Colorado River
The amazing Colorado River, its name meaning "colored red", is approximately 1,450 miles long, and stretches through seven different western states plus Mexico!
With all of its strength, power and beauty, it's also widely used for its water supply to help produce electrical power and provides water to cities and farms. Colorado River serves about
25 million people! Officials have calculated that there is a two-year water supply that could be used for human existence held behind the Hoover Dam.
Colorado River rafting and inflatable kayaking - large image
What makes it such an extraordinary river is that it flows through three major deserts before emptying in the west. The upper and middle sections of the Colorado River
cut an awesome maze of gorges that run deep, with help from all of its off-shoots from the west such as the Green River, the Dirty Devil, the Virgin,
the Kanab, the Escalante River, and Paria River; and its eastern contributors such as the San Juan, the Dolores, Little Colorado, and the Gunnison River. It cuts through the Mohave on the western
side and the Sonoran on the eastern side to end in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez).
Land has been affected for millions of years by the Colorado River, definitely leaving its mark! Great chasms have been carved along its course. Although the Grand Canyon is the largest, as
the Colorado River flows from about 10,000 feet above sea level in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the volume of water in the Cataract Canyon is natural
and much higher in May and June than the Grand Canyon.
Colorado River rafting trip launch - large image
There's quite a variety in the flow of the Colorado River. Some sections are calm and serene
and are great for relaxing floats and inflatable kayaking adventures. Some sections are packed with rapids, otherwise known as whitewater, for the adventurous
outdoor expeditions as found in the Cataract Canyons, one of America's most rugged and beautiful canyons. The Colorado River consists of many more calm
sections than rapids, but the canyonlands that can be experienced through the rapids are an awesome sight to be seen and a unique experience to be had!
Many of the remote locations can only be accessed by river, so unless you are rafting down the river, you would never experience the spectacular massive rock formations, eagles soaring in
the sky, coyotes running along the top of the canyon wall, the beavers diving in at the edge, old mines and shanty-towns, and so much more!
Discover the breathtaking beauty of the wilderness on your next Colorado River rafting and inflatable kayaking adventure!
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- View more Colorado River rafting and inflatable kayaking photos in our Photo Gallery.
If you have some great photos from one of our trips and would like them added to our new photo album, please send them to info@adventureboundusa.com
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