Colorado canoeing on the Gunnison River will spark your sense of adventure with opportunities for hiking and exploring, floating in your lifejacket and camping along the river’s edge. During this Colorado canoe trip, you will be dwarfed by high walls of red sandstone and shale deposited during the age of the dinosaurs. These canyons in the Colorado Plateau are truly magnificent and not soon forgotten. Massive cottonwoods stand on many river bends supporting the huge nests of blue herons, hawks and eagles. You may hike into Dominguez Canyon, a Wilderness Study Area, one of the most beautiful stops on the river. Hiking into the canyon will reveal deep, cool swimming holes, waterfalls and many ancient Indian petroglyphs (rock art panels). 1-day trips are 15 miles, 2 and 3-day trips are 31 miles. So canoe in Colorado on the Gunnison River with us!
Please see our: What to Bring list for a gear list, what may be rented and additional trip details.
Specialty theme trips:
Peach and Paddle Trip
Our Peach ‘n Paddle weekend gives you the best of both worlds in western Colorado. Combine a one-day canoe trip with a pure slice of Americana at the Palisade Peach Festival, running Thursday - Sunday, August 16-19, 2007. Enjoy a serene canoe trip on the river Saturday, August 18, 2007, and only 40 minutes away you can visit the Peach Festival either before or after your river adventure. And don’t forget to purchase a box of fresh, sweet peaches to take home!
The Palisade Peach Festival offers self-guided tours of the area’s fruit stands and wineries, historical tours of downtown Palisade, self-guided bike tours, Orchard and Farm Tours, and Tucan Coffee’s Roastery Tours. Friday evening kicks off the Peach Festival at Riverbend Park, complete with more than one hundred vendors and continuous entertainment. A highlight of Friday evening will be the Peach Festival fireworks. Area hotels fill up fast so make your reservations soon.
Family Canoe Trips
Renew your relationship with the kids this summer away from TVs and computer games while viewing wildlife, stargazing and, of course, roasting marshmallows around the campfire. Kids are welcome on all of our adventures except for those listed as “adults only”. Gain a whole new sense of “family” while enjoying the outdoors together. This is also a great opportunity to invite grandparents so they can bond with the kids too!
Canoe and Brew
Join Jeff Brown, President of Boulder Beer Company (Colorado’s 1st microbrewery), for a unique and educational look into the micro brewing beer industry and how it differs from macro breweries. The best part will be sampling various styles of beer and learning how they are made. Join us August 18-20, 2006, on the beautiful Gunnison River. After a day spent outdoors paddling and hiking, a cold beer around the campsite sure sounds great. Don’t worry, we will keep the beer cold! Adults only.
Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Meet your guide staff at the designated put-in at Escalante Canyon Bridge, located 35 miles south of Grand Junction, CO and enjoy a continental breakfast before packing your dry bags and loading the gear in the canoes.
Run a car shuttle to the Whitewater takeout & return to the put-in for the safety talk and paddling instructions before launching. Shortly after launching, you will begin paddling past the towering red sandstone walls of Escalante Canyon.
Enjoy the thrill of paddling through Hail Mary’s Rapid (or you can choose to skirt around the side). Paddle downriver until approximately noon and enjoy lunch on the river’s edge, maybe catching a glimpse of an eagle or a desert sheep.
After lunch & numerous water fights, river barging, joke telling, & just having good fun, you will paddle past Undertaker Rock & enter the majestic Dominguez Canyon, a Wilderness Study Area. You will stop for a short hike in Dominguez Canyon where you may see ancient Indian petroglyphs, waterfalls, pools, & wildlife.
One day trips will paddle 1 more mile down stream & takeout at Bridgeport between 4-5 p.m., allowing time to return home.
On multiday trips: after lunch, continue paddling and having water fights until roughly 3 p.m. After paddling past Undertaker Rock, you will make camp near the ancient red sandstone walls of Dominguez Canyon (depending on campsite availability).
Late afternoon on the first day is devoted to setting up your tent and possibly taking a short hike, relaxing, playing, or floating in the river.
Happy Hour begins at 5:30 p.m. and shrimp, cheese, crackers and wine are served.
Dinner is served around 7 p.m. followed by campfire activities that may include games, singing, western tall tales, or guitar playing.
If you are on a two day trip, please skip down to day 3 for the last day of your trip.
Day 2: The middle day will oftentimes be a layover day devoted to hiking the Wilderness Study Area of Dominguez Canyon. Here you can discover ancient Indian petroglyphs & waterfalls, cool off & play in the water pools, & see wildlife. Many times lunches will be packed for the hike so you can explore this multi-million year old canyon to your heart’s content. Other activities during the day may include playing in the river, floating through a stretch of rippling water, and/or relaxing in camp. However, your guides may choose to move downriver on the second day. Factors that influence this decision are weather, pace of the group, campsite availability, etc.
Day 3: You will break down camp after a hearty breakfast and paddle out of the majestic Dominguez Canyon where the scenery begins to turn much greener with vegetation.
After numerous water fights, river barging, joke telling, & just having good fun, you typically reach the Whitewater takeout between 2-4 p.m. after lunch on the last day of the trip, allowing time to return home.
To register for a trip, please click on the trip date.
These prices are preseason prices. In season prices starting May 1st are higher. Book now and save.
| Gunnison River |
Children* |
Adults* |
Trip Length |
Trip Dates |
| Canoe Trips 2 Days |
$160.00 |
$215.00 |
2 Days |
Sorry, this trip has already left or is full.
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| Canoe Trips 3 Days |
$210.00 |
$310.00 |
3 Days |
Sorry, this trip has already left or is full.
|
| Peach and Paddle Trip |
$70.00 |
$80.00 |
1 Day |
Sorry, this trip has already left or is full.
|
| Canoe + Brew Trips |
Min. Age 21 |
$310.00 |
3 Days |
Sorry, this trip has already left or is full.
|
| Family Canoe Trip 2 Days |
$160.00 |
$215.00 |
2 Days |
Sorry, this trip has already left or is full.
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*Kids need to be (6-12) years of age for the kid discount. Minimum age is 6 or 21.
Please click on the date for the trip or class you want to book. Once you are
registered, you will get a confirmation email from Centennial Canoe Outfitters, LLC
for your trip or class.
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Sorry, we currently do not have any trips or classes
scheduled. Please use the Search all Trips/Clinics button below and choose
another trip. If you think there has been an error, please contact
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You can search all the trips that we offer:
Meeting Place & Time
You will meet your guide staff at the Escalante Canyon Bridge, located 35 miles south of Grand Junction, on Colorado on Highway 50, then right on Escalante Canyon Road. Upon reserving this trip, you will get an information packet with exact details.
You can also use Googlemaps.
Refund Policy
If you cancel 28 days or more before your trips launch date you can get a full refund less a $30/person processing fee
We strongly recommend purchasing trip insurance through Travelex at 1-800-228-9792 (www.travelexinsurance.com), if you do not wish to loose money due to unforeseen circumstances. You will be asked for location #06-0079 by Travelex.
If you cancel your trip, you must notify us in writing. Any refunds owed will be based on the day our office receives your notice.
Exceptions to this policy cannot be made for any reason, including personal emergencies or the weather. There is no refund for leaving a trip early, arriving late, or choosing not to do all the offered activities.
CCO reserves the right to change tour itineraries or cancel any tour without notice due to acts of nature, safety concerns, political unrest, insufficient number of participants or other conditions. If we are unable to provide you with another trip that is satisfactory, all moneys paid will be refunded and the moneys shall constitute full settlement with you.
We are not responsible for any additional expenses that may be incurred because of a cancelled tour, travel delay, or flight cancellations, including non-refundable lodging deposits and non-refundable air tickets.
A guest may be asked to leave a trip if a guide feels that their continuing participation may prove harmful to that person or to the well being of other guests. We are not responsible for any additional expenses incurred by such guests.
Have a wonderful adventure!
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