In addition to our great family Lower Animas Rafting trips, we offer some extras on the River of Lost Souls including:

Inflatable Kayaks – The Next Level of Excitement

Inflatable KayaksRide the Animas in an inflatable kayak & go for the next level of excitement! Great for First Timers, accompanied by a professional Guide! Easy to Learn! Goose the river for more fun all summer long! In the spring when the water is high, you’ll be in for the ride of your life; when the water level drops later in the summer you can get more thrills from your journey down the “River of Lost Souls”.

More Fun – More Adventure!

Ride the river in an inflatable kayak and move up to the next level of excitement! Safe, fun and suitable for vacationers in search of adventure, this is your opportunity to get more challenge and freedom when you ride the waves. You can even paddle alongside one of our rafts as your spouse floats with the family at the same time. Are you ready? Let’s go. Book your “Duckie” trip now!

Safe and Easy!

Our professional boatmen will take you through a thorough equipment check and river safety course. That’s it, and you’re on your way. We provide the kayak, paddle, life jacket and helmet. Rental warm packages ($15.00) are available all summer and are required during high water.

Times and Rates

We run economy trips daily throughout the summer. Economy schedules are listed on our Lower Animas page. Give us a call and we’ll work out a reservation that best fits your schedule, or stop by our downtown booth and get set up in person. It’s that easy!

BSA Whitewater Merit Badge

Lower Animas BSA

Mountain Waters Rafting is proud to help Boy Scouts obtain their White Water Merit Badge. A full-day rafting trip at Mountain Waters Rafting will allow scouts to complete requirements 4-14 of the White Water Merit Badge.

We start the Boy Scout version of our trip at 9 A.M. (our regular full day starts at 10:00 AM). The first hour is used to cover definitions and terms. We may or may not see all of the items covered in the merit badge requirements on the river. The time of the year and the water level will make many of our decisions for us.You can save $5 if you bring your own lunch.

Lower Animas Merit BadgeMountain Waters Rafting uses paddleboats, oar boats, and inflatable kayaks (kayak usage depends on water and air temperature and the age and maturity of the scouts and availability of guides).

The trip leaders of the Boy Scouts full-day trip are professional school teachers or guides who have had children in Scouts.

Group rates are available and Scouts can save an additional $5 per person

by bringing their own lunch.


Contact our Group Coordinator to book your troop’s trip.

Lower Animas BSA

Boy Scout Merit Badge Requirements

Read this letter from Scoutmaster Thomas R. Baltes relating his troop’s appreciation of our Merit Badge program trip.

Mr. Casey Lynch
Mountain Waters Rafting, Inc
Durango, CO

Dear Mr. Lynch,

Thanks so much for the fantastic rafting trip you provided our Troop 166 Boy Scouts and adults in May 2002. Your handpicked guides, Josh Bramble and Tony Sollars, were outstanding. They were excellent mentors to our 11 Scouts, helping them all to earn the Rafting merit badge. From beginning to end they ensured our whole crew rafted and kayaked safely, while providing exciting solo and dual kayak rides through the rapids of the Animas River. Their exceptional skills as rafting and kayak guides enabled each of us to enjoy activities tailored to our individual skills.

The equipment you provided was superb, including the rafts, kayaks, and individual wetsuits. Likewise, we were all delighted with the wonderful lunch you provided on the edge of the river, where we took in the contrasting beauty of the city park and mountain backdrop. Additionally, the action photos your crew snapped as we came screaming through the rapids captured the exhilaration-and maybe a little of the fear-we all experienced throughout the day.

For our boys and adults alike it was an experience of a lifetime and for some it was the catalyst to push toward even greater adventures. From the youngest Scout to the oldest adult, we all agreed this was the most exciting and memorable outing of the year. Thank you for providing a world-class whitewater rafting experience. You can count on Troop 166 repeating this adventure over and over again with your company.

Yours in Scouting,

Thomas R. Baltes
Assistant Scoutmaster