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Fun Day Trips in Colorado: Part 2

Challis Hackley
Aug 14, 2017
3 min read

Alright, so last week I was talking about day trips. This week is the same deal. I'm talking about my excursion to Golden, Colorado to float the river there. It was awesome and I can't wait to go back.

Golden

My family and I have been loving water activities this summer and, with tubing in the back of our mind because of our Lake trip just around the corner, we heard about river floating in Golden, Colorado. Clear Creek, runs through the quaint little city and we were so excited to go.

I brought a packed lunch, towel, reading material, water shoes, and ball cap. For the ride up, I wore a swimsuit, tennis shoes, and sunglasses that I wouldn't mind losing if it came to that. We got there early and talked to some of the other people when we parked by the river as we inflated our tubes. We heard that the water was running pretty fast and pretty high and the people we talked to recommended a life jacket if you weren't a strong swimmer. So, we ran over to a shop to rent a life jacket (Side note, they also rented tubes for $10 at the same place, although if you plan on going floating more than once in your life I would recommend buying your own because we got ours for $24).

So, we got back to the parking lot, grabbed out tubes and our life jackets and walked up the river so that we could float back to where our cars were parked. The water was so cold, freezing, and I was glad I wore my swim shirt/rash guard. It helped to have that little bit more of a barrier between my skin and the water and even when it was wet it didn't make me cold.

We got into the river one at a time, but we grouped up pretty quick. The water was rough and it helped to hang on to each other's tubes, added stability and peace of mind. It was nice to know that if you were going down, someone else would probably help you or go down with you.

The whole thing was actually a little dangerous. The water was moving really fast and there were plenty of rapids. Of the thirty or so people that we had in our group, seven of them flipped out of their tubes. When we reached the parking lot, we were greeted by firemen or the like, other emergency personnel, telling us to get out of the river. There was a little boy stuck on a large rock in the middle of the water. We got out of the river, although it was harder than I thought it wold be, fighting against the current. There were ambulances and firetrucks in the parking lot too. The boy got rescued while we were there and our group came out of it with some pretty cool stories. After all that excitement we'd had enough of the river so we ate lunch in the park and headed home.

What I learned from this trip is that Golden is definitely a city that I want to come back to and August is definitely the time to go if you want to float down the river. The water is lower and more leisurely, less dangerous. When we went the river had only been open for floating for three days, although we didn't know that at the time.

If I could do it again, I also would have hooked up my tubes with others before I set out. The tubes that we bought had a special option you could tie up and lock on, to connect tubes. When we were inflating them though, we didn't think we would need it so we left them off. Next time, I think I'll add them on and connect our tubes before we set out so we don't lose each other. Although, some of the people in my group had a rough time, I had a blast and I would love to go back again.