AmeriCan Adventures

My family and I did the afternoon whitewater rafting trip with American Adventure Expeditions. Our main guide was Rob. He did a fantastic job keeping everyone safe and together. We had a great time! I would highly recommend American Adventure Expeditions for anyone looking to do the whitewater rafting adventure. If we ever end up back in town we would definitely do it again!

We had a great guide and a great time on the river!

We had an amazing time on the afternoon trip down the Numbers! It was non-stop excitement and our guide, Bowlin, was awesome and did a great job of getting us down the river. They take the COVID-19 situation seriously and have strict precautions including requiring masks when in large groups and they thoroughly wash all of the gear after every use. I would highly recommend getting outside and going rafting with AAE!

Friendly and responsive customer service, top notch equipment, skilled and knowledgeable guides, beer on tap and memories for a lifetime!
Thank you!!!

Our guide, Judd, was amazing. We'd rafted in Brown's Canyon before with another company, but didn't get to stop and jump off the cliff like we did with Judd. Our grandsons (from Germany) and their spouses were totally impressed!

This was my first Colorado Rafting experience, and AAE and the Arkansas River did not disappoint on our half day trip! I've had many adventures with canoeing and class II kayaking and off shore sailing, so not naive to water adventure. Great balance between excitement and control, enough that we didn't tip over, I got a face full of river blasts over and over, big adrenaline rushes, but also didn't fear drastically for my 8yr old's life if she followed our guide, Henry's, clear and concise instructions for safety and navigation. Would recommend to anyone with a penchant for adventure and family friendly atmosphere.
I think, in Henry, we got one of the best raft guides I could ever have hoped for!
AAE made it a very affordable adventure.
Thanks.

This was the best rafting experience I have ever experienced! Everything was perfect and really fun. Garrett our guide was amazing. Thank you for the fun trip hope to see these guys again!

Excellent experience! These guys do a fantastic job! They are friendly, knowledgeable, safe and fun! My boyfriend and I will come back in June when the water is higher but still in August it was a blast. Our guide was Spencer and he was awesome! Shawn and our driver were great too.

The entire staff was knowledgeable, friendly and fun! The rapids were great and so was the post lunch and beers! Meg was a phenomenal guide who made us amateurs look like pros!

Trevor, Kevin, Rye, and Levi were all AWESOME!!! Had the Best time with them as our groups rafting guides!!! We had Trevor and he was hilarious!! Will definitely be coming back!! Highly recommend this company and staff!!!

My boyfriend and I had the opportunity to go rafting with Rye. I highly recommend him if you would like an exciting tour. He knew anything and everything about the area and constantly was cluing us in with facts about our surroundings. The tour started off with some "level 2" rapids and steadily increased up to levels 3 and 4! We were never bored but at the same time, never felt unsafe. We stopped for a tasty lunch and then finished the rest of the afternoon. HIGHLY recommend!!! We definitely plan on returning for another trip with AAE and Rye!

Best rafting experience I've had. These guys are awesome! Experienced guides, tons of fun, and some of the best whitewater in North America. We did browns canyon with Russell and the numbers with Bowlin, 10/10 would recommend to anyone!

Super fun time! It happened to be the last trip of the season so water was low, we did a level 3 but was very simple due to the slow water. Can t wait to go back during peak when the water is higher. Jordan was an awesome guide! Super chill and fun to be around! Deff wouldn t want any other guide. Hope she s there when we return next year!

Our rafting trip exceeded our expectations. Our guide, Mark's enthusiasm was infectious and we enjoyed learning about river navigation and about Brown's canyon. When we got to the end of our trip and saw the big rafting companies pulling out of the river, we were so glad to have signed on with a smaller organization. The staff at the shop were great too. Thank you.

A great company. All the guides seem to be very well trained!

Great staff and awesome guides! Definitely recommend going on the "numbers" course if you want more excitement!

Best on the river. Kieran is our man from Ireland! Great day on the river!

Great rafting trip! Wonderful day with our family!

A group of 12 came out during a family reunion in salida. AAE had everything we needed, the base camp was nice and the staff were super friendly and informative. Experienced and first time rafters in the group had great time.

Amazing rafting trip with very experienced and kind guides

Had a great time on the numbers Bolwin was a great guide definitely will be back the only thing I could say is the pictures are definitely overpriced I think 30$ for the set would be a little more worth the money but overall it s a great time!

Our guide, Mark, showed us a great time on our Numbers trip. We got soaked, had a blast, and learned that we can row in sync.:) Weather was sunny and warm, water was cold, wetsuits were appreciated!

Everyone was great! The staff was very helpful as it was our first time rafting. I would go again in a heart beat!

So much fun! Our guide, Chad, was awesome! They provide you with everything you need! Everyone was very friendly and knowledgeable! Highly recommend!

EDIT 2019-08-10:. Been here twice this year! In July with Pat and today with Dylan. Both excellent and fun guides! July was insane with 3500 CFS but today was closer to 1000. I am still amazed at the fun and professionalism that these folks deliver while on and off the river. We're excited to keep coming back!

Trevor was an excellent guide down Brown's Canyon today. He's easy to talk to, great at directions, and completely excellent at not getting anyone killed. We had a wonderful time and good humor and advice ensured we had a great rafting experience. Everyone we worked with to get set up for our large group, get fitted, and drive out to the location was friendly, professional and fun. Definitely check out this place and see why it has great reviews and why the Browns Canyon is one of the most visited rafting locations around!

The people at AAE are awesome and the rafting was amazing! Be sure to do the 3/4 day at least. Ask for Matt he was awesome.

We had a blast rafting in Brown's Canyon. Full day trip with family, just enough excitement for our teens and fun for the adults. A little bit of wetness and a whole lot of laughs. Great guide with information as we traveled down the river, explaining what our part was to successfully navigate the rapids. We will be back next year.

Did a float trip on August 15. Aaron our guide made the trip outstanding. Very easy going fella. He fit right in with the family by the end.

SO MUCH FUN!!! Do it, if you re scared, the guides are there to make it an entertaining and controlled experience. We had a great day on the river, totally worth it.

We had a great time on the 3hr Browns Canyon Rafting Trip. Our guide, Jordyn, was awesome and very informative, and extremely helpful. She made the trip down the river fun and safe for our party. Everyone in my party said they wouldnt hesitate to use AAE again for their next trip. I would even try the next class up of rapids. Highly recommend!

We had a great time rafting with AAE. Our guide, Aaron, was phenomenal. Safe, fun, exciting and great views of Browns Canyon!

American Adventure Expeditions is hands-down the best rafting outfitter in the state. I've gone on a number of trips with AAE over the years and without exception their guides, gear, shop, and customer service are top notch. To top it off, the stretches of the Arkansas they guide on are absolutely stunning and places nobody should miss.

Great raft trip today! Turned out to be last one for season with AAE as water level will be too low for great rafting that they deliver. Guide was Dylan and what a super guide he was! Great fun and navigating skill. The whole team was great. We had a ton of fun today!

We had a great day on the river with Robby! It was fun and exciting. Robby was very friendly and knowledgeable. We did the 13 mile, 1/2 day raft down Brown's Canyon with lunch then hotsprings. Great combo trip. Robby was not only our guide for the rafting, but also cooked us lunch!
Great time!

Great trip with AAE yesterday. Our guide Griffin was an old pro at navigating the river, keeping us off the rocks and in the boat but with enough whitewater to make the trip exciting and very wet. Would definitely go with them again on another whitewater rafting trip and recommend them to anyone who is looking to do the same.

We had a great time on the water (Browns Canyon Half Day) and really enjoyed the trip -- the experience was fun, safe, exciting, and a good value for the money. We had Allison for our guide and she did a fantastic job -- in fact her boyfriend (and head trainer) Aaron joined us since we had 3 for the boat and needed a bit of weight distribution. The rapids were much better than Big Horn Sheep Canyon and a longer ride. Will definitely do this again with them. Thanks AAE!!!!

Awesome .Will be back for sure our .Guide Henry was interesting keep it fun and safe .Even save my daughter Britney wen she fell out in the rapids

I need to give a HUGE shout out to Tom our rafting guide. Two mamas and 4 kiddos took the rafting trip on August 12th. My heart was pounding so hard. I had never done this and it was way out of my comfort zone. Tom was such a wonderful guide. Clear instructions, calm voice, and told us about interesting spots along the way. If you are considering an exciting whitewater rafting excursion, this place is where you want to book your adventure!!!! Thank you so much for the excitement, the laughs, and the experience you provided to allow me to have so much fun and not freak out!!!!

loved the crew and the experience. We did the full day and morning was nice and relaxing with lots of sight seeing and a little action to keep things moving along. afternoon was more action and adrenaline running. lunch provided was also very good. (hamburgers (meat substitute also provided if preferred) , chips, fruit, lemonade) everyone was very nice and the guides were informative but also down to earth and pleasant.

Had an awesome experience today with our young kids. Judd was a great guide and he was good with the kids. Loved our rafting trip and the people at AAE. Will definitely use them for our next trip.

We had a blast doing the fractions part of the river! Aaron, our guide, made us feel safe and prepared for the higher waters we were experiencing! It was the perfect mix of adrenaline and all around good fun! We will certainly plan our next rafting trip with American Adventure Expeditions again! Thanks for the fun!

Kevin guided my group down the Browns Canyon and did a fantastic job. He was very friendly and knowledgeable and taught us a lot about rafting while still making things very enjoyable. Would highly recommend Kevin as a guide with American River Expeditions!

Trevor Van led me, my wife, and 3 daughters (13,11, and 9) down the river and it was an amazing experience! He was constantly checking on the girls to make sure they were OK but yet didn t back away from the challenges in front of us. In fact, we hit them straight on and gave the entire family an experience we ll never forget. Thanks for making our first rafting experience a great one!

Our family had a great time on our rafting tour. Our kids enjoyed every minute of it and our guide, Rye, was so patient and knowledgeable with us and our kiddos (ages 7,7,9). We highly recommend this rafting company and we will be back again!

Great times for a fair price. Our tour guide was the best, ask for Ry!

We had a group of 19, and they handled us well. We had 3 boats. My boat, which had most of the adults in it, flipped. Although it all happened in a flash to me, you could tell our guide was well trained. It happened at zume flume, where they take your pics. The photographer captured several shots of the whole situation. It showed our guide climbing to high side to keep it from flipping, while everyone else slid to the bottom causing it to flip. He had the situation well under control, as did the other rafts which stopped to help. It was an amazing experience. It was our 4th ywar using this outfit, and this was the reason why.

Used them last week on our vacation. They were very friendly. The guides were great on our trip. The staff at the front desk even allowed me to use his GoPro clip to attach my camera to the helmet.

All of the staff were great but Robbie went above and beyond to make sure my rafting was safe and exciting! An amazing company for beginner and veteran rafters.

We did the Browns Canyon half day trip. Class III rapids turned out to be, in our opinion, the perfect level of adventure and risk/safety balance for our 10 and 12 year old (we were a bit apprehensive about taking them although they are good swimmers). Everyone wanted to keep going when we reached the pullout, so if time and money allow consider the full day trip. Guide Levi was great - we felt safe in good hands and enjoyed his insights into the river, scenery, and Colorado life. Bonus points for his recommendation of Huron Peak for our next 14er, which we enjoyed climbing a couple days later! I've rafted with other companies before, and I like the smaller size and more personal feel of American Adventure. That, and the COVID limitation to small family groups, made for a great day on the river. Highly recommended.

The favorite part of our Colorado vacation! Tess was a fantastic guide! Will definitely do again!

My friends and I had an AWESOME time with American Adventure Expeditions! Our guide, Meg, was sooo great and showed us a really good/safe time. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Buena Vista. My ONLY complaint in that the wet suits are in HORRIBLE shape. Mine had a huge hole in the knee and no butt...a little scary putting it on as a first timer. The company should really update their equipment, since we're paying to rent.

The guides and location made it the best experiences that my 8 anf 10 yr old have had, and asked to do it again right after we got back.

I had friends visiting from out of town and we had a wonderful time! Very professional, safe, and fun team! Rye was our guide and he took very good care of us. The route was the perfect amount of fun and waves. I would highly recommend American Adeventures!

I'm a returning guest. This was my 3rd trip in only 2 months. That pretty much sums up how amazing my experiences with AAE have been. Everyone from the interior at the outpost to the guides and drivers are top notch!! My driver, once again Bobbi, AKA Tan Santa, is always friendly and entertaining. My 3rd time guide, and now friend, Tyler was OUTSTANDING as usual. His experience and professionalism make for thrilling and safe trip. I have been with other companies, but none have I returned to except for AAE. I highly recommend them for your next trip.

Tron was an amazing guide! He informed us well of what to expect beforehand. During the trip, we had a blast but remained safe. We will request him next time!

we were visiting from texas and didn t realize AAE was 2 hours from our hotel so we were extremely late but regardless, the staff of AAE was super professional and welcoming. our guide was mark who was a 10 year vet for the company and he was super awesome! he knew his way around the arkansas and made the ride super fun. i would totally recommend this rafting experience for everyone but especially first timers. thank you for the great experience. - the webbs

Amazing experience, props to my man Spencer, he was an amazing guide, he had lots of interesting history to share about everything in sight.

This place is AWESOME! We did the Browns Classic and Chad was our guide. Chad was phenomenal! His knowledge of the waters and area is unmatched. You can very clearly see the passion he has in his job. Highly recommend!!

Great staff, super friendly. Had an amazing time. Henry was the best. So glad we didn't tip over.

I ve rafted all over the country! AAE is the best experience I ve had. This was my 6th time rafting with them. The whole family had a blast.

Absolutely an awesome experience!!! If your in Colorado and wanting to go rafting this is the Place hands down!!! Our raft guides name was Chad and he was awesome very knowledgable, safe,fun and just all around an awesome guy!!!
Highly reccomended!!

We had a great time! Dan was awesome. This was our first whitewater trip but it won't be our last! Thanks!

We had a great experience with this company and our guide Bowlin. Most of our group was rafting for the first time and Bowlin was very helpful in understanding white water rafting while also guiding us through class 4 and 5 rapids. Would highly recommend this company to anyone.

Awesome rafting experience! I went with a group of friends (10 total). They put us in two rafts traveling together. My guide was Kayla, while the other raft got Ryan. Kayla was very knowledgeable about the surrounding areas, giving us a guided tour of all the landmarks. When things got exciting, and two of us fell out of the boat, she had everything under control and we were back safe in the raft very quickly. Ended up being a fun highlight of the trip. I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a rafting trip! Thank you Kayla and Ryan for an amazing experience!

We did the Numbers Deluxe Tour, which includes rafting Browns Canyon in the morning, lunch then rafting Numbers in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the water is very high right now, we we had to sub Fractions for Numbers. We can t say enough about our experience and the staff at AAE. Levi was our guide for both rafting portions. He is extremely knowledgeable and a genuinely nice guy. We felt very prepared for each rapid. The lunch, burgers and fresh out of the oven cookies, was surprisingly good. For the Fractions portion, we were the only raft, but we had a safety kayaker join us (joins all advanced tours and/or tours with only one raft). We also had two off-duty guides join our party, which was great. Our raft did flip over during the Fractions, but we all were very well prepared for this; we knew what to do. Levi had the raft flipped back over within seconds and within a minute or two, everyone had gotten back to the raft. This is rare and absolutely will not deter me from rafting again. I appreciated the safety kayaker, as he was able to pull two people back to the raft. For the advanced tours, in case someone falls off the raft or the raft tips, I highly encourage you being at least a relatively good swimmer. We had to swim through rapids to hook back up with the raft and with the water temperature, life preserver and strength of the rapid, it was relatively difficult to do so. Don t let that discourage you! Just a forewarning.

Highly recommend! I would say to ask for Levi, but all of the guides were wonderful, so you won t go wrong!

This company and group were amazing. They were super helpful and safety was very important to them, which was great seeing how we did one of the most challenging sections. I would highly recommend them if you want to go whitewater rafting.

My fourth rafting trip with AAE over the past 20 years (first time with AAE for my wife). Each trip was led by a very knowledgeable, capable, highly skilled and friendly guide. Front office is friendly and accommodating. Can't go wrong with this group.

Absolutely amazing! From the start to finish staff was welcoming, friendly and (most importantly) super helpful!

I recommend renting water suits, shoes, splash coat, etc. Since the water is FREEZING!

Shout out to our guides: Sean & Sean and Bowling! You guys were awesome and made the adventure that much more fun! (And SAFE!)

Thanks everyone for a great first experience!

Awesome adventure with family. Our river guide, Olivia, was awesome!!

What an amazing experience with these guys! A group of friends and I rode The Numbers on the Arkansas River last Saturday. We had two newbies in our group of six who were a little nervous about their first experience. The folks at American Adventure Expeditions made sure to address any concerns and they were both excited to get started when we jumped in the boat. Our guide, Andrew, and safety kayak, Levi, did an awesome job of keeping it fun when it needed to be fun and serious when it needed to be serious. The trip wouldn't have been the same without them! We even had the opportunity to meet the owner, Mike, who was as willing to assist as any of the other staff. Overall, a great experience and a great time with friends!

My fiance and I had an unforgettable experience white water rafting with American Adventure Expeditions. Our guide Levi was fun, knowledgeable and made the entire day on the river the perfect blend of relaxing and exciting. If you're thinking of going rafting stop looking and book a tour with AAE. You get what you pay for and you will not regret going with AAE!!!

We had a fantastic time and will be back again next year. I was very nervous about rafting with the rivers running so fast and high this year. Mike, the owner, was very nice and very upfront about the faster rapids and unsolicitedly offered us a trip with calmer waters. We decided to stick with our original trip and I'm glad we did. Chad, or guide, was knowledgeable, confident and friendly. Before each section of rapids, he explained what we'd experience and what he'd be calling out for us to do. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and professional - they take what they do very seriously but have fun while they're doing it. They were organized and had great gear. Every rafter after their run down the rapids had a smile on their face.

Awesome Rafting, Allison was a great Tour guide, made us feel safe the entire 2 hour tour, she s knowledgeable, friendly and kind. She was great with the teens and my 10 year old. We had a blast safe experience

PROS
GREAT GUIDES
-- The trip was amazing!
-- Rayni our guide made this trip a memorable one, we've been back 4 times previous to this trip, she's the best guide so far
-- The rafting equipment was very well kept, and in good condition
-- Some discounts available for repeat customers

CONS
-- Some of the counter customer service is rather poor
-- Nickel and dime for everything under the sun
-- Expect to get gouged for pictures

I would have given this 5 starts but the gentleman behind the counter was exceptionally rude and dismissive. I brought my OWN GoPro and simply asked if they wouldn't mind leasing out a plastic screw so I could mount my GoPro to a helmet. I didn't ask for free, I expected to pay, but was told rather sternly and rudely that they wont do that and that I had to rent their GoPro entirely.

I have been here multiple times with multiple family members (we were a group of 8 this trip) the way I was treated, and absurdity of this (rule) made me feel like gouging customers for pictures or video was the real goal. Based on this experience I was left feeling like my business was unnecessary, and unappreciated, and I wasn't spending enough. If the gentleman behind the counter was my employee I would have fired them for how I was treated. Based on this recent experience I will probably never come back, nor would I recommend them to anyone else.

It's obvious this company has become too big to be concerned about taking care of people and more concerned for fleecing every customer for as much $$ as possible.

There are a multitude of other competing companies out there all with great guides, and on the same stretch of river, I recommend anyone looking for a good service find a place where you are appreciated as a customer, not taken advantage of.

I don't normally leave reviews like this for anyone, but this is the second time I experienced this poor customer service from this particular company so I feel like it is warranted.

A great day on the river! After Monument Rafting over book and didn't honor our reservation, AAE not only got us on the river, but offered us a great rate and threw in the wetsuits and splash jackets! Our guide Ben made it funny, exciting, informative and safe for everyone. And they are the first rafting company we found had a WC accessible bus! Perfect day!!!!

Kayla did an amazing job. We were all so nervous. She had us feeling like champs as soon as we got into the water!!

We had an awesome time rafting here! Our guide, Chad, was great! He made us feel comfortable as it was our first time rafting. He was also very knowledgeable of the history of the area and gave us a lot of information about the river. We will definitely be going back and rafting here again!

awesome time I always use these guys, the guides are hilarious and they're living the dream.

Amazing !!! Would definitely be back, the staff, the equipment, the location were al a 10/10
I recommend to anyone who is looking for some amazing views and amazing time to book with them.
Thanks for giving us the best experience

Had a blast on the Browns Canyon trip! We ve gone WWR a number of times with our family at other places - and this was by far the most fun and beautiful adventure! I felt super confident with our guide and keeping our family safe while also providing a really fun experience!

We had an incredible time on the water with our family of six (four adults and two kids 7 & 9) today! Tyler was our guide, and we could not recommend him higher! We sojourned on the three hour Brown's Canyon Classic and cannot say enough kind things about AAE and Tyler! Tyler was knowledgeable, an incredible teacher, and insanely patient with our kiddos. Most of all, everyone felt safe and had a blast! We hope to go back again very soon!

Once we got on the River, I felt my life was safe with Levi as our Expert Guide. He was Professional, Smart and we had the time of our lives. All the staff was top notch. Good job!

We had a blast!! They were more than accommodating when planning and scheduling our day. Due to Covid they provided a private tour with our guide which we really loved! Our guide/staff was amazing telling us all about Browns Canyon. We highly recommend this company. We definitely will be back!!

Our guide was Irish Sean :D he made sure to give us a great rafting experience full of fun and adventure while making sure our safety was taken care of! Best guide for sure!!

Best rafting Place on earth!!! Andrew was an amazing guide!!!

Wonderful!!! Very well organized and Katie was the best guide! Browns cabin was breathtaking (so was the cold water!!). Did the full day and it was just the right length with a delicious lunch along the river along the way. We will definitely return!