St. Vrain River Canoe Day Trips
Join us on a leisurely float amongst the cottonwoods, in silence and awe of the diversity of wildlife. You will have space to relax and find your connection with the river as you guide your canoe down the St. Vrain east of Longmont.
Half day:
Per person: $119
6+ people group rate per person: $109
12+ group rate per person: $99
20+ group rate per person: $89
Full day:
Per person: $149
6+ people group rate per person: $139
12+ group rate per person: $129
20+ group rate per person: $119
Ages 5 and up
“May we learn to walk
Upon the earth
With all their confidence
And clear-eyed stillness
So that our minds
Might be baptized
In the name of the wind
And light and the rain.”
— John O’Donahue
Just east of Longmont, there is a hidden wild place among the willows and cottonwoods on the St. Vrain river. Here, you will join the wood ducks, bald eagles, and herons on a journey down a river that feels much wilder than the farmlands among which it flows. You will have a moment to slow down, your paddle slipping into the water silently as you listen to a cacophony of birds. You might see a mink, deer, or coyote watching you from the shores. You might see bald eagles and pelicans soaring overhead, as you picnic along the banks and float down the river, feet on the surface of the water, allowing the river’s gentle current to take you downstream, enveloping you in its cool escape from the summer’s heat.
This is a river journey like no other. It is slow. Contemplative. Beautiful. You will have enough excitement to keep you on your toes, with lots of laughter, play, and time to skip stones and swim in the current. This trip is perfect for all ages and abilities, and for all of us who love the silence and beauty of the wild places in our beautiful state.
Common Wildlife Seen On A Canoe Day Trip
Throughout your canoe day trip on the Meanders stretch you will see cliff swallow colonies, red-tailed hawk nests, and american mink. Choose the Kurtz Ranch canoe day trip and you will see a bald eagle’s nest and a great blue heron rookery. On either trip, you will become more familiar with the following species as well:
- Great Horned Owls
- American White Pelican
- Snapping Turtles
- Many songbirds, e.g. Western Tanagers
- Beavers
- Muskrats
- Killdeer
- Cliff and Bank Swallows
- Kingfishers
Human and Cultural History of The St. Vrain
Humans have inhabited Colorado’s Front Range for thousands of years. Actually, one of the oldest archaeological sites in Colorado is in Weld County, near the town of Milliken, which the St. Vrain flows past. Stone Clovis points and mammoth bones between 11,000 and 12,000 years old were found here in the 1930’s, providing some of the earliest evidence of mammoth hunting in North America.
More recently, the Front Range has been a crossroads for many tribes, including the Ute people, the Apache, Comanche, Cheyenne, and Arapaho.
The St. Vrain River is named for Ceran St. Vrain, a fur trader of French descent who helped establish the Old Fort St. Vrain around 1837. The fort was situated on the east side of the South Platte River in Platteville, just north of the St. Vrain Creek, and functioned as a key trade center and stopover for wayfarers on the historic Santa Fe Trail. Trade with and between the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, Sioux, and Shoshone peoples was a key activity at the fort. Buffalo hides traded from Plains peoples were one of the most sought-after items.