Middle Box Full Day
AT A GLANCE
Highlights
- Remote Canyon Wilderness
- Horse Packing to get Gear to the River
- Beautiful 1-Mile Hike
- Fun Class III Whitewater
- Native America Petroglyphs
Overview
The Middle Box offers a combination of hiking, horse packing, whitewater and river wilderness that make it one of the best day trips in the United States! It is a scenic Class II-III section of river visited by far fewer people every summer than the popular Taos Box and Lower Gorge. A one-mile hike will take us from the rim of the gorge and into the heart of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Guests can expect very high chances of wildlife sightings, a fantastic archeological site, a beautiful hike, and the solitude of a hard to access wilderness area. Often considered the gem of the Taos area, this secluded segment of the Rio Grande National Monument is one of our all-time favorites. The beautiful hike into the gorge is a great way to start off the day and offers sweeping high desert views on the rim and incredible canyon vistas on the way down.
Itinerary
We will launch at the mouth of the Red River canyon, one of the deepest parts of the gorge, and begin our 10-mile trip through the heart of the Wild and Scenic river section. We are the only company to do this section regularly and also start 4 miles upstream from where any other companies begin. You will float through towering ponderosa pines, unique to this area of the Rio Grande, and crash through Class III rapids formed from the outflow from massive side canyons. Watch the past unfold as you inspect the dozens of petroglyphs at the hunting camp at the mouth of San Cristobal creek, lunch at the cabin of “Horse Thief Shorty”, an infamous horse and cattle rustler of the early 20th century and ponder the feat of lowering mining equipment down the canyon at the relicts of an abandoned mine .After an amazing day on the water, our trip will end at the John Dunn Bridge which will be about a 15-minute drive from our office and your vehicle. We will plan to have you back to your vehicle around 4 pm.
***Participants should be fit and prepared for an easy 1-mile downhill hike***
The Middle Box is a challenging and family friendly one-day inflatable kayak experience. A scenic Class II-III section of river visited by far fewer people every summer than the popular Taos Box and Lower Gorge.
This itinerary follows the exact same itinerary as the raft trip, guests will just be in kayaks instead of rafts.
Kayaking in the middle box is a fun and challenging full day experience. Guests should be active and prepared for a full day of activity.
If you would like to kayak the middle box, please select the number of inflatable kayaks you would like during the checkout process online or over the phone. There is no up-charge for kayaks on this experience.
The Middle Box is a pristine and productive trout fishery that is well worth spending a day or two in. Our Middle Box fishing trips are similar to the famous Gunnison Gorge, though with significantly less pressure and we are the only company that offer these beautiful camp floats!
BOOK YOUR TRIP TODAY!
Join us for an adventure that you will never forget!