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Monday 7am - 7pm Tuesday 7am - 7pm Wednesday 7am - 7pm Thursday 7am - 7pm Friday 7am - 7pm Saturday 7am - 7pm Sunday 7am - 7pm

Independent Whitewater

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Salida, CO
Independent Whitewater

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Independent Whitewater is Salida's Local River Connection. Located right on the River, IW also operates The Drift In Bar and Grill. Call Now
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Since 1979, we raft the Arkansas River through Browns Canyon, The Numbers and float trips through Downtown Salida. Independent Whitewater is Salida's local river connection! Our wide variety of trips allows us to offer trips for all skill levels. Whether you’re scenic Salida floats, advanced whitewater rafting, or the longest half-day trip through Browns Canyon National Monument, we have a trip to fit your needs. Family-owned and operated, Independent Whitewater has been in business in Salida since 1979 and has a strong dedication to safety and good old-fashioned American fun. Come spend the day with Wiley and Mike, Independent Whitewater's owners, along with their highly trained and professional staff. Another great reason to raft with Independent Whitewater is that our Browns Canyon rafting trips end on private property, which means you'll beat the crowds and go through rapids that other rafting companies don't float on their half day trips. More Miles, More Smiles! Give us a call today to schedule your trip.

11/03/2026

You can go to guide school without actually wanting to become a guide.

Maybe you just want to understand whitewater better...

Read the river, control a boat, become more confident around moving water so that when your friends and family come to Salida to visit you can confidently take them downriver.

Guide training puts you on real Class III and IV sections of the Arkansas and gives you hands-on experience learning what experienced river people are actually looking at out there.

10/27/2026

We would like to remind everyone that short arms are a serious disadvantage when rowing. 🦖🛶

10/20/2026

You know that friend who plans the camping trip, checks the weather three times, carries extra snacks, tells everyone where to meet, and somehow stays calm when the entire plan goes sideways?

Yeah.

That person is already like 60% raft guide. 😂🛶

The other 40% involves learning how to read water, run a boat, keep your crew together, and make good decisions when the Arkansas decides to make things interesting. 🌊

We’re starting to look toward 2027.

Know somebody who belongs in the back of one of these boats?

Tag ’em. 👇

10/13/2026

This is the part of the year where half the town is thinking about ski season and the other half is sitting beside the Arkansas pretending we have plenty of time.

Both are correct. 🌊😎

10/05/2026

Fall apparently comes with epic sunsets and wildlife wandering through. 🌅🦌

09/28/2026

Last night the music stopped, the kitchen closed, the chairs emptied out and the river kept moving through the dark. 🌙🌊

Kind of a perfect way to end the summer at the Drift In Bar and Grill .

This wasn’t a huge-water year. But somehow it became a huge people year.

Bands played, weddings happened, groups rolled through, families stayed for dinner, travelers became regulars for an afternoon, and all summer long people kept finding reasons to hang out by the Arkansas with us.

That’s the part we’ll remember.

Thanks for spending your summer with us, we already can’t wait to do it all again!

09/24/2026

Nobody really announces the last great summer afternoon. 🌅

You just realize later that it was the one where you sat by the river longer than expected, ordered another round of food, talked to somebody’s dog, watched the light disappear behind the trees and thought, yeah… this is pretty hard to beat. 🍔

So we’re not getting sentimental about it yet.

We’ve still got one final weekend to work with.

Friday through Sunday, 11 AM–8 PM.

09/21/2026

We checked with the neighborhood ducks. They said the duckies should stay out a little longer. 😂🦆

Seems like a pretty solid argument for one more weekend at the Drift In Bar and Grill . 🛶

09/18/2026

Grab a duckie, get some river time. Then snag some food, drinks and the sunset.

We're open today through Sunday, 11 AM to 8 PM. 🍔🛶

Weekend starts now. 😎🌊

09/10/2026

We’re not ready to call it yet.

Joe Waters plays his final show tomorrow night, the river is still here, and right now the duckies are a pretty great way to keep enjoying it. 🌊🎶

So while summer keeps giving us days like this, we’re going to keep taking them. 🍗😎

Address

10830 County Road 165
Salida, CO
81201

Opening Hours

Monday	7am - 7pm
Tuesday	7am - 7pm
Wednesday	7am - 7pm
Thursday	7am - 7pm
Friday	7am - 7pm
Saturday	7am - 7pm
Sunday	7am - 7pm

Telephone

+17195397737

Website

http://www.raftsalida.com/, https://www.tiktok.com/@independentwhitewater, https://www.instagram.com/independentwhitewat

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