What You Need to Know for Your First Time White Water Rafting

What You Need To Know For Your First Time White Water Rafting

Whitewater rafting looks thrilling in the videos and pictures. It is a great recreational activity ideal for families at any skill level. Take in the breathtaking panoramas from Utah’s splendid rivers, in the expert care of your Red Rivers Adventures expert Moab river rafting guide. Below are some basics that are helpful to know on your first-time whitewater rafting in Moab, Utah.

What Are the Best Months for Moab Rafting?

We operate rafting tours in Moab from March to September. The river rafting conditions change year to year based on the snowpack received, which determines water levels. Use the following information to choose the best time to go rafting based on what you’re seeking. Generally speaking:

  • Early spring to summer — the weather hasn’t warmed up to the point of melting a large portion of the snowpack yet, so waters are calmer with lower water levels.
  • Summer to fall — As Moab heats up in the late spring to summer months, the snowpack melts more quickly and thus feeds the river with more water resulting in higher water levels and more extreme rapids. Peak water levels will be in June.

If you have questions, contact Red River Adventures and we can help create the perfect whitewater rafting excursion for your family.

Is There a Minimum Age Requirement for Whitewater Rafting?

Yes, the minimum age limit for whitewater rafting is 5 years old, and all kids must weigh at least 40 pounds (18 kilograms). All Moab rafting trips hosted by Red River Adventures are comfortable and accessible for virtually everyone.

Do You Need Experience for Whitewater Rafting?

No, prior experience in rafting, paddling, or swimming is not necessary for mild rapids. Your certified rafting guide will direct you throughout the trip, provide safety advice in advance, and explain what to expect at upcoming parts of the river all along your river trip.

How Many People Will Be in the Raft?

Most of our rafts are smaller to provide a more personal and exciting experience floating on the river. Red River Adventures rafts seat an average of 5 people and a licensed rafting guide.

What Should I Wear and Bring with Me?

Every raft occupant is a given helmet, a personal flotation device, and a paddle. We suggest using old gym shoes, water shoes, or sandals that will not come off. Flip-flops or loose-fitting sandals should not be worn. REMEMBER: Any time of year, wearing sunscreen is strongly advised. 

River Rapids Rating Scale

The beginner-level rafting experience is ideal for vacationing families and recreational groups. As you’re learning about whitewater rafting with a guide in the Moab area, you may see the rapids described by class number, as below. The rapids class ratings indicate the level of difficulty of traversing a segment of the river in a watercraft. There are six categories of challenge:

Classes of River Rapids Descriptions of Rapids
Class I Very Easy, minimal challenges, good for beginners.
Class II Easy, minimal strength of rapids, some small objects to maneuver around for the novice rafter.
Class III Medium strength, irregular rapids with numerous objects to maneuver around.
Class IV Difficult with fast current, powerful rapids, boiling eddies, and precise maneuvring required; for advanced whitewater rafters
Class V Very difficult rapids with continuous, violent rapids, high navigational difficulty, only for expert-level whitewater rafters who have full familiarity with the river
Class VI Extremely difficult and dangerous rapids. Rapids may only be navigatable during favorable conditions and this water should only be left to professionals using extreme caution

Note: Red River Adventure provides Class I – III rapids only. If you are looking for a specific level of difficulty, call us. We don’t always stick to a designated itinerary every single time, and we can take you to different parts of the river based on the level of difficulty you are seeking.

Book Your Whitewater Rafting Trip in Moab, Utah with Red River Adventures Today!

We are Moab’s only adventure guide service with permits for guided river rafting, rock climbing, canyon exploration, and National Park trips. We offer the best rafting in Moab, in either single-day or multiple-day adventures. Our professional whitewater rafting guides are all highly qualified and hold professional certifications. Our boats for rafting are smaller, which makes our river trips more personal and exciting!

On our rafting trips, we treat our guests like family, but we manage all equipment and raft handling with a great abundance of professional knowledge and skill, and safety is our top priority. It makes sense that Trip Advisor has named Red River Adventures among the best of its travel recommendations 5 times.

Start your whitewater rafting adventure by calling Red River Rafting Tours at (435) 259-4046, to schedule your river rafting trip, or contact us online anytime.

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.

River Rafting Reviews and Red River Adventure Testimonials!

Ashley Jenson
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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
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Gracee Dalton
December 6, 2024

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

Mike Schirf
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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
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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
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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
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Timour Kamran
October 14, 2024

Fantastic day out with Jon!

Andy Ballard
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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
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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
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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
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Jan Moore
August 29, 2024

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
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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
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Maile Christensen
August 25, 2024

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

Keith Grim Sleeper
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Keith Grim Sleeper
August 25, 2024

Jordan was awesome

Elodie ROSENCHER
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Evan Stuart
August 18, 2024

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

Laura Greenwald DDS
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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
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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
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Roy Blair
August 14, 2024

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
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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
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Maria Velasquez
August 13, 2024

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
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Hayley Daye
August 13, 2024

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)
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G B (Dionysos)
August 13, 2024

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
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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
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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
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Ricardo J. FASANA
August 10, 2024

Fantastic River Rafting for the whole Family

Dennis Lembeck
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Dennis Lembeck
August 10, 2024

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
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Heather Smith
August 10, 2024

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
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David Johansen
August 9, 2024

Kids loved it! So much fun!

Gaige Redd
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Gaige Redd
August 9, 2024

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

Colleen McGuire
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Colleen McGuire
August 9, 2024

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
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Kendra Kormos
August 9, 2024

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
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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
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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
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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
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Frank Mitzschke
August 5, 2024

Great tour, great guys, great day

Dina Love
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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
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Trudy Troxell
August 2, 2024

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

Thomas Nguyen
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Thomas Nguyen
August 2, 2024

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

Christopher Kratovil
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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
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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
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Julie Trembley
July 29, 2024

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

Kari Denning
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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
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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.

Kate Fyda
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Kate Fyda
July 27, 2024

Our family of 6 had an amazing time! The weather was perfect and our guide was hilarious. It was the perfect way to see the beauty of Moab. My kids loved being able to get out of the raft and float down the river where it was allowed. I would highly recommend Red River for rafting in Moab.

Tammy Laterveer
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Tammy Laterveer
July 26, 2024

Went on a canyoneering adventure with Cage. It was just the 5 of us, and it was Ana amazing adventure! 2 fun repels into the canyons, and a scenic hike back out. Cage was the best guide! Highly recommend.

David Muirhead
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David Muirhead
July 25, 2024

Red River Adventures! We went white water river rafting and we had Maggie as our guide. She was very helpful and polite. You get to go swimming in some spots if you would like to. You get to make a lot of great memories. Red Water River rafting keeps you occupied for the bus ride. They point out cool things. We had a amazing time, I would definitely do this again! 5/5 stars! Thank you! -Ella Muirhead

Emma Gilliland
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Emma Gilliland
July 24, 2024

Absolutely fantastic experience with Red River Adventures in Moab! Our guide, Maggie, was exceptional. Her knowledge of the area and enthusiasm made the trip unforgettable. The scenery was breathtaking, and the rafting was both thrilling and enjoyable. Maggie ensured we were safe and comfortable throughout the journey, and her storytelling added a unique touch to the adventure. The whole team was professional and friendly, making the entire experience smooth and enjoyable. Highly recommend Red River Adventure and be sure to ask for Maggie as your guide – you won't be disappointed! Five stars all the way!