As first-time rafters with two skeptical teenage girls in tow, we weren't sure if we were about to…read morebond... or just bounce off some rocks. But Austin was our fearless rafting guide and part-time therapist--who calmed nerves, cracked jokes, and got us paddling in no time. From the very first splash, Austin made us feel safe and slightly more athletic than we actually are. He coached us through the twists and turns of the creek, and somehow convinced our teens that getting absolutely drenched and paddling for their lives was the best day ever. Miracles do exist. We glided through hidden stretches of the creek like pros (or at least like enthusiastic amateurs with great lighting), hollering with joy and soaking up every second of the adventure. Even the "hold on tight!" moments felt like a ride at a theme park--but with better views and less screaming. 10/10 would paddle again. If you're looking for an unforgettable family outing full of laughter, nature, and just the right amount of "we might flip but only if you don't do what Austin says", he's your guide. He's part guide, part hype man, and all-around river legend. Bring snacks or a picnic lunch for after an early morning trip, bring sunscreen (and put it on BEFORE you get a wetsuit. Rent shoes when you check-in ($5/person). Your family will thank you for this adventure (once they stop laughing and wringing out their socks).

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel it's important to share my experience…read more My wife booked a zipline reservation for me and our family while we were visiting Colorado from Massachusetts. We were busy getting ready for the day when she booked the zip line and she was unaware of my current weight, and the online booking process did not require participant weights before payment. When we arrived, I was weighed before the tour began and was informed that I exceeded the maximum weight limit and could not participate. It was clear to the acting manager that I was not aware of the weight limit. I completely understand and respect that the weight limit is in place for safety. What disappointed me was how my request was handled afterward. I asked if the company would consider a goodwill refund since I was turned away before the activity even began and that I was not aware of the policy. I was told that my request would be emailed to the owners and that I would receive a response within two days. No one ever contacted me. I followed up after waiting 5 days and at that time was told the owners were away for the week. When I contacted the company again, Acting Manager Brandon told me that the email requesting the owners' review that he said he sent while we were there had never actually been sent. He also informed me that, despite the email never being sent as promised, the company would still be following its policy and would not refund my payment. I understand businesses have policies, and I respected the safety decision without argument. My disappointment is with the lack of follow-through and customer service. I was promised a response that never came, had to repeatedly follow up myself, and ultimately received a denial after being told the owners had never even received the original request. No response from the owners as promised and when I had to call again I was told by Brandon that the owners would be sticking to their policy and I could dispute it with my credit card company if that is what I wanted to do. When I asked for an email so that I could contact the owners I was told that was not possible. If you're considering booking, make absolutely certain every participant meets all requirements before purchasing. The company weighs participants upon arrival, and if someone is over the limit, don't expect a refund--even if the activity never begins and you are visiting from out of state. I respect the need for safety rules. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the way this situation was handled. What was most disappointing was the complete lack of willingness to consider the individual circumstances. Customer service isn't just about enforcing policies--it's also about recognizing when an honest mistake has occurred and exercising reasonable discretion. Despite the circumstances, there appeared to be no meaningful review of the situation and no consideration of a one-time exception. We visit Colorado every couple years and we will make sure to choose another company when looking for an adventure.

The zip lines at AVA were super fun and the people are really nice. We had Megan and Blake as our…read moreinstructors, they were so funny and helped us have lots of fun on the zip lines. We rode on top of a truck up a mountain to the first line. AVA is so funny and I would definitely recommend doing it if you have time!

My group and I had a disappointing and confusing experience with a zip-line instructor. We had…read morebarely left the first tutorial line when one of our instructors began acting rude and short with us. We only made it halfway through our group before one of us got stuck on the second line. It took a few minutes to get them unstuck and over to the other side. After that, with no warning, the instructor told us to follow him and said we were going to hike back to the rest of the group. When I asked if something was wrong, he gave me no response. Once we rejoined the other half of our group, our other guide explained that our trip was being cancelled and that we'd need to hike back down. This was shocking and disappointing to all of us--especially the children in our party, who had travelled from out of state and specifically picked this zip-line as the thing they most wanted to do in Colorado. It wasn't worth the long drive just to get up there and have the plug pulled on us with no explanation. I will say the front desk was very kind and helpful. After hearing our account of what happened, they issued us a full refund. Overall, it was a disappointing trip that left all of us confused about what went wrong.

we took more than a dozen adventures while on our visit to Colorado this week and rafting was at…read morethe top experience for all four of us! Our guide, Anthony, took great care of us as we had some needs that were a little complicated. We would highly recommend this company of conscientious patient and very safety conscious in such hands made our experience, and exhilarating! We will definitely experience this more than once! If you can only choose one thing to do choose to go Whitewater rafting with this company! A high-quality group of professionals that know how to have a good time!

We had the best time. At first it was a lot to put on wetsuit, helmet and life preserver, but once…read morewe did we were all set. We were given safety instructions and then paddle instructions. Our guide was Echo and she was amazing. All instructions were given clearly and kindly and she had such a positive attitude, I'm so glad she was our guide. I loved the whole experience, from the dad jokes on the bus, to being in the beautiful creek and going over bumps and water. Great seeing water wheel. All in all an amazing trip for a senior citizen who did it for the first time. I can't wait to go again.

We went on the beginner rafting with Adam today. He was very friendly and knowledgeable about the…read morearea and a very experienced rafter. Due to the recent heavy rainfall and snow melt the rafting seemed more intermediate than beginner but we were fine with that since we had all been rafting before. We all had a lot of fun and Adam let us know we could get a discount for going again since we live in CO- we might try the intermediate in the future Definitely recommend wearing a swimsuit underneath the wetsuit and also bringing a rain jacket - these items saved me! Also recommend bringing water shoes if you own any- (they have some for rent too) since water is very cold and your lower body will get soaked

Nice guides! Beautiful river. Was told this rafting was…read moregonna better than Glenwood springs we did last year and unfortunately we don't agree..... we were expecting alot more out of. It was fun but expected different.....

These guys make it so easy to enjoy the ride! shuttle up to…read morethe river, quick walk back to the shop. Lockers for all your gear. will absolutely be back again

Our experience was very good With Adventure West! They made the rental and shuttle so easy!…read moreEveryone was so helpful and polite despite how busy they were. The business is very well placed and how they run their rentals and tubing is very well thought of. I would return here everytime for an easy fun experience!

We are visiting the Grand Lake area and really wanted a challenging rafting trip. Our Airbnb host…read moresuggested Mad Adventures Clear Creek. I'm so glad they did. Expert guides with over 130 years of river experience between their crew. Now on to the water. Starts off a little slow but once it gets going it is on. Several category 3 rapids followed by a bunch of 4's with awesome drops all while navigating big rocks. You end with a nice comfortable float through a neighborhood in Idaho Springs Co. We were on the water for a good hour and half, so I suggest getting the wetsuit package as the water is always 38 degrees. Thanks Mad Adventures Clear Creek for a rafting trip we won't forget!!!

We had a spectacular day out in the water at Clear Creek. In town from TX visiting and we really…read morewanted class 4 rapids we had to settle for the beginner journey. They have a strict age requirement of 14 and our 12 year old made that a challenge. Having done class 3-4 at Royal Gorge I would say this did not disappoint. It was constant and continuous adventure. I would have loved to kept going longer but like all good things they do come to an end. The 1.5 hours was mot too short either don't get me wrong. If you are scared of the cold don't cheap out--get the extra gear to make your experience better. My wife and kids did the gear. Since we were here in July in the water at noon I toughed it out. Don't vet me wrong it was cold and at times what I would have done to be warm. I feel the cold splash is a part of the experience. Sitting in the front I was also glad for a pair of sunglasses. They say this is some of the best rafting they have had in awhile. What really made this exemplary was the staff. They made you all feel like family. Zak in particular was our favorite. He gave the right balance of safety and firmness needed for a guide. He also helped my 70 year old mother in law work through her fears and continue with getting in the raft. She was reluctant as she only has one hand. Zak calmed her and gave her options. My kids also loved the bus driver Max. Not so sure they loved him ao much it was more his dog Willow. If you want a great and safe experience do it with Mad Adventures where they make you feel like family.

Such an amazing trip so worth it I had younger kids and they loved it. Everybody had a great time.read more

Such an amazing experience. Boston was an awesome guide. And Amy was beyond accommodating after we…read moregot a flat tire on our way. High rec!

I had good time tubing but this big guy at the table out front named Hudson made me very…read moreuncomfortable. There was another one with curly hair who told my dad he could speak great Spanish but my Dad had no idea what he was saying. He said it felt like the guy was trying to flirt with him and it made him really mad and I agree with my father, its very unproffesional. The one short brown haired guy was extremely helpful which was the only good experience. The blond one told me it was a Lazy River and that he caught small fish but enjoyed the nature and wildlife.

Do not book with this company because there is terrible customer care. We booked 2 days with a…read moreguide and were told the guides would contact a week before the trip. One of the guides, Pete contacted us as was absolutely amazing. We learned about him taking his grandson fishing and even about his dog. Pete was in constant contact making sure we had all the info, directions as there is very poor cell service where we will be fishing. We even decided to bring special treats for his dog. The trip is scheduled for tomorrow and we are so excited, all our gear is laid out including 3 bags of dog treats. My wife and I left multiple messages with Golden River Sports saying it was for Travis explaining we were extremely happy about how wonderful Pete the guide for Wednesday is but not a word from the guide for Thursday. After days of no phone calls from Travis or GRS I called and explained we are not comfortable or happy about the lack of professional conduct from Thursday's guide or GRS so cancel Thursday but we are excited about how great the guide for Wednesday is. On Tuesday We finally get a call from Travis and he says has no clue about any of this he was just confirming our booking. I explained there is a big issue with professionalism and communication with GRS and we canceled Thursday but were very excited and were very impressed with Wednesday guide Pete. He stated " thank you for bringing this to my attention but I don't feel comfortable about sending my guide out with you. I said I'm just bringing this to your attention and love working with Pete. He said he was canceling our trip! At this point now I'm mad! I try to help this guy and tell him we have no problem with Pete and it's your company that has the problem. I then stated I better not see one penny charged on my credit card!!!so we drove here from Iowa, rented an Airbnb waiting to go on our bucket list fly fishing trip and paid all this money to squeeze in 2 days of fishing. Now I ask you would you want to trust your money or precious time with a company like this??? Buyer beware!