Animas River Group Float Tour

Absolutely! This is our most beginner-friendly tour. With calm, current-driven water and no rapids, it's a great place to try stand-up paddleboarding for the first time.

Not at all! You can sit, kneel, or even convert your board into a kayak-style setup with a backrest and double-bladed paddle.

We’ll stay on the boards throughout the tour due to private land along this section. However, we’ll take breaks in calm eddies to rest and enjoy the scenery.

The tour puts in on the Animas River at Oxbow Park & Preserve on the north end of town. We paddle upstream into a beautiful serene setting where the land on either side of the river is private. Due to this we are required to stay on our boards and utilize eddies for breaks rather than pulling onto shore. This section of the Animas River is located at about 6,500ft in elevation, which for many traveling from out of town is great for acclimatization compared to the high elevation trails around 10,000ft! This makes for a great adventure day earlier on in your trip before you go exploring in the big mountains nearby.

Guides put a lot of work into preparing your tour, running it safely, and doing their best to make your smile large and send you home with great memories; and then clean and store gear. Gratuity is not expected, but it is greatly appreciated. If you thought your guide did a great job keeping you safe, teaching you about the area and accommodating your needs, gratuities usually range between 15-20% of the tour price.

Tours will operate rain or shine, as long as our guides deem the conditions are safe.

Private Tour vs. Mixed Group Tour

• Private Tours are tailored specifically to your group’s interests, fitness level, and pace. Your guide can make real-time adjustments to the route, and there’s no need to accommodate other groups’ pickup or drop-off locations. It’s a personalized, seamless experience from start to finish—perfect for families, special occasions, or anyone wanting a custom adventure.
• Mixed Group Tours are a shared experience with other adventurers. They’re a great way to meet like-minded people and are more budget-friendly. However, the itinerary and pace are set to suit the whole group.

We love offering both options, but we generally recommend Private Tours for the best flexibility and overall experience.

Meraki’s 6:1 Guest to Guide ratio allows us to provide proper care and attention to each guest and support them in pushing their unique limits. For those looking for an exceptionally chill experience it also allows us to lavish in good stories and top food recommendations.

All Meraki guides have an active Wilderness First Responder medical certification. This 80-hour wilderness medical course covers a wide variety of situations and issues that could happen in the outdoors and how to manage them professionally. Our rock climbing guides are also certified by the Professional Climbing Guides Institute. All Meraki guides carry a comprehensive first aid kit, as well as a Garmin inReach satellite communication device for when cell service is spotty.

The essential fuel of a good adventure! We pride ourselves on having good (mostly organic) food and good snacks on our trips. Any tour that is over 3 hours in length will have a mostly organic with local ingredients, gourmet sandwich from our Durango Natural Foods Co-op. We care about the quality of nutrition that goes into our bodies, and we share that same standard for our guests. Be sure to check the inclusions and exclusions above for what's included in your tour.

Yes! Solo travelers are always welcome. You can join one of our mixed group tours, which are a fun and social way to experience the outdoors with other like-minded adventurers.

Prefer a more personalized experience? You can also book a private tour as a solo guest, with one-on-one attention from your guide. Either way, we’re happy to accommodate and help you make the most of your time outside!