No Car? No Problem! You CAN Whitewater Raft In Colorado Without A Car!
Can you Enjoy an Exciting Raft Trip and Day in the Mountains with no Car for less than $200 per person from the Denver area? Yes, yes you can. Read on!
Hate driving in mountain traffic? No car? Visiting and want someone else to drive? In just one day you can take an awesome raft trip and visit a charming mountain town, and do the whole thing for less than $200 per person by using public buses from the Denver area to our boathouses. Our trip prices include all safety gear and transport to and from the riverside as well as the trip cost. We’ll also get you hooked up with discounts at local favorite breweries and restaurants to reduce the day’s tab and increase your fun.
Shoot for two trips by bus this summer: The Blue River or Clear Creek. When you hear that the Blue River is running, hurry out to our HQ in Silverthorne for a wild and beautiful trip that takes you away from an urban feel but in reality is quite close to the Frisco / Dillon / Silverthorne / Breckenridge area. In the years when this river runs, it is a fun Class ll-lll (or even IV) rapid experience through lovely treed shorelines with periodic great mountain summit views. It generally runs in June, so get ready to do it as soon as you hear it’s running! Read more here. In 2023 it was runnable for five weeks.
Clear Creek is a feisty, narrow river that runs near Interstate 70 and Highway 6 on much of its path through Clear Creek Canyon. It’s runnable from mid-May to August, with the later trips dependent on river flow. You can choose a beginner route for kids as young as 6 that has Class ll and lll rapids, or an intermediate run with up to Class lll – IV rapids for people 12 and over. If you have experience and are at least 16, attempt the advanced run with up to Class V rapids. Read more about these runs here.
You’ll be using the Bustang West Line service from Denver to head into the mountains. If you choose to run Clear Creek, you’ll get off the Bustang in Idaho Springs, a trip that costs only $5 each way. If you have the chance to run the Blue River, you’ll disembark in Frisco for only $12 each way. Free local buses take you to our boathouses from there. Before and after the rafting adventure, you can explore the quaint mining town of Idaho Springs, or enjoy dynamic Silverthorne.
TRIP 1: THE BLUE RIVER TRIP – A RARE AND BEAUTIFUL WHITEWATER OPPORTUNITY!
7:00 am – Catch the Bustang from Union Station, downtown Denver
8:45 am – Disembark at the Frisco Transit Center ($12 pp)
9:00 am – Take Summit Stage red line from the Frisco Transit Center to the Silverthorne Transit Center (free bus)
9:15 am – Arrive at the Silverthorne Transit Center (STC)
9:15 am – Take the Summit Stage green line from STC to Wildernest Center (free bus)
9:17 am – Walk right to our Colorado Rafting Company HQ in Wildernest Center
9:30 am – Join our morning Blue River whitewater rafting adventure! ($96+/adult)
12:30 pm – CRC van drops you off back at CRC HQ. Get dry and changed, and pick up your personal items.
12:45 pm – Walk down to the STC and The Bluebird Market (about 20 minutes)
1:15 pm – 2:30 pm – Eat a hearty multicultural lunch at The Bluebird Market ($-$$) Use our coupon and save some money on lunch and a drink.
2:30 – 4:00 pm – Walk around Silverthorne or cross the street to locals’ fave Angry James Brewery. Enjoy a beer or two on the patio at Angry James ($) Give them the coupon we’ll give you and save another few bucks.
4:10 pm – Return to the STC
4:15 pm – Catch the Summit Stage red line from STC back to Frisco Transit Center (free bus)
4:30 pm – Disembark at the Frisco Transit Center (FTC)
4:40 pm – Catch the Bustang from FTC back to Denver and relax in the bus ($12)
6:30 pm – Disembark at Union Station, Denver
TRIP 2: CLEAR CREEK: FAST, FURIOUS, AND FUN AT ALL LEVELS!
(Free Roundabout bus does not run Sundays. Use Uber or Lyft.)
Clear Creek Beginner Rafting Trip – Class ll & lll Rapids – Arrive at CRC Dumont Boathouse by 12:30 pm latest
Clear Creek Intermediate Rafting Trip – Class III & IV Rapids – Arrive at CRC Dumont Boathouse by 12 noon latest
9:45 am – Leave Denver from Union Station on the Bustang ($5)
10:50 am – Arrive in Idaho Springs Park and Ride (13th and Idaho Street)
Grab brunch in Idaho Springs and walk around.
Catch an Uber or Lyft from Idaho Springs to our CRC boathouse (approximately $21, book in advance to ensure service.)
noon or 12:30 pm – Meet at CRC’s Dumont Boathouse to gear up, get ready, and go! ($86 pp beginner, $97 pp intermediate)
Our van returns you to CRC boathouse where you can get dry, choose photos, and pick up your personal items.
4:08 pm – Catch Roundabout free bus from Dumont Post Office back to Idaho Springs’ Park and Ride. Flag down the driver to stop for you.
4:21 pm – Disembark at Idaho Springs Park and Ride, or choose another stop. See bus map.
Take in this historic mining town, shop, and enjoy a drink and dinner. Try Westbound and Down on Miner Street, then Tommyknocker.
9:15 pm – Catch the Bustang from Idaho Springs Park and Ride back to the Front Range ($5)
10:10 pm – Disembark at Union Station, Denver
