Look no further than New Mexico River Adventures for unique & exhilarating rafting experiences. After a day on the water, you can chill out with a movie at Violet Crown Cinema, located in the Santa Fe Railyard District.
New Mexico River Adventures
New Mexico River Adventures offers a variety of Outdoor experiences in and around the Santa Fe/Taos area of northern New Mexico. Whether you’re looking for a wild whitewater run through the Class IV rapids of the world famous Taos Box or a scenic float through the azure canyon of the Rio Chama, New Mexico River Adventures has a river trip for you and your family or group.
Whitewater raft trips and scenic river travel are our specialty but we also offer activities in other outdoor pursuits, such as New Mexico kayaking with world class instructors, stand up paddle boarding the local rivers and lakes with the region’s only ACA certified guide, or wilderness travel in the high alpine country with seasoned professionals. New Mexico River Adventures can offer you a wide variety of River and Land based activities.
NMExperiences recommends: New Mexico Sunset Gourmet Float!
What to Expect
How about gourmet meals waiting for you along the side of the river as the sun sets? We have just the trip for you!
Where the Sunset Gourmet Float Begins For years now, New Mexico River Adventures has set the standard for new and exciting trips and itineraries in Northern New Mexico. We are also known for taking standard trips and making them amazing. Our Sunset Gourmet Float is no different. It is a spectacular twist to the standard half-day river trip. Great for all types of groups including families, friends, and couples alike. The trip starts at our Headquarters at 3:30 pm. Here we will outfit you with all of the necessary equipment needed for your river trip. Don’t worry if you forgot any necessary items for the trip, we’ve got you covered in our outfitter store. After you’ve received and properly fit your river gear, we’ll cover a detailed safety orientation in the comfort of our Headquarters porch.
The Float It’s off to the river where we’ll begin a 2-hour float through the magnificent Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Your river trip starts with a placid float through one of the most scenic parts of the canyon with great opportunities to see a variety of wildlife including mule deer, river otter, beaver and many different birds of prey. This section of the river, known as the Orilla Verde, affords us time to practice paddling techniques, go swimming or simply enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Rio Grande. The vast majority of our guests like to participate and paddle along (with the guide in the back of the boat giving paddling commands). You may also choose to sit back and let the guide do the work on an oar boat. For the adrenaline junkies, ask about an inflatable kayak at no extra charge.
The Gourmet Meal
After close to 4 miles on the river, we will begin to notice some amazing smells coming from the shore. It could be coming from a hot dutch oven or a glowing grill with a variety of mouth-watering entrees cooking to perfection. Your guide will secure the boat to shore as you take off your life jacket and treat yourself to appetizers and drinks prepared for you by our cooks who have been awaiting your arrival on the banks of the Rio Grande. Grab a seat or wade out in the river as the finishing touches are put on an amazing meal. As the light just gets better, so does the food, ending with a freshly baked dessert right out of a traditional dutch oven.
The End After the meal and a little relaxing by the river, we’ll board our van and take the short drive back to our Headquarters somewhere around 7 pm where your vehicle will be waiting. Please feel free to use our private dressing rooms, restrooms and other amenities at the Headquarters before saying goodbye to the guides after a special afternoon/evening on the Rio Grande.
**There is a minimum of 6 people required to operate this trip. If you don’t see your preferred trip date available online, please call for availability**
Camping and Outfitting
At New Mexico River Adventures we use the most up to date state of the art camping equipment while in the field. From our kitchen with it’s counter height cooking and serving tables, Dutch ovens, hand wash and water stations, and comfortable toilet systems, to all of our camping gear and outdoor equipment our guests will be outfitted including thick, inflatable sleeping pads, 4 season tents and warm sleeping bags.
We go the extra mile to make sure you a.re comfortable in camp and the food will be nothing short of fantastic. In the field we use fresh whole foods and cook with a southwestern home style flair that is sure to suit all palates. Tents are modern dome style built to withstand the extreme weather that we sometimes see. The privy is a modern unit that looks just like the one back home. It doesn’t flush but is just as comfortable, sturdy, and comes with a better view. Don’t worry if the weather isn’t perfect. We have very large and reliable camp shelters we put up to keep you dry and you enjoy and amazing meal riverside.
New Mexico River Adventures select their camps on a basis of timing, group size and hiking/exploration potential. We want a place that lets you wander at the end of the day and unwind from modern life. We almost always set a large tarp to shelter from the sun, and maybe rain, as well as a circle of chairs to create a sense of community with the guides and other guests. As the night comes and river stories from the guides and guests are laughed away into the stars you will sleep in the quiet of nature with the sounds of the mountains and river enhancing your dreams.
Check out this web site (we’re very proud of its design) and give us a call (505-983-7756) to set up a spectacular river trip, land-based activity or custom combination adventure you will remember for a lifetime.
Summer movie night at Violet Crown Cinema
See what's showing at The Railyard District's favorite theatre!