summer vacation

As the season is slowly coming to an end, our guides are begining to transition to their off season gigs. Many are still in college, but there are many that have incredible winter jobs or travel the globe in search of whitewater and deep powder (deep snow). So, we’ve put…

Campgrounds around the Arkansas River in Colorado are filling up as the summer flies by. So we’ve taken the task to make your next camping adventure easy and stress-free by creating an overnight rafting adventure that includes 22+ miles of world-class whitewater, three gourmet meals, all camping essentials and the amenities of…

A Pacific Northwest Native, Curtis grew up snowboarding on the slopes of Crystal Mountain Ski Area and skateboarding in the shadow of Mount Rainier in Washington State. He migrated to Colorado in the summer of 2010 to begin his summer career as a raft guide and has since made his…

Meet AAE Assistant Head Boatman, Andrew Bowlin! Known as Bowlin on the Arkansas River, he has been a guide for AAE since 2010 and became the assistant head boatman in 2013. Like many of our other guides, he was simply looking for a change of scenery and decided to search…

Archie has been a guide with American Adventure Expeditions since 2003 but has over 14 years of experience whitewater rafting and guiding. His daily tasks as the head boatman in Buena Vista include rigging boats, checking river water levels, organizing guests into boats, managing 20+ raft guides, making sure that…

This is truly a trip for the adventurous family. Rafting in Colorado through the epic and amazing Bighorn Sheep Canyon is a true American adventure. Witnessing the magnificent wildlife of Colorado’s San Isabel National Forest is an event not soon forgotten; catch a glimpse of a distinguished Bighorn Sheep while enjoying a Colorado whitewater…

Why choose Buena Vista & Salida, Colorado, as your vacation destination? Because we have it all! If you are looking for the perfect river community, your search just may end here. The mighty Arkansas River flows through the heart of Chaffee County, gracing the downtowns of both Salida and Buena Vista…

The Numbers is widely considered to be the best Class IV run in the entire state of Colorado… and its 20 minutes from our front door. Depending upon the water levels, measured by cubic feet per second (CFS), the river channelizes and is fun Class IV rafting and kayaking; when it…

For the most epic of adventures, we offer exclusive Overnight River Trips, allowing you to truly take in the glory of the river, the stars, the mountains, the friends, the guides, the camping, the food. We go over the top on our Overnight River Trips so you are comfortable in the wild like…