Whitewater Rafting

Whitewater rafting’s latest news and product reviews. Paddling Life keeps you informed on what’s new in whitewater rafts, rafting competitions, rafting industry news, and much more.

Conservation

Salt River Hit Record 84,900 CFS During Southwest Floods

Arizona's Salt River hit a record flow from the massive rain event that pummeled the Southwest at the end of October. The old 1993 record...

Staff Post - November 5, 2026

Conservation

Grand Canyon Hits 50K? Not So Fast…(But San Juan Tops 41K!)

While rumors (and hydrograph readings) attested that the Grand Canyon reached a whopping 50,000 cfs on Oct. 22 due to epic, sinus-douching flooding in...

Eugene Buchanan - October 26, 2026

Films & Books

Only Music: Snake River Screens at Banff Film Fest (21-day River Trip, with No Food or Money)

Imagine hopping on a raft with your musician buddies with no food or money, just your guitars, and then spending 21 days running the...

Staff Post - October 22, 2026

Destinations

Paddling Peru’s Rio Yavero

Expedition kayaker and filmmaker John Armstrong made the first descent of Peru's Paucartambo River in 1983. Then he returned in 1985 to try and make a...

Eugene Buchanan - October 17, 2026

Conservation

Ken Sleight, River Guide Who Inspired Edward Abbey’s Seldom Seen Smith, Dies at 97

Ken Sleight, the river guide who inspired Edward Abbey's Seldom Seen Smith in "The Monkey Wrench Gang," has died at the age of 97...

Staff Post - October 4, 2026

Films & Books

Dustin, Scott Lindgren Work Water Magic to Film New “Redemption River” Video

There’s a new vid out highlighting Cali’s American River, billed as a faith-based survival thriller. Filmed among the rugged canyons and forests of Auburn and...

Staff Post - October 2, 2026

Events

That’s a Wrap: Our Man in the Field Reports Gauley Fest is “Beautiful Chaos”

That is Gauley Fest: a little intimidating, a little ridiculous, incredibly loud and absolutely unforgettable. Beautiful chaos on the Gauley.

Staff Post - September 25, 2026

Whitewater Rafting

Strange But True: SOTAR Sets Raft-Stack Record!

Okay, so it might not exactly be in Guinness. But raft-maker SOTAR recently established what it’s calling a “world record raft stacking” feat, placing...

Staff Post - September 24, 2026

Events

Utah’s John Wesley Powell Museum to Induct 3 into River Runners Hall of Fame Oct. 2-3

For all you paddlers out there, the Powell Museum in Green River, Utah, is inducting three historically significant Colorado Plateau influencers to the River...

Staff Post - September 24, 2026

Whitewater Kayaking

Good Golly It’s Gauley Fest Time Sept 17-20!

Get ready for some of the best whitewater in the country (Initiation, Shipwreck and Pillow Rock ring a bell?) and arguably the paddling community's...

Eugene Buchanan - September 15, 2026

Accessories

Idaho’s Main Salmon River: A Family Trip Done Right (Plus Gear That Helped!)

With most private trips on a gem such as Idaho's Main Salmon River, your trip starts with an invite from a friend. After three...

Nick Hinds - September 14, 2026

Contests

Want a Free 6-Day Kayaking Trip to Costa Rica? Enter Amazing Vacations’ Sweepstakes!

Yes, you heard right. Want a free six-day kayaking trip to Costa Rica? Enter Amazing Vacations' Sweepstakes! They’re running an EPIC GIVEAWAY on their...

Staff Post - September 2, 2026

Destinations

Flood, Debris Flow at Bright Angel Creek Closes Colorado in Grand Canyon, Phantom Ranch Evacuated

Forget such rapids as Hance, Crystal and Lava Falls. Now rafters have bigger things to worry about on the Grand Canyon. A debris flow...

Staff Post - August 30, 2026

Destinations

Flash Floods, Debris Flows Clog Up Seidel’s Suckhole on Colorado’s Arkansas

Outfitters on Brown’s Canyon of Colorado’s Arkansas River got a surprise on Sunday when they rounded a corner and saw the stretch’s marquee rapid,...

Staff Post - August 28, 2026

Water Safety

Creature Craft Rafter Dies on North Fork, Stirring Controversy (Experts Weigh In, AW Releases Accident Report)

On July 23, a beginner rafter drowned on Idaho’s Class V North Fork of the Payette’s Nutcracker Rapid at a medium flow of 1,450...

Staff Post - August 11, 2026

Conservation

Fall/Winter Outlook for the Grand (from Tom Martin/Grand Canyon Private River Runners)

Running the Grand this fall or winter and wondering what the water levels might be? So are we. Read on for the latest report...

Staff Post - July 29, 2026

Whitewater Rafting

Debris Blocks the Lower Upper Colorado at Red Dirt, Leaves New Rapid Behind

A pair of debris flows has left the Upper Colorado River unsafe and unnavigable at the Red Dirt Bridge, between Pinball and Horse Creek,...

Staff Post - July 22, 2026

Inflatables

AIRE and Outcast: Two Brands, Same River DNA

To the untrained eye, AIRE and Outcast Sporting Gear might look like competitors sharing a river. But spend five minutes digging into the story...

Staff Post - July 15, 2026

Water Safety

120 Paddlers Rescued from Colorado’s Ruby-Horsethief Canyon from Snyder Fire (Including Bachelorette and Bachelor Parties)

As well as three wildfire fighters being killed by the Snyder fire burning near Fruita, Colorado, near the Colorado River, Mesa County Search and...

Staff Post - June 30, 2026

Inflatables

Inside an AIRE Boat: How Construction Shapes Performance (Bonus Q&A with Designer Ben Marek!)

Buying an inflatable boat shouldn't feel like studying for an exam. But between denier ratings, floor systems, bladder types, platform options, and more, it's...

Staff Post - June 24, 2026

Whitewater Rafting

OARS Announces Unprecedented 634-Mile John Wesley Powell Retrace Expedition for 2027

One of the world's most respected adventure travel companies, OARS has announced an expanded expedition retracing the route of explorer John Wesley Powell: a...

Aaron Bible - May 28, 2026

Conservation

New Book Out on Idaho’s Selway: The Original Wild & Scenic River

There’s a new book out on the Selway River, and like your oars in Ladle, Moose Juice, or Wolf Creek rapids, you won’t want...

Eugene Buchanan - May 7, 2026

Inflatables

NRS/Orvis Roll Out New Orvis Approach 120 Fishing Raft

Call it a match made in heaven. Northwest River Supplies (NRS) and Orvis have joined forces to launch their first collaborative fishing craft: the Orvis Approach 120 Fishing...

Staff Post - May 6, 2026

Events