Thanks for all the great comments. If there are any rafting topics you’d like to hear more about, definitely let us know.

In the meantime, check back for regular postings and stop by our Breckenridge office on Labor Day Weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) for 20% off everything in the store. We’ll also have bikes, rafts and duckies (inflatable kayaks) for sale.

As we work to expand our travel tips and whitewater questions sections this winter, we’ll be seeking out some guest posts. And maybe next season we’ll get enough time off the water to keep you posted on river flows and other Colorado rafting news throughout the season!

The Colorado Adventure Center, home to Highside Adventure Tours and Good Times Rafting, officially opened its doors for the season. As long-standing Colorado whitewater rafting companies, we expanded our reach several seasons ago with the addition of Breckenridge bike rentals and a Vail Pass Shuttle bike trip.

Now, with raft trips still at the forefront, the Colorado Adventure Center can help guests book bike, horseback and fishing trips, as well as a variety of other summer activities, including gold mine tours, guided ATV rides, jeep rentals and more.

Our new rafting headquarters sits at 210 North Main Street in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado. This fall we put some major elbow grease into restoring the building, which is included on the Breckenridge Historic Alliance’s free walking tour. We’ll be launching a historic bike tour in celebration of the town’s 150th anniversary. Keep your ears open for info on the Colorado Adventure Center’s grand opening, which will include free activites, music, demos and more.

As Breckenridge’s only rafting company on Main Street, we run four different rivers throughout Colorado and offer two raft trips that meet at our downtown Breck location. When you stop by for information on Colorado rafting, don’t be shy. The new information center can help you find a vet for your dog, a cake for your friend’s birthday, the best trails to hike during mud season and of course, who makes the best margaritas in Breckenridge. (Stop by to find out!)

When we look out the windows of our sweet new Breckenridge, Colorado rafting office we see the ski slopes spread out before us. And we take it as a good sign that there’s plenty of white gold sittin’ on them ther’ hills. More snow equals more whitewater, better rafting and amazing rapids on rivers across Colorado.

Just ask our president. (The president of our rafting company, that is.) He was recently quoted in our local paper about the upcoming whitewater season here in Colorado. He even does the math on the cost of sitting in a dark movie theater for 2 hours vs. whitewater rafting. It’s an easy choice, if you ask us. Read the entire article here: http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20090513/SPORTS/905139947&parentprofile=search

And, for the record … the new Breckenridge office isn’t exactly new. What we call our new rafting headquarters is really about 95 years old. But more on that later.

The entire U.S. national whitewater team lives in Colorado and shortly they’ll be making the trip to Bosnia for the 2009 World Rafting Championships. Though most Coloradans won’t be following them around the world, don’t be surprised to catch a glimpse of the national rafting team right here in Colorado.

The World Championships, which run May 17-24, include several different disciplines and will draw compeitiors from Brazil, Bulgaria, Japan and beyond. http://www.2009wrc.com/�

As we get closer to spring/summer (and rafting season!), we continue to hear more and more about lodging deals for Colorado vacationers. But no room discount can come close to the cash you’ll save if you camp during your Colorado rafting vacation. In the second post of our three-part piece on camping in Colorado, we’ll cover camping options in and around Idaho Springs. The town is home to our Clear Creek office, which sets up whitewater rafting trips for all experience levels.

Idaho Springs Camping
Since there’s so much to do in Idaho Springs, aside from amazing whitewater rafting on Clear Creek, you may want to stay awhile. If your stay involves camping rather than lodging, you could save the family a bundle.

In-town RV Parks
If you’re looking for a place in downtown Idaho Springs to park the RV, you have two options. Indian Springs Hot Springs Resort offers a campground that features water and electrical hookups. Campers receive discounts toward baths and pool. Cottonwood RV Campground can accommodate large RV’s but does not allow tents.

To save even more money on your Colorado rafting vacation, dispersed camping or national forest sites are usually a cheaper way to go. At the foot of Mount Evans Highway (State Highway 103) sits the USFS Clear Creek Ranger Station. Here, you’ll find great information on local trails, campgrounds, scenic areas, picnic spots and more. Some of our favorite developed USFS campgrounds in the Clear Creek Ranger District include

• West Chicago Creek: Popular for both tents and smaller RV’s, this campground features well water, vault toilets and a day picnic area. At only $13/night, it’s a great deal, especially considering there’s a hiking trailhead inside the campground.
• Mizpah: Closer to Empire than Idaho Springs, this 11-site campground sits near plenty of fishing and mountain bike opportunities, so it’s perfect for those who want to add a little adventure to their Colorado rafting vacation.
• Echo Lake: Expect amazing views of Mount Evans at this 18-site campground. It’s the perfect starting point for both scenic drives and major backcountry hikes. Vault toilets and well water are available.

For more campgrounds in the Clear Creek Ranger District, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/recreation/camping-picnicking/developed/district/index.shtml and scroll down to the Clear Creek section. Many campgrounds in this district are near other historic Colorado towns, including Georgetown and Central City. Most are popular, so make reservations if available.

With so much forest area surrounding Idaho Springs, Colorado, it’s easy to find good dispersed camping. Ask at the Ranger Station for any rules or updates regarding dispersed camping.

Gas prices go up every summer, we all know that. So maybe before you pack up the car for a summer roadtrip adventure, think about how you’ll be getting to Colorado for this year’s whitewater rafting vacation.

From Reuters to The Washington Post, news sources across the country are reporting on cheap airline tickets, all because of the airlines’ needs to fill seats. What this means for us is cheap travel to our favorite summer vacation spots, including Colorado.

A few things to remember when pricing flights for your summer rafting vacation in Colorado:

• Travel midweek: flights arriving and departing Tuesday-Thursday are often cheaper than weekend tickets.
• Investigate smaller airports: in Colorado, try flying to Colorado Springs instead of Denver. You may find better deals on flights and lodging, not to mention you’re closer to the Arkansas River.
• Pack lightly: many airlines now charge for any checked baggage. Keep it small to avoid fees.
• Be flexible: most airline websites allow you to chose a range of travel dates, which means you can search for the cheapest fare.
• Do your research: shop around for car rental and lodging companies. You may get a better deal just by calling and asking.

To read The Washington Post’s full article on Air Travel Deals, click here.

Raise your paddles! Highside Adventure Tours presents a Colorado whitewater rafting bash to benefit the Denver Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The day begins with a Clear Creek beginner raft trip, followed by a hearty BBQ lunch.

Whether with friends, family or neighbors, spend the day paddling for a cure in Idaho Springs, Colorado. $20 of each trip booked goes directly to the Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

WHAT: a springtime Colorado whitewater rafting bash
WHEN: Sunday, May 10 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Idaho Springs, CO
WHY: to benefit the Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
CALL: 800-997-3448
WEB: raftingcolorado.com

So we’re not sure how we could’ve forgotten one more GREAT CAMPING RESOURCE when planning your next Colorado rafting trip in Summit County/Breckenridge.

We linked you to the Dillon Ranger District website and told you what a great resource it is for area campground info. What we didn’t tell you is that the district operates a RANGER STATION in Silverthorne. They provide campground details, hiking trail and recreation information and great maps.

They’re located at 680 Blue River Pkwy: Silverthorne, CO 80498
(970) 468-5400

Many lodging companies are offering deals to get rooms booked. Still, the hands-down cheapest option out there for those planning Colorado rafting & road trips is camping.

In a three-part post, we’ll cover some of our favorite camp spots near our three Colorado rafting base camps: Breckenridge/Summit County, Idaho Springs and Buena Vista.

Breckenridge/Summit County Camping
Camping is not allowed within town limits. In many areas, street parking is not allowed between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. So where do we go?

• For the luxury RV experience and those seeking in-town convenience, Tiger Run RV Resort offers spots ranging from $37-$67/night, depending on the season.
• The Dillon Ranger District website has great information on campgrounds located near Lake Dillon (15-30 minutes from our Breckenridge office) and Green Mountain Reservoir (30-45 minutes from our Breckenridge office).
• For those who want a backcountry experience, (free) dispersed camping is available in the areas surrounding Breckenridge. Read more about dispersed camping in the Arapaho National Forest or dispersed camping in the Pike National Forest.

Due to removal of trees infested with pine beetle, some campgrounds are closed or have delayed openings for the 2009 season. As of spring 2009, the best bet for Summit County camping are the campgrounds located around Lake Dillon, which run about $17/night.

Because of so many closures, reservations (when available) are encouraged. Our favorites around Lake Dillon are Peak One campground and, for large groups, Windy Point campground.

For detailed info on National Forest Campgrounds throughout Colorado, visit the USFS Colorado site, http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/recreation/camping/campgroundlist/#co.

Here in Colorado, you’ll hear a lot in the news about snowpack. From fly fishing companies to whitewater rafting outfitters, adventure companies often use snowpack reports to determine whether we’ll have a good water year. But what exactly is snowpack? And what effect does it have on Colorado’s whitewater rafting industry?

Essentially, snowpack is the accumulation of snow that piles up over the course of winter. But the gurus who give us reports don’t measure it in inches … they measure the amount of water in the snow, since that’s what feeds our rivers and fills our reservoirs here in Colorado.

Who are the gurus? The USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. For all you math junkies, here’s their definition of Snow Water Equivalent, a measurement sometimes used to forecast streamflows.

The NRCS has an in-depth snow survey program for the state of Colorado. They measure snowpack at some 70 sites across Colorado and they create daily, monthly and annual reports. Most often we hear about snowpack from news sources, and they’re usually reporting that the current snowpack is a percentage above or below average of what it should be.

As of March 30, 2009 many of Colorado’s river basins, including the Colorado and the Arkansas are at 90-129% of average. Though we lost some of the snowpack due to warm temperatures in late February and early April, recent storms have brought the averages back up. Colorado snowpack maps can be found on the NRCS website.

So how is the average snowpack determined? It’s based on a 30-year average of the maximum snowpack from each year, and the average is recalculated every 10 years. The number that NRCS uses today is based on the average snowpack from 1971-2000. In 2011, snowpack will be recalculated based on averages from 1981-2010.

And finally, what does this mean for Colorado rafting?!? When the snowpack is well above average, we can assume that we should have a pretty good water year, since there’s so much snow to melt into our rivers. And of course a below-average snowpack means we probably won’t be setting records.

But it doesn’t mean we won’t have good water. Cool temperatures in spring can make the snow melt slower, meaning Colorado’s rafting season could extend longer than usual. Afternoon showers, which are common in Colorado’s high country, could make good water last through October.

Our point? While snowpack totals high above average can indicate high water years, snowpack totals below average don’t mean you won’t have a great time rafting in Colorado.