Mountain Whitewater Descents

Awesome experience, our guide Drew was great, and very informative. He was so personable and tailored the challenge of the ride to our abilities. We did maneuvers that other boats didn’t that were really fun!
We just went the beginning of August and lucked out with the water level being higher than usual. We were a group of 4 first-​timers and the ride was awesome with class III and IV rapids on the pm plunge trip. Would definitely come back in June when the water level is a little higher.
This company offers footholds in every seat that other companies only offer at the front and back-​essential for not falling out of the boat. On our trip, we didn’t have to get out of the water where some of the other companies have to take their riders and boats out, take the bus down the river and then get back in to complete the trip.
As far as the pictures are concerned, we were going to bring a underwater camera and hook it on our life jackets but just ran out of time to buy the camera. All the pictures the photographer took were way better of us on the boat in the rapids than we ever could have taken ourselves anyway. We took our own pictures before and after the ride and ended up paying the $ 58 for the zip drive which includes all the pictures taken of us going down the river, video and we can share each picture as much as we want! In other words, you only have to buy a zip drive per boat and you’re set. The company does have an option to purchase individual photos for $ 20 each which seems right inline with other companies and amusement parks. So if you want more than 3 pictures, you already get the entire package of the day which you get to preview before you buy anyway.
Speaking of preview, you can get some great local beer at the bar while looking at your photos and the other boats which is especially fun when boats get dumped. They also had a food truck there after our ride that smelled delicious.
So glad we picked this company, everyone was very friendly and ultimately focused on a safe and fun trip!

Booked the 2 hour float and had a great time! The staff is fun, friendly and give you a great trip down the river. We had Jonas as our guide and he was awesome. We got 2 young Boy Scouts thrown into our group and Jonas made sure they were taken care of, while giving us a wild ride at the same time. They have an awesome section of river for the float. Make sure to book the 2 hr trip so you don’t miss the fun stuff!

We were very disappointed by our client service experience at Mountain Whitewater Descents. We booked a trip for four at a cost of more than $ 200 during a recent visit to the area. Unfortunately my son was diagnosed with strep and an ear infection the day before our scheduled trip with Mountain Whitewater Descents. We notified them of our situation and cancelled. They assured us that they could fill our spot on the trip from their waiting list and would discuss our situation with the owner, who was away to celebrate this birthday. When he returned from his birthday trip, the owner apparently was delighted to keep our money and I’m sure he was thrilled that he was able to fill our spots with new paying customers. Good for him and happy birthday. Money for nothing is a great business model.
In fairness, I understood that the trip was non-​refundable when I booked it. The owner had every right to keep our money even though he quickly filled our spot from a waiting list. I’m just very disappointed in this lack of consideration.
My advice is this: If there is any chance you can’t make your trip, do not book with Mountain Whitewater Descents. If you can’t make it, you’re better off as a no-​show than doing them the courtesy of calling. They won’t offer a refund and they’ll sell your spot to someone else. And, don’t hold your breath waiting for a thank you note for the free money.

I highly recommend Mountain Whitewater Descents! The staff was very friendly, funny, and professional! My wife was very apprehensive, but they put her at ease and we all had a great time! When we were driving away she was saying she couldn’t wait to do it again!

Excellent experience all around at MWD! Our guide, Ryan, was knowledgeable, courteous, and very safe with our three children under the age of 10. The mix of Class II, III, and IV Rapids on the ½ day splash ride was great.
The only gap was the lack of restroom facilities at the beginning and end of the raft trip.

This is the best paddling adventure group!
Guides — fun, funny, knowledgable, skilled!!!
Do not underestimate how critical a great guide is to having a great trip down the river.
Thank you to Trevor — our guide and others in our trip Casey and Drew (Mr. Wyoming)
Paddlers Pub — having a cool spot to hang out and have a drink, watch videos and photos and play games is a MUST! So cool!
From start to finish — every employee was kind, helpful and friendly! That is a sign of people who like their job!!!
Thank you for making our family bucket list white water rafting experience an epic one for this mom, dad and teenage daughter ;)!

Highly professional and incredibly trained guides. Best adrenaline rush! You will have the time of your life on the plunge. Our guide Justin rocked. He knows the river and a lot about the history of the Cache la Poudre. Don’t go anywhere else. These guys are the real deal. Their number one priority is your safety. .and having an exhilarating and memorable experience.

What a great experience. My fiancé and I live in Fort Collins so it was a quick drive. Well put together program with a «start here then go here, and end here» style set up.
The crew was amazing. Drew was our river guide and wow. Great guy and very knowledgeable. The river is high right now from snow run off so it’s cold. However they have wet suits for rent to keep you warmer.
The ride was amazing!!! We had such an amazing time and will be back. Solid class 3 and 4 so it’s a workout but the entire boat was new and we all stayed onboard.
What sets this company apart from the rest? They have foot holds in each raft, making it much easier to stay dry. The crew is all about safety and we never felt otherwise.
Great group, great spot, we will be back!!!

We booked the plunge experience today and it was an awesome ride, the 3 hours we spent in the water seemed way too short! Our guide Kilian was super chill, he definitely knew the river and was super knowledgeable, highly recommend him if you want an awesome time!

This place has a great little pub outside that overlooks the mountains. Has a food truck – the time we went it was Asian fusion. Good bands, sand volleyball, outdoor games and cool little bar

Paddler’s Pub is a great music venue with a top notch bar staff. It is family friendly so you have to deal with children acting like wild animals while their parents get drunk and don’t care. A man that I assumed to be the owner was belittling towards me and my fiancé. Not sure if I’ll go back.

Went last week may 2015, the staff was very courteous, it was still cold when we went so we had to wear the wetsuits, we did the plunge trip they offered. Staff was super courteous, I was very nervous because I can’t swim, but it’s very safe, they’ve been doing this for years and the staff just really go above and beyond to make sure you enjoy your experience. When I come back to Colorado, will def be going with the same company again
I will say, if your staying in Estes park, they are NOT located in Estes park (I don’t think any of the rafting companies are) so accommodate for time as its over an hours drive to their location from Estes park, and they won’t hold the group to wait for you to arrive

Nice people but I wouldn’t go back.
Pros: Guides were personable and professional.
Cons: Disorganized, bit of a bait and switch upon arrival, rental gear and van didn’t smell great. Short time on the river compared for the price and time invested (drive to store, pay, sign documents, safety briefing, sit around, try on clothes, drive to river).

All I can say is that you are making a mistake by NOT choosing MWD. From the moment you pull up the place just looks fun. The guides are awesome. They spoke to everyone on the raft and tried to build relationships. Wait till the end, the photographer takes great photos and videos.
O, the rapids are fantastic. You will not regret this.

Great experience today with Mountain Whitewater Descents and our guide, Aaron. My 60 something year old mom and stepdad informed me that they wanted to try whitewater rafting in Colorado while visiting me. We were going to check out Ft. Collins area so I looked on Unilocal for outfitters with the best reviews and found Mountain Whitewater. Glad I did.
We did the Plunge trip, which lasted around 3 hours on the water, and roughly 5 hours total (safety talk, getting gear, driving, etc.) All the guides seemed nice and fun, and ran things efficiently once the safety talk was over. Our guide, Aaron, was very patient and helpful and his instructions were clear. I heard other groups speak highly of their guides, as well. The water level today was fairly low (2.5) so I would recommend going earlier in the season when it’s higher. The river was really pretty and a couple of rafts even caught sight of a mama bear and her cubs while on the trip.
After the trip, they offer a changing area and bathrooms to use. We had a beer and had a chance to look at our group’s photos and video. The only negative thing I have to say is about the cost of these items. It’s $ 58 for a jump drive with your pics and video. I’ve rafted at other places in Colorado where this is included in the fee and there are more pictures taken. If you just want to purchase one picture, it’s $ 20. That cost seems pretty steep to me.
Overall, a good experience!

What a great experience this was! All of the folks at this company are super friendly and know what they’re doing. This was our first time whitewater rafting and we booked the ‘Plunge’ trip. It seemed a little intimidating at first, but our guide Wally prepared us for each obstacle that lay ahead of us. Soon, the apprehension factor disappeared and it was one of the most exciting outdoors trips I’ve ever done.
We had a 12:15 reservation and showed up at 12, checked in and started the safety briefing right on time. We elected to rent wetsuits, which was a good decision as the water is pretty cold and the day started off cloudy. A pair of old tennis shoes worked well and they had a helmet with a GoPro attachment which allowed me to capture the action first hand.
After the trip, we bought a beer and watched the videos and pictures of our trip with all the guides. It was a very busy day for them, but everything was run efficiently and we never felt rushed or delayed in any way. I definitely recommend this as a top activity in Fort Collins (after the breweries of course).

Everything about this place is heaven heaven heaven! I don’t know why anyone would choose another rafting outfitters in the area except for lack of knowledge. I asked around to the locals which outfit i should go with and it seemed hands down Mountain Whitewater Descents was the way to go. The minute that my travelbuddy and I arrived I could see why. The place itself is like a playland. There’s a beach bar, volleyball, picnic tables, a view to make your jaw drop, fun décor, quintessential picture spot opps, things hanging all over the walls and bathroom informing you of the area or sometimes they’re just poems or quotes, interesting things like that. There is an overall sense of whimsy, play, and a sort of «rustic margaritaville» in the mountains environment — except that it’s also professionally run, very well-​organized, safe, and I knew I was in good hands. The people that work here are amazing! I would want to come back just to hang out with them. I mean, they’re actually fascinating! The owner/​founder/​head manager himself has written books, has taken his family sailing around the world for an extensive amount of time, etc… the bartender was the funnest, most informative person I’ve met in a long time! The guide on our raft was unbelievable — funny, kind, really intelligent, charismatic (that matters on a multiple hour journey), and could answer all my questions as we passed through the terrain (I wanted to know everything about everything we passed, and he lived up to the challenge). Also, this outfit is the only one that does an entire run down the river rather than doing a small section, stopping, pulling the rafters back up to the beginning, and doing that section all over again. So you get to see so much more! I had the time of my life, and it was exceedingly affordable compared to the others. I bough a t-​shirt and my guide gave me a free little gift he picked out from their store — but I don’t need any of that to remind me of this day. It was one that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life!
Overall, this company is the real deal. The vibe you get is not some gimmicky, commercial, touristy, money-​grubbing, plastic-​y, brochure-​y company chain. It’s like an authentic, woodsy, grassrootsy family of people who really care about what they’re doing, are having fun doing it, love the place they’re doing it in, and will ensure you have an amazing time along with them.

My family took their first rafting trip last week with MWD (half day); overall it was an amazing experience. Very organized, highly professional (and sociable) guides, and of course you can’t help but mention the Paddler’s Pub. Our son was eight when we went, and he had a great time (the minimum age drops as the season goes on and the river levels drop, so be sure to check the MWD website for details).
There are only 5 or 6 licensed outfitters for the Poudre; we would definitely go with MWD again before trying any of the others. Overall it was a spectacular experience; can’t wait to go back!

I went rafting for the first time on the Poudre River and am glad I picked MWD as my rafting company. I found out that some of the other rafting co. cater mostly to church groups — which wasn’t us — so I’m glad we made the right choice. We had a group of 4 adults all in our late 20s and somewhat adventureous although not experienced on the river and we had an Awesome time! It was $ 69 for the half day «plunge» trip and the rafting part of the trip was almost 3 hrs long — a Great Value! We did a ton of class III and a few class IV, and the scenery was amazing. It seems MWD has one of the better permits on the river and rafting much more of it than other companies from what we saw. The staff was nice and professional and catered to all ages.
June is the best time to go as the water is highest and fastest then, but July wasnt shabby at all. We had 7 in our raft (including the guide) in July and we were fine.
The CD for photos is stupid expensive which is a let down. They really need to consider reducing the price for photos and more people would surely buy them.
Overall — a great trip, safe, exciting and fun. Would recommend to anyone,

Went white water rafting for the first time !
Our tour guide ray, you can’t really pick one but I am glad we ended up with him, he did extra stuff with us on the ride. We went on the PM plunge, it was a level 3 and 4, which was very fun, not hard at all, my little brother went who is 15, and younger kids were there as well, our boat had a total of 8 people including the guide. They give you all the rules and what to do, and instructions during the ride down the river, no need to worry at all, my mom and dad went and there in their late 40’s haha. They had a lot of fun even though they were worried at first. The only off thing is that i think it is a little pricy for the data cd and the dvd is 78.00 but if you want just the data its 58.00 the pictures turned out nice… but i mean usually when you go to places like this they always overcharge for pictures and stuff. I recommend this place if your in denver ! Its an experience you should get in your life :]