How to Get the Most Out of Family Whitewater Rafting Utah

2022-04-25

Posted In: Rafting

Whether you’re planning for a half-day or multi-day Moab river rafting trip, your family will enjoy the float even more if everyone is fully prepared. Here at Red River Adventures, we want your family to get the most out of your Moab rafting trip with us. Here are some things you should know as your family plans your next float trip with us.

Get Your Children Ready Ahead of Time

If you want to experience the best rafting in Moab, Utah, be sure to talk to your children ahead of time so that they have the right expectations. This is especially true if your children have never been rafting before. Chances are, they’ve seen whitewater rafting on a TV show or movie — and they might feel like it’s going to be a scary or dangerous experience.

This is why we have age limits on all of our Moab rafting trips, as well as different rafting packages. Our most popular rafting trip is Fisher Towers, which has a few Class III rapids during spring runoff and drops off to Class II later in summer. That tour requires that children are at least five years old and weigh at least 40 pounds. Very family friendly!

For older children, they might be ready for the Westwater Canyon full-day trip, which has some Class III and even Class IV rapids. Kids need to be at least 10 years of age for that tour, or 12 during higher water season.

Those are just a couple of examples. You can check out a lot of the additional trips that we have available on our Day Trips page.

Preparation is Key!

Once your raft leaves the shore, it’s not entirely impossible to turn around if you forgot something in your vehicle… but it’s not easy! It’s best to have a checklist prepared of everything you think (or know) you will need during your Moab rafting trip. Snacks, bottled water, sunscreen, a towel, and other items are relatively important, so make sure you have them before your raft takes off!

Listen to Your Guide

We’re really proud of our guides at Red River Adventures. They’re incredibly knowledgeable and highly skilled and trained. We hope that our guides’ for whitewater rafting will be instilled in you and your children after taking a trip with us!

And with that being said… listen to your guides. As they prep you for the trip, they will offer important safety advice and tips so that you can have the best and safest trip possible. We hope you’ll enjoy the experience so much that you’ll come back year after year.

Choose the Right Adventure for Your Family

Is your family highly experienced in the outdoors, or is this your first trip? We have a wide variety of tailored adventures to suit every family when it comes to whitewater rafting in Utah. Whether you’re ready for a 30-mile, three-day trip down the Dolores River or a gentle Stand-Up Paddle trip for a half-day on the Colorado, we have something for every family’s skill level and comfort level.

Enjoy Yourselves!

No matter what level of adventure you choose, prepare to make your Moab rafting adventure one that will create lasting memories for your family!

Contact Us to Book Your Next Family Adventure

Red River Adventures has been the premier family Moab river rafting experience since 2003. If your family is ready for their next floating adventure, call us at 877-259-4046 or book your next trip online.

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Questions? Call (877) 259-4046 or Email Us

The River People

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We strive to ensure that time spent with us is time that you will always look back on fondly. We want to leave you with a memories that bring a smile to your face no matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, and no matter how much time has passed. In addition to a deep reservoir of personal experience, our rafting guides are licensed by the state of Utah, have Wilderness First Responder and/or First Aid/CPR certifications, and are insured. Many guides also have swiftwater rescue training. Our climbing and canyoneering guides are AMGA-certified for the terrain in which they operate. Our skiing guides are certified for the terrain, and some are world-renowned for their experience. All of our guides are intimately acquainted with not only the river, rock and snow, but also with the incredible surroundings of the areas we guide.

Kyle Almeida

December 19, 2024

Had a fantastic two days in the Wasatch for AIARE 1! John and Vic are awesome guides and very knowledgeable about avalanche education and their tour routes. Highly recommend.

Matthew McHugh

The guides/instructors at Red River are best in class. John and Victoria went above and beyond to answer our questions, share in between the lines knowledge, and encourage lifelong learning.

Emma Braun

December 18, 2024

Took an all-women AIARE 1 course and it was fantastic!! Highly recommend. Victoria was an awesome instructor and had a lot of great experience and advice to share for women who are interested in getting more involved in this male-dominated sport. Thank you Vic and Red River for advocating for women in the backcountry!!

David Smith

December 16, 2024

I highly recommend using Red River Adventures for all your AIARE course. Extremely professional instructors that take the time to focus on everyone.

Ashley Jenson

December 7, 2024

I’ve taken my Aiare 1 and a rescue course with red river adventures and both classes were amazing. The instructors do a fantastic job. I felt heard and every question I had was answered. I highly recommend taking a course with these guys, you’ll really walk away with a lot.

Gracee Dalton

December 6, 2024

Amazing guides who are very well educated and informative. Great learning experience.

Mike Schirf

November 26, 2024

My wife and I had the pleasure of joining Carl and his amazing team of guides last year in Japan. On top of being extremely knowledgeable of the area and where to find the best snow they are all amazing humans which made the trip that much more special. It was a dream trip and we would do it again in a heartbeat.

Megan Caravello

November 11, 2024

We did rock climbing just outside salt lake City, at big cottonwood canyon. Carl was a super guide. We had never rock climbed, and Carl have us great intro instructions then we climbed up two rocks, that were challenging and fun. Would highly recommend

Cynthia Svendsen

October 20, 2024

We had an amazing trip to Greece for rock climbing with these folks. Carl, Tonya, Mary, and Sam did a wonderful job being well organized, providing thoughtfully executed guiding, and good vibes all around. Couldn't have asked for a better week with this crew.

Timour Kamran

October 14, 2024

Fantastic day out with Jon!

Andy Ballard

October 3, 2024

John was a consummate professional. He got my boys up their first multi-pitch climb in Big Cottonwood Canyon on an ultra classic line. I really appreciated his ability to make this memorable experience happen. Super friendly and I would not hesitate to use him again and recommend to my friends.

Clinton Woods

September 7, 2024

Did the full day fisher towers trip. It was very well ran and enjoyable. Took some younger kids and overall was a great experience thanks to red river.

Amber Striegel

August 29, 2024

The trip was beautiful. The scenery is breathtaking. But if you are looking for rapids, this may not be the tour for you, at least not this time of year. The water was quiet and at times it felt like we weren’t moving. Definitely more of a float than rafting. It’s perfect for those who want to relax and not have a workout.

Jan Moore

We enjoyed our rafting trip down the Colorado River. Our guide, Jake was very personable and informative. We would recommend Red River Adventures for anyone seeking a fun and enjoyable time.

Taylor Davis

August 28, 2024

Incredible experience with an even better canyoneering guide, Cage! This excursion had some of everything, the hiking, petroglyphs, 4 separate rappels. Cage made the trip very memorable for each of us and made us feel safe and comfortable during the challenging rappels. We highly recommend this tour guide and company!

Maile Christensen

August 25, 2024

Great trip down the river. Fun guides and beautiful scenery!

Keith Grim Sleeper

Jordan was awesome

Elodie ROSENCHER

August 21, 2024

Superbe expérience de rafting. Toute l équipe a été très réactive et a fait de son mieux pour que notre excursion soit la plus réussie et confortable possible (modification de réservation, bateau personnel pour notre famille)! Notre guide était à l a fois très professionnel et sympathique. Toute la famille a passé un très bon moment. Merci!

jonathan otis

August 20, 2024

Such a wonderful experience for my family. John was very friendly and professional. Would recommend 100%. We can’t wait for another opportunity to climb with John again.

Amber Thompson

August 19, 2024

Our guides were friendly, knowledgeable and so patient. We had a 12 year old and 73 year old in our group and our guides were awesome with them. We had a great time!!

Sal Sapien

August 18, 2024

I was unsure about rafting down the colorado river. Jake was our guide and I could not have asked for a nicer guide. Jake told us some history of the area, and told us about the rapids before we came to them. We had so much fun that my wife and I are talking about doing another rafting trip down the Colorado River. Thank You Jake.

Evan Stuart

Knowledgeable and kind guide, Cage, made it a really fun experience

Laura Greenwald DDS

August 15, 2024

This was a great half day trip on the Colorado river. Communication was awesome and our guide, Liz, was great! She was full of info about the river, the area and rafting! Thanks for the awesome experience.

Andre Reas

August 14, 2024

What we liked: Well organised, entertaining guides (especially during the bus drive) and friendly atmosphere. Not much white water during our 1/2 day tour (class 1/2) in July 2024. Still fun for beginners though, we got to jump in the water two times :-)

Roy Blair

First off 5 ⭐'s for Maggie, our river tour guide. She was very sweet and knowledgeable at her job. Red River Adventures made our rafting experience easy and very memorable. I would definitely recommend them for your rafting while in Moab Utah!

Jaimee Kennedy

August 13, 2024

Went rafting on the Colorado river and it was incredible. The guides were very knowledgeable and personable. Shoutout to Keira and Will for being the best guides ever.

Maria Velasquez

We had Maggie as our raft guide, she made our experiences one to remember. She was kind and genuine. She made the tour very interesting, she had a lot of knowledge. You can tell she loves her job. Red River made it very easy to book and had very clear and easy instructions. Thier staff was friendly and made out experience fun.

Hayley Daye

My father and I booked a last-minute half-day rafting excursion as we were passing through Moab this past weekend, and were so happy with our decision! Even though we were not in season for optimal rapids (only Class I-II in early August), we had an amazing time out on the river. The calmer water even allowed us to take a swim in the Colorado during our excursion. Our guide, Charbo, was extremely knowledgeable about the area and kept our group entertained the entire ride. All the guides were professional and fun, and we loved the entertainment provided by them on the bus ride to and from the boat launch. We could have easily done the full-day trip if our schedules had permitted! Highly recommend going with them for all rafting or otherwise outdoorsy excursions in Moab. We will definitely book again next time we are in town.

G B (Dionysos)

Very nice experience with three amazing guys (Jack, Grace and.. sorry I forget her name). Smooth rafting and swimming in the Colorado ended the day 🫶🏻

Melissa Oppenheim

August 12, 2024

What a great way to spend a hot morning in Moab! Red River made everything seamless without a lot of wait time to get setup. The location of rafting was magnificent and the guides were awesome, keeping things lively and interesting, from the bus ride to safety. Emily was a lot of fun guiding our particular raft. Can’t wait to ski some pow in Japan with Red River in January !!!

Tracy Field

August 11, 2024

August river rafting is fun and chill with the class 1 & 2 rapids. Our guide, Jake, was awesome. We want to come back in June for class 3 rapids. The guides are knowledgeable and funny. Super fun.

Ricardo J. FASANA

August 10, 2024

Fantastic River Rafting for the whole Family

Dennis Lembeck

Ontzettend leuke tour. Alles gaat heel relaxed. Eerst met de bus 40 minuten. Tijds de rit worden we geëntertaind door een van de gidsen. Raften niet heftig of zwaar. Wij hadden Savannah als gids. Heel vriendelijk. Top activiteit! We deden halve dag, achteraf hadden we misschien voor hele dag gekozen.

Heather Smith

We had so much fun on the river! Maggie and Liz and the rest were great guides and had so much information on Moab to tell us. They were fun and provided us plenty of opportunities to get in the water and float and we had a blast!

David Johansen

August 9, 2024

Kids loved it! So much fun!

Gaige Redd

Excellent guides, super friendly. We had a great time.

Colleen McGuire

Such a great experience with a wonderful crew of guides. We enjoyed the entertaining bus ride, the clear rafting direction , and the great stories from our guide.

Kendra Kormos

I took my boys white water rafting for their first time & they LOVED it. Our guide, Kiara, was very knowledgeable about the area, was funny, kind & made the trip so much more fun. We’d love to come back & do it again with her!

Debbie Hauser

August 8, 2024

We had so much fun. Husband and I in late 50s, average shape, with 18 year old son. Adam was the best guide. He took care that I was always ok and he was so positive. Would 100 percent recommend Bow and Arrow Canyoneering with Adam.

Gaëtan Martens

August 7, 2024

Took a half day rafting trip. The camaraderie and banter between the guides made for a fun experience, whilst still being a professional outfit. Shoutout to Emily for being our amazing guide.

Dawn Wolf Spector

August 6, 2024

Great service! Liz was an amazing tour guide. She knew so much about Moab, the river, and rafting in general. I highly recommend.

Frank Mitzschke

August 5, 2024

Great tour, great guys, great day

Dina Love

August 2, 2024

Liz was an amazing rafting guide. She was an awesome paddler. And as an extra bonus, she is super intelligent and is extremely knowledgeable about the land and ecology we passed as we floated the river. Our bus driver was an awesome driver!!! And the other guides gave us fun tour guide info on the way to the float and back to the office. We did the all day float. Lunch was provided. It was healthy and satisfying after a day on the river.

Trudy Troxell

Liz was just amazing we really enjoyed our trip. She educated us the whole trip down the river. Great people skills!

Thomas Nguyen

Emily was a great guide. The whole process was seamless.

Christopher Kratovil

August 1, 2024

Our family of six with limited rafting experience very much enjoyed the 1/2 day Fisher Towers tour with Red River Adventures. A wonderful all around experience. Red River is a very professional operation with courteous and knowledgeable guides. Even our ten year old frkt comfortsble enough to get out of the raft and swim.

Jenni Katzer

July 31, 2024

I had a wonderful multipitch climb in Little Cottonwood Canyon. John was informative and kept me safe. Fingercracks, slabs, amazing scenery and weather. I would do it again tomorrow if I had an opportunity. .

Julie Trembley

July 29, 2024

Amazing experience at a great price! Staff is super knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely recommend!!

Kari Denning

July 28, 2024

We are here on vacation from Indiana and went on our guided half day tour this morning and we had the absolute best time! All your workers were great from person who met us to talk to us, our bus driver but our guide Sharbo (spelling?) was amazing! He was full of information and answered all our questions and was tons of fun! My son Brayden thought he was awesome and wanted to be by him on the raft all day! We have nothing negative to say and would recommend everyone to give you all a try!! And if you get Sharbo as a guide you are bound to have a fun, exciting and informative trip!! 😊

Alyssa Harvey

July 27, 2024

Such a great experience! The entire staff was amazing. Our guide Savannah was the best. We love it. Highly recommend.