Glenwood Canyon Half-Day

Experience the thrill of Class III (Class IV at higher water) Colorado whitewater rafting and the beauty of Glenwood Canyon in just two to three hours. Perfect for first-timers or adrenaline junkies!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Defiance Rafting Company - Your experience starts by meeting at the Defiance boathouse located in Glenwood Springs, CO. There, we will gear you up, talk about the trip, and introduce you to your river pro. Then Defiance will shuttle you and your river pro up the Glenwood Canyon to the Shoshone Rapids where you will put-in on the Colorado River….
What's Included
  • Shuttle
  • Free hotel pickup and drop-off upon request with 24-hour notice (Please Call)
  • Optional use of wetsuits, river booties, and splash-jackets
  • Helmet
  • No additional fees and taxes
  • Post trip swag for Happy Paddlers (guests 12 and under)
  • Personal Flotation Device (PFD) aka, lifejacket
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Additional Information

If we only had two to three hours to spend on the water and wanted to show our friends or family the excitement of Class III (Class IV at higher water) Colorado whitewater rafting and the stunning Glenwood Canyon, this is the trip we’d choose. And if we only had two hours because everyone had plans afterward, we’d probably cancel those plans to go…

Location
Defiance Rafting Company
Mel Rey Road
Please plan on arriving 45-minutes prior to trip departure.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(378 Ratings)
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1 star
Alimh5347zz
Sep 24, 2025
Wedding Reception Murphy Party - We had an absolute blast it was the best thing to do the day after my Wedding Reception ❤️ I took my husband, family and friends out on two separate rafts to the best scenic and rapids experience in Glenwood Springs. I think our guide was just a blast 💥
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roam20169808213
Aug 9, 2025
Thrilling, fun, and some of the most beautiful views you have seen. Everything was perfect! - Beautiful half day trip down the Shoshone River! Greggy was the greatest tour guide. So funny and also made those of us first timers feel comfortable and safe on the Class III rapids. Great knowledge of the Canyon and the area. Ask him to show you the marmot tunnels in Glenwood Springs. We'd definitely do this again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph_m
Jul 10, 2025
Family fun adventure - It was awesome. The equipment, safety, mostly our guide Gabriel were all top notch. The scenery is great. We all loved hitting the rapids. Five star rating!!
Review provided by Viator
Naomi_m
Jul 10, 2025
Ya gotta do this...!!! - This was our first rafting experience and it was EPIC! It was the perfect balance of excitement and relaxation. The adrenaline rush you feel at the beginning of the tour with the biggest waves (class III) is then tampered down by the most breathtaking scenery imaginable. You can't help feeling closer to God after such an experience. Our guide Cross was exceptional! He gave clear and concise instructions and was very knowledgeable about the area. He answered every single question we peppered his way and was just a pleasant and fun person! Highly recommend this experience. My entire family LOVED it!
Review provided by Viator
Jeff_l
Jul 4, 2025
Family Fun! - We have done this several times and always enjoy it! The canyon is beautiful and the guides always make sure that everyone has a great time!
Review provided by Viator
Kelly_k
Jul 2, 2025
We’ve done a few rafting... - We’ve done a few rafting trips and this was by far the best. Very organized and the guide was amazing; he was funny, knowledge and engaged the whole trip.
Review provided by Viator
Jessica_b
Jun 21, 2025
Good times on the river - Bring a dry bag so you can stow your things. We had a blast! The guides were fun and organized. The canyon scenery was spectacular
Review provided by Viator
Z5142ogritao
Jun 16, 2025
Taylor is tops!! - The views were amazing and the whitewater was a good class 3. Our guide, Taylor was great! She absolutely knew what she was doing and safety was a top priority . We had a blast!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sara
Jul 12, 2025
1/3 rapids, 2/3 scenic cruise - The rapids we did encounter and our guide (Cross) were fantastic, and the views through Glenwood Canyon were breathtaking. The reason for 4 instead of 5 stars was because all the rapids occurred in about the first 20 minutes of the trip. I was shocked when he told us this would be the last rapid and we had just started rafting! We had a great swim about half way through which was very refreshing, but two hours on calm water was not what we had expected at all. Again, Defiance staff was excellent and we felt safe the entire time. It was just the very limited number of rapids and the verrry long period of smooth sailing was disappointing. It felt much more like a scenic cruise than a whitewater rafting trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michele_m
Jul 9, 2025
15 minutes of rapids …2 hours of floating - If you are looking for an afternoon of active whitewater rafting. This is not it. The active rapids were about 15 minutes and the rest of the tour was floating down the River. For a half day tour, we expected more active time. So 15 minutes of activity and 2 hours and 45 minutes of just sitting on the raft. The scenery was beautiful, but after an hour of sitting and floating … it was a little boring … The staff was very nice and tried to make it interesting by talking some history of the river and a few special spots … but all in all .. this just wasn’t what our family was expecting. The tour should state in their description that is it only about 15 minutes of actual Class 3 rapids ….
Review provided by Viator