Hi,

I am taking my 13 year old son to Colorado for one week over the fourth of July. He would love to go whitewater rafting and horseback riding. I am not sure where to go in Colorado for these activities and others. Is Breckenridge the best spot? Or Colorado Springs? I am open to any suggestions.

Also, does anyone know a good rafting company to go through?

Lastly, where would you suggest we visit when we are in Colorado?

Thanks a bunch!

I will be starting my CO/UT trip in Colorado Springs. We will be touring CS, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Mesa Verde NP, Rocky Mountain NP, & Colorado NM.

I have no info on horseback riding but we will be rafting in Gunnison. I also understand that there is rafting out of Buena Vista & Crested Butte.

Where to go - wow! Loaded question.

The drive from Durango to Ouray is very scenic.

In OURAY - take a jeep tour over the mountains. Your 13-year-old will love it (scenic but also some "scary" edge of the cliff moments, informative guide). We went with www.soajeep.com
Switzerland of America jeep tours - Black Bear/Imogene Pass all-day trip.

Mesa Verde National Park should be experienced by all. Again, your 13-year-old should think it pretty interesting. A "history/learning experience" but fun.

Rocky Mountain National Park - definitely. Lots to do - hiking, etc.

Your problem with all these popular areas will be reservations this late in the game.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is enroute between Ouray and RMNP. I didn't go rafting there, but imagine that would be a good place.

Sorry - can't help with specific rafting / horseback riding companies. There are many though, with "cookout/ wild west type trail rides" etc.

Better hurry with your plans though for reservations.

Have fun!

Hi -- we've rafted several times in CO. Buena Vista/Salida area is good for that, but even better was rafting through the Royal Gorge in Canon City, close to Colorado Springs. There is a tremendous amount to do in the Colorado Springs area, including horseback riding, hiking, Pikes Peak, etc. We are taking our kids there this summer too.

would agree with last poster,arkansas River (Salida) is very good rafting.
However the royal Gorge section will be off limits to a 13 year old ,I think the min. is 16.
You can get a oar or paddle raft
The oar is less work.
many outfitters to chose from.

Thanks for all of your advice! Sounds like there will be tons to do in Colorado.

So, would you suggest Breck or Colorado Springs or Boulder for our home base?

Check out Far Flung Adventures for rafting. farflung.com I think. My husband has taken one trip with them a couple of years back and is going on another with our 15 year old son the first week of June. They leave from Buena Vista. We also took a one day trip from the Vail area two years ago that was ok but I don't remember the rafting company's name.

Janelle, I am not a big fan of the Colorado Springs area. I have done the Royal Gorge rafting numerous times. Be aware that trip can be pretty intense. You might look at www.snow.com for information on Breckenridge, Vail and Keystone all will make for a great trip. Keystone has all the actvities available through the resort which makes for easy planning. Also look at www.summitnet.com. When choosing a rafting outfitter make sure they offer self bailing ratfs.

We have a similar trip planned for July, and decided to split up the trip into two "home bases". There seemed to be a lot to do around the Colorado Springs/Denver area (Pikes Peak, Rocky Mtn National Park, Garden of the Gods. Water World), but we liked the idea of relaxing a bit in Breckenridge. So we are going to stay half the time in each location. Once we actually saw the amount of driving time to get to these areas, it didn't seem to make sense to have only one base.

Several people have recommended Buena Vista for rafting, which appears to be not too far from Breckenridge.

I just got back from a weekend in Denver. Sunday's Denver Post/Rocky Mountain News has a great special section on things to do and I do recall rafting and riding to have special sections. Perhaps you can find the online version. Look into Estes Park for some outfitters as that is teh closest town near Rocky Mountain National Park.