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.

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

A Gear Wrap-up of Downriver Equipment’s Raftopia!

Let’s just say that rafting and other forms of paddling are alive and well along the Front Range. That was the take-home from this...

Eugene Buchanan - April 22, 2026

Destinations

Snaggletooth Rapid on the Dolores River Changed by Debris Flow

It’s not likely anyone will see how it looks on this low-water year, but Snaggletooth Rapid on the Dolores River has been changed by...

Eugene Buchanan - April 20, 2026

Inflatables

Jack’s Plastic Welding Provides Inflatable Flotation for Artemis II Landing

Inflatable maker Jack’s Plastic Welding is long known for its bombproof cataraft tubes, drybags, sleeping pads, and other river gear. Now they’re known for...

Eugene Buchanan - April 13, 2026

Canoeing

Plan Your 2026 River Trips on NationalRiversProject.com

Want help planning your next river trip? Look no further than the River Management Society’s searchable database of recreational river reaches, mapped from put-ins...

Staff Post - April 9, 2026

Destinations

Arkansas River Outfitters Gear Up for 2026, All Eyes on the Water

There's no doubt that it's a bleak runoff outlook for most rivers in the Colorado Rockies this season, with the state in the midst...

Aaron Bible - April 8, 2026

Events

Down River Equipment Raftopia April 6-11!

Colorado river runners rejoice! (And prepare for some great deals on paddlesports equipment.) Down River Equipment at 11937 W. I-70 Frontage Road in Wheat Ridge, CO, is...

Staff Post - March 30, 2026

Water Safety

What Every Boater Needs To Know About Low-Water Paddling

What Snowpack? This Year It’s The No-Pack Paddlers are facing a historic low snowpack throughout the West, and there’s not much we can do about...

5 Top Freed (Undammed) Rivers to Paddle!

Highlighted by the recent decommissioning of four dams along California's Klamath River, there’s a new era underway to remove dams across the country, restoring...

Eugene Buchanan - March 2, 2026

Competition

International Whitewater Hall of Fame Inductees Announced (Ceremony to Take Place at Canadian Canoe Museum May 2)

The World River Centre proudly invites the international paddling community to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario—home of the world’s largest collection of paddlecraft—for...

Staff Post - February 24, 2026

Conservation

A Call for Permit Reform

A recent post on Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association's Facebook page called for a reform of the current permit lottery system operated by rec.gov....

Staff Post - February 23, 2026

Water Safety

American Whitewater’s Charlie Walbridge Talks River Safety

Charlie Walbridge (www.charliewalbridge.com) is the OG of watersports safety if there ever was one. Starting canoeing at Camp Mowglis in the early 60s, he’s...

Staff Post - February 17, 2026

Conservation