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Wild River Saddle & Paddle

Quick Details

Hour Glass Trip Duration: 8.5 hours (8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Checkmark Meet Time: 30 minutes prior to ride time

Calendar Season Availability: May – October

Info Weight Limit: Maximum weight limit varies

User Age Requirement: 10+

Water Rafting Intensity: Class II-III

Adult (18+)
$225
Child (10-17)
$200

A Legendary Horseback, Hiking & River Combo Adventure!

Ride horseback across the Cebolla Mesa, the plateau that famously inspired the Taos Art Colony. And then descend into the deepest part of the Rio Grande Gorge and Del Norte National Monument to the banks of the Rio Grande. *Our group minimum for booking is two to four people depending on season/availability.

Start your morning with a beautiful New Mexico trail ride:

Begin your day at 8:30 a.m. at the Rio Grande Stables Headquarters where you meet your horseback guides and mounts!

Here, take a short riding lesson before heading out for some amazing Taos horseback riding. From this point, experience sweeping landscapes stretching across the Taos Plateau, looking up to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and back across to the Brazos and Tusas Mountains in the west. Ride across history to the Rio Grande Gorge overlook.

Then cool off with Rio Grande river rafting in the afternoon:

After a couple of hours in the saddle, dismount at the top of the Cebolla Mesa Trail and meet your raft guides, who have prepared a fresh, homemade meal for you. While enjoying this energizing feast, the rafting equipment gets packed onto horses and mules in preparation for the mile-long descent from the rim of the canyon to the river’s edge.

The (30-minute) hike into the Gorge offers an interesting exploration of local ecosystems as we leave the sagebrush and juniper grasslands at the rim of the Gorge and come into tall pine, native spruce and various fir trees of the canyon; eventually leading to the river’s edge.

We launch at the mouth of the Red River Canyon where the Red River joins the Rio Grande. We begin our nine-mile river experience at one of the deepest parts of the Gorge, and continue through the heart of the wild and scenic section of the Rio Grande National Monument, one of the newest on our nation’s roster of protected lands.

From April to June, you can expect a raucous and splashy Class ll-III ride and a wonderful all-day activity for those looking for a personal acquaintance with isolated wilderness. During midsummer’s lower flows, the Middle Box is a challenging Funyak experience.

Arrive back to your vehicle around 5 p.m.

Additional Information:

We welcome first-timers and practiced horseback riders and rafters 10 years of age and older. Everyone should be in normal good health and prepared for the moderate exertion of the day.

Participants may be riding horses or mules. All river trips are run with paddle boats or inflatable kayaks (Funyaks) for the more adventuresome. No experience is necessary for any of the activities. There will be a wrangler on all rides and a guide will accompany each raft. Funyaks will be operated by individual paddlers at a guide/client ratio determined by the water level. The wranglers and guides will provide professional safety and practical instruction throughout the day.