Bouncing Around the Animas River

by Raymond Majewski
(Monroe Twp, NJ)

The Animas River, located near Durango at the west end of Colorado, easily defines some of the most roughest whitewater in the United States. It rivals the world-class Gauley River in West Virginia in terms of rapid technicality and frigid water.

This is a river that’s not for the faint of heart, for it is a Class V gem that can twist and contort inflatable rafts in ways no other river can. This is a river that features tight slots that will send even the smallest of rafts nearly standing on end, its floor scraping the side rocks as it plunges down into a massive hole. Tight maneuvering is a required must, and this river will have you bouncing in ways you never thought were possible.

A number of companies located in the Durango area, such as Mild 2 Wild, that offer trips on the Upper Animas River. Some trips even include a ride on the Durango-Silverton train, whose visionary sights will easily take your breath away. This area is by far one of the most beautiful and most pristine in the country, and the canyon is as rugged and cantankerous as the mighty river that carved the canyon.

This is a river for those who want it rough, and this river knows how to play rough. You won’t get the same playful rapids as that which exists on the Lower Animas on the Upper. Once you have dared the Upper Animas, then no other river you run will ever feel the same.