What's Included
- Free use of wetsuits, splash jackets, helmets, paddles, and personal flotation devices.
- Gratuities
- Footwear required (no crocs or flip flops)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 3440 Alvarado Rd, Dumont, CO 80436, USA
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Downstream Adventures
2
Clear Creek Canyon
3
Argo Mill and Tunnel
4
Idaho Springs
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travellers can participate
- Although the river itself is not wheelchair access, in most cases we can make special arrangements for our guests' needs.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travellers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveller Photos
Featured review
Travis_J
The water is cold but refreshing at the same time, it was amazing! The guides are fun and definitely know what they are doing. We had such a great time that we all wanted to keep going. The only reason we didn't is because my kids aren't old enough for the intermediate course. I definitely recommend, you won't be disappointed.
Reviews
5.0
based on 307 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Beth_S, Aug 2026
We had a really fun day on this half day rafting trip with Downstream Adventures! Dylan was the best guide, and made the trip so fun and had lots of great stories to share. He even stopped to let folks jump off a rock cliff into the river! This trip was suitable for all levels. A good mix of rapids, lazy floating, and so much beautiful scenery! Highly recommend Downstream Adventures!
Jessikah_B, July 2026
So much fun! We had Benjamin as our tour guide and he made the experience so much fun & easy! I was a little nervous since this was our first water rafting experience and everything was great. Russell,Benjamin and the other tour guides were awesome and made the experience so much fun. Highly reccomend to anyone in the area!!!
Hilda_T, July 2026
We did the beginner rafting experience and had the best time. We were a group of 7 including 2 kids. Everyone enjoyed the rafting experience and our guides were wonderful. We had Brady & Will Smith as our guides and both were wonderful. My 8-yr old son said that Brady was super fantastic. Now they all want to go again and can’t wait to be older enough for the intermediate rapids. 😊
John_R, July 2026
Great beginner trip. Knowledgeable guide. Don’t let the safety briefing scare you. It’s like the airline briefing for unlikely events…
Erin_F, July 2026
We had an amazing experience rafting with our daughter’s soccer team! Even though the water levels were lower than usual, the guides never let that take away from the fun. They worked incredibly hard to make sure everyone had a great time, keeping the trip exciting, safe, and full of laughs from start to finish.
Our group included both kids and adults, and the guides were patient, encouraging, and made everyone feel comfortable. Their positive attitudes and enthusiasm really made the experience. You could tell they genuinely cared about giving us the best adventure possible despite the conditions.
Thank you for making our team outing such a memorable one. We would absolutely recommend this company and would love to come back when the water is higher! And hopefully be able to do the next level up!
Catharine_C, July 2026
This white water rafting was a blast. There were some really pretty spots along the way; we laughed a lot, and our guide, Brian, was awesome. We'll ask for him next time we go back.
Hannah_W, July 2026
This was our first time water rafting. Our guide nick made it very entertaining. Super fun and very family friendly. Would do it again in a heart beat
Sarah_D, June 2026
Great 1st time experience. Brian and Avery are very experienced guides who made sure we felt comfortable and ensured we had a great memorable vacation experience. Highly recommend!!
Kimberly_M, June 2026
The beginner whitewater rafting from DownStream adventures was awesome! It was sooo beautiful! We were first timers and it was easy and fun! Nick, our guide was hilarious! My 14-year-old son had a blast. This was very easy and enjoyable!! Check-in was a breeze, and they have everything you need… even footwear rental! they have changing rooms, restrooms, they thought of everything!!!! We did not stop to swim as it was chilly water, but the trip was about an hour and 15 minutes downstream.
Tanya_B, June 2026
This was a relaxing float with a couple of little downward movement, super safe, super friendly, awesome guides. wonderful! We highly recommend it.
Robin_S, June 2026
We had a great time on our trip. Anthony was a fun guide, corny jokes and all, and he kept us entertained and informed along the way.
Christopher_K, May 2026
This was a great first experience rafting and highly recommend it. They did a great job providing everything you need, explain the basics and necessary safety info, and Captain Ike was an awesome guide on our raft. I would definitely come back!
Michael_N, Aug 2025
Great first-time trip. Johnny was a great guide, highly recommend! Kids had a blast and the views were amazing
Suzy_P, Aug 2025
The water level was fairly low and it wasn't as fast as we anticipated due to the dry conditions but the kids had a blast! Our guide Brian was awesome and made it fun for them.
Juanita_A, Aug 2025
We had the best time ever!!! Our guide Bryan was fantastic and everyone who we encountered that worked there were friendly and helpful!!!
Lisa_M, July 2025
Our guide was fantastic, and the rafting was fun. The scenery for the beginner class wasn’t spectacular though; I recommend taking an intermediate or advanced class.
Shelley_R, July 2025
Great guides and lots of fun.The beginner experience was just right with plenty of fun rapids. One class 3 rapid on the trip.
Jina_H, July 2025
Brian was a great guide and we had a great time rafting! I'll be coming back to do the next levels at Downstream.
Travis_J, July 2025
The water is cold but refreshing at the same time, it was amazing! The guides are fun and definitely know what they are doing. We had such a great time that we all wanted to keep going. The only reason we didn't is because my kids aren't old enough for the intermediate course. I definitely recommend, you won't be disappointed.
Carra_N, July 2025
Highly recommend!
Downtown Adventures was an amazing company to work with for our families first time white water rafting!
Professional, friendly, and knowledgeable in every way.
Great family owned local business worthy of supporting.
Kurt was our guide and he really gave us an extra effort A+ experience in every way.
Kellie_S, July 2025
I absolutely loved my beginner white‑water rafting course in Empire, Colorado! From the moment we launched onto the river, I was captivated by the breathtaking mountain scenery and the gentle roar of rapids ahead. Working as a team to paddle through Class II waters gave me an exhilarating sense of accomplishment, while the expert guides kept the experience safe and fun. I especially appreciated learning the basic paddle commands and rapid‑navigating techniques—it felt empowering. The refreshing splash of cold river water, plus the laughter and camaraderie of fellow rafters, made the day unforgettable. It was an exciting, confidence‑boosting introduction to rafting!
Sherry_L, July 2025
Fun-Fun-Fun / Our first time on the river / water was cold but trip was exciting. Smith was a great guide!
Matthew_M, Aug 2024
We had a great time. Kevin was a great tour guide. The day was hot and the water was clear and cool. Did not get as wet as I thought we would, unless you jumped in the water, which you had an opportunity to do about half way through. No special equipment needed. They have everything you need.
Jackie_D, July 2024
Our guide Tanner was great. We had a blast! We would highly recommend this for a first timer. We will definitely be back to try the next level rafting trip.
brianne_w, June 2024
The rafting was very fun and well organized. Jenna was a great guide, and did a great job teaching us how to raft. We highly recommend!
ErickMartinez, June 2024
Family had a blast, our teenage boys were nervous since we had never been rafting but the beginners session was perfect and they had so much fun, guides were great and we can’t wait to go back to try the intermediate session.
Dorien_G, June 2024
This was a blast because the water was up so much making the experience exactly the amount of excitement without being too nerve racking for beginners.
Our guide, Savanna, was very pleasant and gave clear instructions as we navigated the river.
Because this was early in the season, the water was quite cold but the provided wetsuits kept up pretty warm even though we got totally soaked. Getting wet was fun!
The operation is well run and all the employees were quite pleasant. Plan on renting the bootees they have to keep your feet dry.
I feel these should be built into the cost of the adventure instead of charging an additional 5 dollars as an unexpected cost.
Overall, I would highly recommend this adventure company if you are looking to ride some beginner or intermediate rapids.
Stephanie_R, June 2024
This was such an amazing experience. This was our first time and we had two kids, ages 8 and 10. Sarah, our guide, was fabulous in making sure our safety came first and that we had a great time. Hands down one of our favorite memories from our vacation. We can't wait to come back!
Lynda_B, May 2024
Had a great experience from start to finish on this tour. Tippy was a knowledgeable and fun guide! Highly recommend checking this group out!
Mithun_M, Aug 2023
Our guide Mark was awesome. Great experience for the entire family. Definitely recommend this trip, especially for beginners
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Beginner Whitewater Rafting on Historic Clear Creek
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