Santa Fe Rafting Full-Day Trips
Rafting Trip | Meeting Time | Meeting Location | Duration | Difficulty | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taos Box Full Day |
07:45 AM | Kokopelli Rafting – Santa Fe, NM | 8-9 hours | Advanced – Class IV | Weekday: $115 Weekend: $125 |
Book Now |
Taos Box Full Day |
09:00 AM | Rio Grande Visitor Center – Pilar, NM | 6-7 hours | Advanced – Class IV | Weekday: $115 Weekend: $125 |
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Racecourse and Lower Gorge Full Day |
08:45 AM | Kokopelli Rafting – Santa Fe, NM | 7-8 hours | Moderate Class III | Adult: $113 7-12 Years: $83 |
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Racecourse and Lower Gorge Full Day |
10:00 AM | County Line River Access – Pilar, NM | 5-6 hours | Moderate Class III | Adult: $113 7-12 Years: $83 |
Book Now |
Rio Chama Full Day |
08:15 AM | Kokopelli Rafting – Santa Fe, NM | 6-7 hours | Easy – Class II | Adult: $118 5-12 Years: $98 |
Book Now |
Rio Chama Full Day |
09:30 AM | Bodes General Store – Abiquiu, NM | 4-5 hours | Easy – Class II | Adult: $118 5-12 Years: $98 |
Book Now |
Taos Box
The “Box,” perhaps the premier one-day wilderness trip in the US, contains the best whitewater in New Mexico. This 17-mile trip starts just northwest of Taos. We float through relatively calm water for a few miles, practicing our teamwork and paddle strokes for the demanding rapids downstream, including Ski Jump, Dead Car, and Powerline Falls. As the gorge deepens and the white-water increases, we’ll still take time to look around at the beauty of northern New Mexico, possibly spotting a bald eagle high on the cliff-tops or a great blue heron on the river’s edge.
The last two-and-a-half miles of the “Box” are known as the “Rio Bravo,” or wild river, section. We challenge one class III or IV rapid after another, then catch our breaths, before dropping into the grand finale, Sunset Rapid. This trip is demanding but unsurpassed in its combination of excitement and wild beauty.
A fresh, all-you-can-eat buffet lunch is included, as well as polar fleece tops and full splash suits to keep you comfortable. Minimum age on the Taos Box is 12, although at some water levels we advise that guests have the physical stamina to fully participate.
The Taos Box runs from April through mid-June in a typical year, and into July during years with exceptional snow-pack.
This trip is for the adventurous thrill seeker in good physical fitness, and features sections of continuous whitewater, especially during higher flows.
Price: $110* per person weekdays. $125* per person weekends.
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center.

Lower Gorge – Racecourse Full Day
This popular trip combines our two half-day excursions into one exciting day! We start at the Taos Junction Bridge, putting in for a relaxing morning spent floating through spectacular, towering cliffs and mellow, class II rapids. After a satisfying all-you-can-eat lunch freshly prepared by your Kokopelli guides, we return to the boats to tackle class III rapids on the Racecourse. The river narrows, picks up speed, and before we know it, we’re blasting through Albert’s Falls, the Narrows, and on to Big Rock Rapid. The Lower Gorge is a perfect choice for first time rafters, with the morning section offering an opportunity to get comfortable on moving water. Once you’ve discovered the joy of river travel, the excitement increases in the afternoon. Minimum age is seven, although we reserve the right to raise the age limit during extremely high water levels.
The Rio Grande Lower Gorge runs all season long.
Price: $105* per person Age 6-12 $75*
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or County Line River Access.

Rio Chama River
Join us for a full-day trip through the land and scenery that inspired artist Georgia O’Keeffe. This adventure begins about 70 miles northwest of Santa Fe, in the red rock country of northern New Mexico. We will float about eight miles of relatively tame water, negotiating a number of class II rapids as we pass through magnificent scenery surrounded by Ponderosa Pines. The multi-colored cliffs along the Chama are among the most beautiful in New Mexico.
We will stop halfway through the day for a healthy, all-you-can-eat buffet lunch, freshly prepared by Kokopelli guides. After lunch, we continue downstream, running more class II rapids on our way to the takeout.
This trip can be done in a paddleboat or an oar-powered raft, which allows more time to take in the sights. Minimum age is five.
The Chama day trip is typically runnable on weekends when water is being released from the El Vado Dam.
Price: $115* per person Age 5-12 $95*
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or Bodes General Store.

La Junta (Middle Box)
Just upstream of the famous Taos Box is a hidden secret of New Mexico rafting. Seldom floated is the beautiful remote river between La Junta (the junction of the Red River and the Rio Grande) and the John Dunn Bridge. After a short hike down into the gorge along the miners’ trail, we’ll prepare the rafts and float down this amazing river. This trip is mostly scenic floating, with one significant class III rapid near the end. Inflatable kayaks are availailable.
Price: $135* Minimum Group Size 6 people – Call for Specific Trip Dates
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center.
*Prices do not include taxes or federal user fees.
Rafting Trip | Meeting Time | Meeting Location | Duration | Difficulty | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taos Box Full Day |
07:45 AM | Kokopelli Rafting – Santa Fe, NM | 8-9 hours | Advanced – Class IV | Weekday: $110 Weekend: $125 |
Reserve |
Taos Box Full Day |
09:00 AM | Rio Grande Visitor Center – Pilar, NM | 6-7 hours | Advanced – Class IV | Weekday: $110 Weekend: $125 |
Reserve |
Racecourse and Lower Gorge Full Day |
08:45 AM | Kokopelli Rafting – Santa Fe, NM | 7-8 hours | Moderate Class III | Adult: $105 7-12 Years: $75 |
Reserve |
Racecourse and Lower Gorge Full Day |
10:00 AM | County Line River Access – Pilar, NM | 5-6 hours | Moderate Class III | Adult: $105 7-12 Years: $75 |
Reserve |
Rio Chama Full Day |
08:15 AM | Kokopelli Rafting – Santa Fe, NM | 6-7 hours | Easy – Class II | Adult: $115 5-12 Years: $95 |
Reserve |
Rio Chama Full Day |
09:30 AM | Bodes General Store – Abiquiu, NM | 4-5 hours | Easy – Class II | Adult: $115 5-12 Years: $95 |
Reserve |
Taos Box
The “Box,” perhaps the premier one-day wilderness trip in the US, contains the best whitewater in New Mexico. This 17-mile trip starts just northwest of Taos. We float through relatively calm water for a few miles, practicing our teamwork and paddle strokes for the demanding rapids downstream, including Ski Jump, Dead Car, and Powerline Falls. As the gorge deepens and the white-water increases, we’ll still take time to look around at the beauty of northern New Mexico, possibly spotting a bald eagle high on the cliff-tops or a great blue heron on the river’s edge.
The last two-and-a-half miles of the “Box” are known as the “Rio Bravo,” or wild river, section. We challenge one class III or IV rapid after another, then catch our breaths, before dropping into the grand finale, Sunset Rapid. This trip is demanding but unsurpassed in its combination of excitement and wild beauty.
A fresh, all-you-can-eat buffet lunch is included, as well as polar fleece tops and full splash suits to keep you comfortable. Minimum age on the Taos Box is 12, although at some water levels we advise that guests have the physical stamina to fully participate.
The Taos Box runs from April through mid-June in a typical year, and into July during years with exceptional snow-pack.
This trip is for the adventurous thrill seeker in good physical fitness, and features sections of continuous whitewater, especially during higher flows.
Price: $110* per person weekdays. $125* per person weekends.
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center.

Lower Gorge – Racecourse Full Day
This popular trip combines our two half-day excursions into one exciting day! We start at the Taos Junction Bridge, putting in for a relaxing morning spent floating through spectacular, towering cliffs and mellow, class II rapids. After a satisfying all-you-can-eat lunch freshly prepared by your Kokopelli guides, we return to the boats to tackle class III rapids on the Racecourse. The river narrows, picks up speed, and before we know it, we’re blasting through Albert’s Falls, the Narrows, and on to Big Rock Rapid. The Lower Gorge is a perfect choice for first time rafters, with the morning section offering an opportunity to get comfortable on moving water. Once you’ve discovered the joy of river travel, the excitement increases in the afternoon. Minimum age is seven, although we reserve the right to raise the age limit during extremely high water levels.
The Rio Grande Lower Gorge runs all season long.
Price: $105* per person Age 6-12 $75*
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or County Line River Access.

Rio Chama River
Join us for a full-day trip through the land and scenery that inspired artist Georgia O’Keeffe. This adventure begins about 70 miles northwest of Santa Fe, in the red rock country of northern New Mexico. We will float about eight miles of relatively tame water, negotiating a number of class II rapids as we pass through magnificent scenery surrounded by Ponderosa Pines. The multi-colored cliffs along the Chama are among the most beautiful in New Mexico.
We will stop halfway through the day for a healthy, all-you-can-eat buffet lunch, freshly prepared by Kokopelli guides. After lunch, we continue downstream, running more class II rapids on our way to the takeout.
This trip can be done in a paddleboat or an oar-powered raft, which allows more time to take in the sights. Minimum age is five.
The Chama day trip is typically runnable on weekends when water is being released from the El Vado Dam.
Price: $115* per person Age 5-12 $95*
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or Bodes General Store.

La Junta (Middle Box)
Just upstream of the famous Taos Box is a hidden secret of New Mexico rafting. Seldom floated is the beautiful remote river between La Junta (the junction of the Red River and the Rio Grande) and the John Dunn Bridge. After a short hike down into the gorge along the miners’ trail, we’ll prepare the rafts and float down this amazing river. This trip is mostly scenic floating, with one significant class III rapid near the end. Inflatable kayaks are availailable.
Price: $135* Minimum Group Size 6 people – Call for Specific Trip Dates
Departs from Kokopelli’s Santa Fe Office or Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center.
*Prices do not include taxes or federal user fees.