Taos Box – Full Day Trip

Janie C.

Safety First AND a sense of humor!
“Took a full day trip with Kokopelli Rafting yesterday and was very impressed. The last time I white water rafted was 12 years ago, but I’ll being doing much more now. Their staff is kind, flexible and really warm in the way they worked with me over ten days of changing plans. But the big news was they had helmets! I saw no less than two other rafting companies along the Rio Grande yesterday with NO helmets, so I got in a big conversation about safety with the owner, Kelly. This alone is reason to use Kokopelli, but we also had a blast with our female guide, Jesse, who was funny and well informed. OH, and just to add to our amazingly safe trip, we had a “safety boat” behind our little group of four women with FOUR MEN guides. This last bit may have been a fluke or training exercise for the guys, but it was so great!”

WillRocks

Best Day Ever
“My friends and I rafted the Taos Box with Kokopelli. I was initially really nervous about the rapids, but the guides explained everything thoroughly and I felt prepared and excited going into it. Our guide, Avery, was absolutely fantastic! She was funny and had all sorts of information to share about the area and the river. She knew the river like the back of her hand, and even while joking around and making the ride more fun, she always had her eyes on the water and I felt safe the whole time. The process, from pickup to loading, went extremely smoothly, and all of the guides were professional and well-organized.

The ride itself was heart pumping and exciting. Before every rapid, Avery took a few seconds to give us a bit of a preview so we had an idea of what commands she would call out when, as well as a brief picture of what we were headed in to. I would absolutely take a trip with Kokopelli again, and would 300% recommend it to anyone interested in adventure, water sports, family fun, or a weekend escape in New Mexico!”

sueG3338JA

Excellent adventure
“We rafted Taos Box the last week of June, 2016 and hit the sweet spot of timing where it’s warm enough not to wear wetsuits or splash gear, yet the water is still high and running fast enough to hit Class IV’s. Can’t say enough about Jesse, our guide. She was fun, funny and full of great stories, but more importantly she expertly guided us through exactly what we needed to do to make this a fun, but safe experience. We had first-timers to intermediate rafters and there were no worries about capability or safety as long as we listened to Jessie’s commands. What is indescribable though is the breathtaking beauty of this trip. This run through the mountain range is truly awesome. We loved it!”

Zita Pitcher

“We had a group of 15 friends and family run the Taos Box today, Sat. 06/18/16. It was a beautiful day and we could not have asked for better guides. It was exhilarating and sheer fun to hit that Class IV rapids. We were taught the basic safety and rafting skills and practiced together before we had lunch. After lunch we were running the rapids. It was sheer joy! This our second experience with Kokopelli and both adventures I would highly recommend. Many thanks to our skilled and friendly guides…”

Dave S.

“My son and I just made our second trip through the Taos Box with Kokopelli. They hit the right balance – big enough to be well-organized and well-trained, small enough that it doesn’t feel like a cattle-herding operation. The guides are alert and strict about safety, but fun and interesting too. And of course the waves and the scenery are amazing.”

The “Box,” perhaps the premier one-day wilderness trip in the US, contains the most advanced class IV 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 whitewater 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. Bighorn Sheep are almost always spotted on this incredible New Mexico raft trip.

The last two-and-a-half miles of the “Box” are known as the “Rio Bravo,” or wild river, section. Here we challenge one class III or IV rapid after another, then catch our breaths, before dropping into the grand finale, Sunset Rapid. This river rafting 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 13, 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, physically fit thrill-seeker, and features sections of continuous whitewater, especially during higher flows.

Trip Details

Price: $125 per person

Duration: 6-9 hours

Meeting Location: Kokopelli Rafting – Santa Fe, NM @ 07:45 AM
or Rio Grande Visitor Center – Pilar, NM @ 09:00 AM

Meeting Time: 7:45 AM or 9:00 AM

Difficulty: Class IV

2021 Season: This trip is unavailable in 2021 due to COVID-19

Includes: Guide, Gear, Transportation, and Lunch

Participant Requirements: Must be in generally good physical fitness, have the ability to brace yourself inside the raft, and paddle periodically as requested by the guide. Must be age 13 and up. Participants over 225 lbs in weight require additional screening.