Learn to Bikeraft for Beginners: 2-Day and 5-Day Courses

Learn to Bikeraft Course: 2-Day and 5-Day Beginner Courses

Have you ever wanted to try something totally unique and unlike anything your friends have ever done? If so, try pairing packrafts and bicycles. What? No it really works! Roll up that packraft tight and put it on your handlebars. And then ride 3, 10, 20 (the sky’s the limit) miles to your nearest river. Take that boat off your bike, blow it up, take your bike apart and lash it to your boat. And then head down that river! It’s as easy as that. Well sort of. It helps to have experience with the transitions and navigating a boat with a bike on it. So we’ve got the course for you.

Get 10% off your adventure with the coupon code: TripOutside10!

Animas River 2-Day Course - Durango, CO

Learn to pair bicycles and packrafts, and expand your capacity to explore your local waterways! Over two days, you’ll learn basic paddle and river reading techniques on the Animas River, along with basic bikerafting techniques on up to Class II rapids.

You'll spend the first day of this course focusing on learning packrafting skills, and the second learning how to transition from bikes to boats and vice versa on a mini bikeraft adventure in Durango.

This no-frills learn basic river bikerafting skills course is for the budget-minded aspiring bike-packrafter and will be done entirely in Durango, Colorado. This course is for beginners, though you must know how to ride a bicycle.

Animas & Colorado River 5-Day River Course + Backcountry Excursion

On this beginner/intermediate river bikerafting course, you’ll spend one full day learning packrafting skills on the Animas River. Day 2, you’ll do a micro-bikerafting adventure also on the Animas (on a different section), riding local trails. You’ll then practice your skills in the backcountry on a three-day, two-night excursion in the Utah desert on the Colorado River and Lake Powell.

This course will likely push you over the edge of things you’ve experienced. But we feel certain you’ll walk away from this course with a deeper sense of enjoyment for both living in and utilizing human-powered tools to pass through remote landscapes. We want your experience to be the milestone in your life that you measure everything else up to.

Duration & Availability

2 or 5 Days. Each day is a full day, from about 10:00 am to 4/4:30 PM.

We typically offer several course sessions throughout the summer. If you're curious about current dates or interested in customizing a course to fit your schedule, just click “Reserve” to fill out a quick inquiry form, and we’ll be in touch with all the details.

Location / Where to Meet

The 2-day course is based entirely in Durango, Colorado, with skills training on the Animas River and a local micro-bikeraft adventure.

The 5-day course begins in Durango and continues with a 3-day backcountry expedition in Southeast Utah on the Colorado River and Lake Powell. You’ll need to get yourself to the initial training location, and we’ll collaborate on shuttle planning and logistics for the multi-day excursion.

We expect most people to either fly and rent a car or drive to the put in/start point to meet us on the first day of the trip.

Ages & Requirements

No packrafting experience required. But basic backcountry skills are necessary. Can you cook your own food and set up your own tent? If so, this course is for you.

If you’re not sure you are experienced enough for this course, please visit our blog post, "What Level Packrafter Are You?"

What's Included

• Experienced packraft instructors
• An open packraft
• PFD, paddle, & helmet,
• Permits and camping fees
• Backcountry sanitation kit
• All meals for the backcountry portion of the trip: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Not Included

2-Day Course:

This no-frills course does not include a bicycle, lodging, food or a drysuit. You won’t likely need a drysuit for this course, but we do recommend you consider a wetsuit.

5-Day Course:

• A working bicycle and bike gear (helmet, tools)
• Meals on the first training day or if you choose to dine out.
• Drysuit
• Whitewater-specific boat
• Lodging
• Shuttling
• Adult beverages

You will need a drysuit for at least the first day of this trip. Rent drysuits locally at 4CornersRiversports.com (they only have four), or get a 15% discount if you order them online at BackcountryPackraft.com (we will give you the discount code once you pay your deposit).

We also do not provide whitewater boats. However, we have four total whitewater boats to rent for a small fee of $30 per day: one small Wolverine, one medium Wolverine, one medium Gnarwhal and one large Gnarwhal. Please visit the Alpacka Raft sizing guide to determine which boat is right for you.

Though we do not provide transportation, we will work together on the shuttle logistics.

What to Bring / Wear

You’ll need to bring your own drysuit, bike gear, personal camping gear, and appropriate clothing for both river travel and backcountry camping. For a detailed packing list, check out the FAQ section below.

Intro to Bikerafting Courses