Golden may be known for attracting some of the craziest adrenaline junkies in the world, but Glacier Rafting is making sure that people looking for a more relaxing trip down the rivers can still have fun right here in Golden.
Starting this year, Glacier is taking rafts down the Blaeberry River, offering rafters a casual, scenic trip down the river with the Blaeberry Explorer. They still have to paddle, but won’t be navigating through the white water rapids you experience on the Kicking Horse River.
“You still do paddle, so it’s not quite a float. It’s a pretty windy river,” said Ryan Johannesen, owner of Glacier Rafting. “There’s some cool vertical walls right beside it in the canyon section. It’s about as wide as a street, with walls on each side, so it’s pretty cool.”
The trips also take the same route that David Thompson did when he came through, and down to the Columbia River. Glacier’s guides have learned some David Thompson history so the rafters can learn a little bit on their way down the river.
The Blaeberry River trips will be primarily in the evening, leaving around 4:30 p.m., and finishing around 8 p.m.
“The nice part about the evening run is that the sun is in a good spot, and it gets really scenic,” said Johannesen. “It’s pretty much a sunset trip.”
Johannesen and his guides have already seen quite a bit of wildlife on the route, including some black bears in the canyon section.
The more hard core rafters have no need to worry, Glacier Rafting has not forgotten about them. They have added another new route this year — an expedition overnight trip on the White River, close to Kootenay National Park.
“It gives you a real remote feeling, but the nice thing is you’re still vehicle supported,” said Johannesen.
This expedition lets you go out into the country, do some rafting on Class 2, 3, and 4 rapids, without having to worry about your gear and meals, which remain in the vehicle.
“There’s waterfalls coming in, there’s places to get out and hike. Every time I’ve been on that river I’ve seen a moose somewhere. It’s just a great experience,” said Johannesen.
To learn more about Glacier Rafting’s routes and rates, go to www.glacierraft.com.
