Inflatable Kayak Instruction

Inflatable River Clinics (one to two day trips)

What’s a ducky? That’s river lingo for “inflatable kayak”. These are great little water craft for those who would love to learn to navigate the river and paddle through the rapids in command of their own craft, but are hesitant to try a hard-shell kayak just yet. A ducky trip is the perfect way for you to learn some river basics in the comfort of an open boat. Minimum age is 10, youths must be accompanied with an adult, swimming ability is required.

Choose between One and Two Day River Clinics
Your best bet to progress in running rivers in an inflatable kayak is our two day Glenwood Canyon River Trip. This trip takes place on the Colorado River in and around Glenwood Canyon. The Colorado river in this area is the best place to learn how to kayak due to the warmer water and river features. Our one day clinics take place around the Boulder/Denver area. We use a combination of Boulder Creek, Clear Creek, South Platte, and St. Vrain Rivers.

Glenwood Canyon two day river clinics
The Colorado River flowing through beautiful Glenwood Canyon is the setting for our 2 day duckie river trips. The Colorado River is a large deep river with large eddies, sandy beaches and sandstone rocks. The clinic consists of continual instruction through rapids of progressing difficulty. You will learn to read the river and use currents, eddies, holes and waves to maneuver your kayak and play the river. Glenwood Canyon provides perfect class II+ deep channel rapids framed in one of the West’s most inspiring canyons. Some of the most spectacular hot springs in all of Colorado are in this Canyon, and yes, we do stop!
We have several classes going at the same time to accommodate all students including youths, men and women.

Boulder/Denver area one day river clinics
There are four rivers in and around Boulder/Denver that we will use to teach this clinic. This clinic will meet at at 9am, you will be contacted for the location. Due to variations in the water levels, this clinic takes place on the river that has the most ideal water level. This clinic follows the same progression as our two day Glenwood River Clinic.

What to Expect:
The first morning we will be on the water right after a safety talk and a vehicle shuttle. We will spend the majority of the first morning getting comfortable in the boats and learning river features. You will experience an incredible learning curve as your newly acquired skills and understanding of river currents come together. We will break for a riverside lunch around 1pm, then back on the water. We pull into the last eddy of the day around 4pm. On our Glenwood trips we travel between 5 and 10 river miles each day. The second river day is dedicated to playing and improving the skills you have learned and putting them to the test. At the end of your second day you will see that your river kayaking skills have improved a lot! If you’re like us, these river trips won’t be your last!

Logistics:
Transportation is not provided. All river trips meet at 9am. The Boulder/Denver area clinics meet at various locations and the Glenwood trips meet at the Dotsero exit between Eagle and Glenwood on the first day. (please see our Glenwood Map) The second day meeting spot will vary due to water levels in the Glenwood area. If you have any questions, please give us a call. Occasionally, due to water levels and class needs, we may use rivers other than the Colorado. If the river has changed, we will notify you. Plan on being on the water from about 9:30am until 4pm.
Drive time from the Boulder/Denver area to Glenwood is about 3 hours. If you come up the evening before, make reservations ahead of time at a hotel, or camp.
We recommend that you camp at Coffee Pot Road or stay in downtown Glenwood Springs.
Please make your reservations as far in advance as possible.
1) Affordable Inn: 800-292-5050
2) First Choice Inn: 800-332-2233
3) Hotel Denver: 800-826-8820
4) Sweetwater Resort: 970 524-7344
5) Glenwood Springs Hotels: 888-892-3642
The Boulder/Denver area does not have camping. Please plan to stay at one of our many local hotels.

The Renaissance Adventure Guides has a special use permit from the White River National Forest to run this section of the Colorado River.

Duckie River Clinics

Dates: (To sign up online, click on the trip/clinic of your choice.)

Dates: (To sign up online, click on the trip/clinic of your choice.)