Makenna 
Have you ever been white water rafting? Thought about it, but wasn’t sure what some of the best places are? We went white water rafting in Denali as a part of our recent vacation. It was amazing! We had a fantastic time on our trip. Below I discuss what white water rafting is, the classes of rapids, two tour operators, and a review of our experience. Let’s get it!
What is White Water Rafting?
White water rafting, as defined by our trusty friend Wikipedia is, “Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water.” You’re in an inflatable raft, going down a river, through varying classes of rapids. It’s extremely fun, but can be dangerous! So you need to take into account your comfort level with risk-based activities, read all safety information, and follow all crew instructions.
Classes of Rapids
Rapids are classified into six categories, ranging from Class I as the easiest, most mellow rapids, all the way up to Class VI, the most dangerous of rapids. Below are the definitions of the classes, as obtained from the New Wave Adventure website.
Class I
Easy. Smooth water; light riffles; clear passages, occasional sandbanks, and gentle curves. The most difficult problems might arise when paddling around bridges and other obvious obstructions.
Class II
Moderate. Medium-quick water; rapids with regular waves; clear and open passages between rocks and ledges. Maneuvering required. Best handled by intermediates who can maneuver canoes and read water.
Class III
Moderately difficult. Numerous high and irregular waves; rocks and eddies with passages clear but narrow and requiring experience to run. Visual inspection required if rapids are unknown.
Class IV
Difficult. Long and powerful rapids with standing waves; big hydraulic waves and boiling eddies. Powerful and precise maneuvering required. Visual inspection mandatory.
Class V
Extremely difficult. Long and violent rapids that follow each other almost without interruption. River filled with obstructions. Big drops and violent currents. Extremely steep gradient. Even reconnoitering may be difficult. Rescue preparations mandatory. Can be run only by top experts.
Class VI
Extraordinarily difficult. Paddlers face a constant threat of death because of extreme danger. Navigable only when water levels and conditions are favorable. This violent whitewater should be left to paddlers of Olympic ability. Every safety precaution must be taken.
On all rafting trips down the Nenana River, the classes do not go above Class IV. Now if you read that class IV is rated as “difficult” and got nervous, don’t worry, I did too! More on that later.
Denali White Water Rafting Outfitters
During my research, I found that two main outfitters provide white water rafting tours in and around Denali National Park. Both are very similar in what they offer and cost. Below I outline each tour operator and their tour options.
Denali Raft Adventures
If you google “white water rafting Denali” the first one to pop up is Denali Raft Adventures. They offer three different tour options, ranging in difficulty level and pricing. Below I have outlined the basic information of their rafting experiences.
- Wilderness Run
- 2 hours
- Class I, II, III
- Ages 12+ $130, $100 ages 5-11
- Canyon Run
- 2 hours
- Class II, III, IV
- Ages 12+ $130
- Healy Express
- 4 hours
- Class I, II, III, IV
- $220 ages 12+
New Wave Adventures
New Wave Adventures is another outfitter to offer white water rafting tours on the Nenana River, and the one we chose to book with. I will get more into my review on that later.
New Wave operates very similarly to Denali Raft Adventures. See below for all the details:
- Wilderness Wave
- 2 hours
- Class II-III
- Ages 12+ $130, $80 ages 5-11
- Canyon Wave
- 2 hours
- Class III-IV
- Ages 12+ $130
- Wave Train Combo
- 4 hours
- Class I-IV
- $230 ages 12+
Both of these companies offer you the option to be a paddler or a rider, and there are some age requirements to be a paddler.
Our Experience
We chose to book with New Wave Adventures because I had purchased the Alaska Tour Saver coupon book. In this booklet, there was a coupon for buy one, get one free rafting trip with New Wave Adventures. With the coupon, we could choose from one of their two-hour operations, the Wilderness or Canyon Wave rafting trips.
We had an amazing time with New Wave, and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who is looking to do this sort of excursion. The staff were extremely friendly and professional, and our guide was very experienced. They picked us up from our campground, so we did not have to worry about transportation to and from their building. I found this to be a nice touch, as we were driving an RV, and those things aren’t easy to maneuver around parking lots!
After arrival at their office, we got checked in and had a fitting for the equipment they provided: a dry suit, river shoes, helmet, and personal floatation device. The guides were very helpful to aid us in getting the equipment on and made sure we were all comfortable. Following getting geared up, we loaded up in a van to drive us down to the put-in spot. On arrival at the river, we were separated into two groups and given a safety briefing and overview of what to expect from our time on the Nenana River.
Then we were off! In our boat, it was my husband and I, the guide, and one other couple. Something I liked about New Wave was that they allowed me to be a rider, in the same boat as the other paddlers. I had feared they might split me and my husband up if I chose to just ride and him paddle.
Many years ago, I had a traumatic experience of white water rafting in West Virginia. I wanted to just hold on this time to try to conquer that fear. In hindsight, I wish I had been a paddler! The rapids were completely different than the river in West Virginia, and there was nothing for me to fear.
As I mentioned earlier, I was nervous about the class IV rapids, since they are rated as difficult. Let me assure you, at no point did I fear for my life. The guides were extremely competent at getting us safely through each rapid, albeit we did get a little wet! But that is all part of the fun, and the dry suits kept us nice and dry.
Our guide was fantastic. He has been rafting for over 30 years all over the world. The stories he told us from his travels were fascinating. He was extremely experienced and I never had fear that we were in danger. We also enjoyed getting to converse with the other couple about their travels.
Whilst floating down the river, we were able to spot some wildlife, including a mama moose and a newborn baby! That was so exciting. The baby was itty bitty, and the guide estimated it was only a few hours or days old. We also saw seagulls (who would have thought that seagulls would be in the mountains?!) and other birds. Something very cool is that the Alaska Railroad borders the river for several miles of the raft journey. The train ended up going right by us, which was super neat! The conductor honked the train horn, while everyone on the train waved down at us and us back at them.
After navigating through class III-IV rapids, we came to the end of our journey. At the end, the guide told us we could get out and swim. Now, this water was in the 30-degree temp range. It was COLD. Being that I just was a rider, I didn’t work up a sweat like the other three did.
They chose to jump in and float alongside the raft for several hundred yards. Remember, we were all in dry suits, so they weren’t getting soaked in this freezing cold water. I was too chicken since I was already so cold and did not jump in. It is one of my only regrets from this trip, as my husband said this stood out as one of his top moments from our entire trip! I’ll be sure to take a dip next time.
After completing the 11 miles, we loaded up into the van for the short drive back to the office. We had an amazing experience, and would not hesitate to recommend New Wave Adventures if you’re looking to have a white water rafting adventure in Denali National Park!
White Water Rafting Tips
A few tips I would suggest if you do decide to go white water rafting on the Nenana River. Wear two, maybe even 3 pairs of thick woolen socks. Your feet are in a dry suit, but they are still going to be at the bottom of the raft, which will have water in it. The dry suit keeps you dry but does nothing for warmth.
Which brings me to my second point. If you choose to be a paddler, you will work up a sweat with the exertion of paddling, so you may not need as many underlayers for top and bottoms. For me, I was a rider. I loved being a rider! I got to enjoy the ride without having to put in any work. But because I wasn’t working, I got very cold and wished I had more layers on.
If you have them, I also recommend some waterproof gloves. They did have these available for purchase at their store for I believe $10 per pair. The coldest part of my body after the trip was my hands because they kept getting splashed with that cold water.
If you’re going to be in Alaska for a prolonged period, consider purchasing the Alaska Tour Saver book/app! We saved so much money using only just a handful of coupons from this book. I also loved that they list all of their offers on their website, so you can see exactly what you may want to use before you even purchase it.
Final Thoughts
No matter what outfitter you choose to go white water rafting with, you are sure to have an amazing trip down the Nenana River in Denali. We had an amazing time, and have memories for a lifetime! Want to know more about Denali National Park? Read my full guide here!
Have you been rafting in Denali? Who did you go with? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
