Browns Canyon Half-Day Rafting plus Mountaintop Zipline from Buena Vista

Posted By : 535ralphi
We did the half-day Browns Canyon run. Being it was towards the end of the season, we were not honestly expecting much. However, we got lucky with a plenty of water flow to make for a great trip. Our guide, Shawn, was fantastic. Our raft was full of adults, so when we asked him to make our trip as exciting as possible, he did not fail. I would highly recommend AVA to anyone looking for a rafting trip. BTW, the guides made what would ordinarily being a boring bus ride actually enjoyable.
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Posted On : 2023-08-27

Posted By : Darroyo1210
Will our guide was really experienced and made our whitewater rafting trip amazing. I highly recommended it.
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Posted On : 2023-08-20

Posted By : U1690VWkenw
It was one of our most enjoyable vacations we have been on as a family. We had 12 people in our group and my wife, myself and our boys were so lucky to get fence as our guide! He really loves what he does, and it shows! He in’s a great guy and is very experienced! He really deserves a big pat on the back from you guys! The reservation was under the Hennen party. Thanks again to Fence and crew for a great trip!!!
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Posted On : 2023-08-14

Posted By : Explorer729558
Our family of four (2 adults and 2 teenagers) spent the day with the AVA team and had a wonderful experience. We started the morning with with a very short introduction to our zip lining gear by our expert guides, Gage and Jess, who made us feel very comfortable with the equipment and their experience and concern for our safety. Then after a short bus ride to our starting point, we did a very short, 5-7 minute hike to the first zip line. Jess and Gage continued to put us at ease and talked us through every step of our journey, that would consist of 6 different zip lines. There were 10 of us in our group, which meant we did have to wait a bit between zip lines. This was great for those of us that needed a few minutes for our heart rates to subside before getting to the next zip line, though may be a nuisance for those seeking more action-packed adventure. The zip lines themselves varied in height and speed, with the hardest being almost at the end. There is also a point at zip line 3 where the faint-of-heart could have opted to stop. Though no one in our group decided to do that, Jess and Gage continued to let us know that was an option. And after that point, they continued to encourage us and make us feel comfortable at every next zip line. At the end of our 2 hr. adventure, we headed back to the main site of AVA to return our gear, get some water, and have our lunch. We opted to partake of the lunch that was included in the day-long package of zip line in the morning and river rafting in the afternoon. The lunch consisted of the same turkey and cheese wrap for everyone, along with an apple, a chip bag, and a cookie in a bag (no drinks included). For anyone like us who have some picky eaters, this option may not work. And there is no food available for purchase at the AVA main site -- though they do sell water shoes, t-shirts, rash guards, shorts, and other sundries (sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, water bottles, etc.). We definitely should have brought our own food and snacks, as there also isn't any place within reasonable driving distance to grab something quick -- even though we did have about 90 - 120 minutes to wait before our rafting adventure started. The rafting adventure had a lot more participants involved -- around 10 boats with 6-8 people per boat. We were in a boat of 6 (along with a group of 2 that we had met earlier in our zip lining crew) . Chris was our guide for this adventure. He was also the leader of all the other guides. He was very talkative and very funny. We were provided at the start with helmets, personal flotation devices and an oar. There was option for a wetsuit or a splash jacked. Since it was fairly warm and sunny at the main AVA site, we did not opt for the wetsuit or the splash jacked. However, after we rode the 25 minutes to the starting point on our very run down school bus, some of us wished we had opted for the splash jacked, as the wind had picked up and the water was extremely cold. We all did get very, very wet at times. We only went through grade 1, 2 and 3 rapids, so nothing was super dangerous, and we never felt like we were in danger, but we all did get very wet. We paddled for about 10 miles, with Chris giving us lots of insights into the history of the canyon and telling funny jokes and asking us about ourselves. All-in-all a fun way to spend 4.5 hours of our afternoon, though some of us were frightfully cold at the end of it all. Thanks to AVA -- and especially Jess, Gage and Chris -- for a wonderful day!
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Posted On : 2023-08-11

Posted By : 30brennenw
We did the Class 3 rafting trip where our guide, Alex, did a good job navigating us down the river. She was personable, shared tidbits about the landmarks and let us have fun on the river. The half day afternoon rafting went from 1:30 to 6:00 where there was some bus and unloadingloading time. I was glad to get the 20 action photos afterwards for $66 ($3.30 per photo). There were Go-Pro mounts on the helmets, so bring yours if you have one. AVA was good about safety with their pre-trip video and then followed-up while on-site; the Class 3 trip was good for younger rafters. We had 4 adults and a 16-year-old where the only thing I'd do different would have been to go for the Class 4 rafting. So.... if you have big people, go for the big rapids! Overall, great experience and added to our vacation memories!
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Posted On : 2023-08-01

Posted By : F5280QJbeckyg
We have rafted so many rivers, and the experience is always dependent on your guide. They have to be knowledgeable and dependable. Brooks was both! He had so much information to share, and was great fun while we were on the water. Now we know what the gold standard is! Thanks to Brooks for a great trip and AVA for a great experience.
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Posted On : 2023-07-04

Posted By : 25kamim
This was such a wonderful experience! It was most of our group’s (my son & I and a family of 4) first time zip-lining and our whole group’s first time white water rafting. Ziplining was so fun! We felt so safe and had a blast! The views were beautiful! My only regret is not bringing my cell phone for pics/videos. We could’ve easily zipped them up in pants or a jacket - but the rules were to not bring our cell phones. We were thankful for our guide taking one pic of us, but would’ve loved more. Sarah and Tripp were amazing! So fun! Rafting was more fun than scary (once we got on the river), our guide, Gunner, was superb! My son was feeling sick on the trip and Gunner was so kind and helpful. He led our team down Brown’s canyon with expertise and fun! We had a blast! It was fun, challenging, and exciting! We were very cold- I was grateful for the recommendation to buy the skuba-socks at the lodge. My only recommendation is to provide more information on what to wear. We wore swim suits under the provided skuba suits and jackets with life jackets and helmets. I think I would’ve loved a waterproof long sleeved top as well. (If expected colder and rainy weather.) Overall, this was such a great experience and we can’t wait to come back!
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Posted On : 2023-06-14

Posted By : U2355FYstephenl
Every part of the experience was amazing! Erico was an awesome guide, very knowledgeable and engaging. Our safety kayaker Olivia was also great at making the route feel comfortable always keeping an eye out. All told, it made fire a for a very stress-free (but still intense enough for us first time riders) experience that I will definitely recommend for anyone visiting!
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Posted On : 2023-06-06

Posted By : wwbakerjr
Awesome day of family memories. Colby and Sydney were great on the zip line course, and Grant was awesome on the rafting trip. This combo, including lunch, was a perfect family adventure. Both were fun and exciting without being too much for our 11 and 10 yo.
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Posted On : 2022-08-16

Posted By : Woody D
We had a great time ziplining at Buena Vista with AVA adventure tours. Guides were very supportive and friendly. Thanks
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Posted On : 2022-08-12