How much do Colorado raft guides make?
River Guide Salary in Colorado
Annual Salary | Hourly Wage | |
---|---|---|
Top Earners | $43,713 | $21 |
75th Percentile | $28,367 | $14 |
Average | $28,158 | $14 |
25th Percentile | $17,206 | $8 |
How do you become a raft guide?
All River Guides Must:

- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have current 1st Aid and CPR cards.
- Be physically fit.
- Be available to work a minimum of two summer seasons.
- Attend our annual training clinic and pre-train on every river.
- Live in Buena Vista, CO for the summer.
How long does it take to become a raft guide?
Our professional raft guide training program begins mid-May and lasts 10 days. It’s a great way to experience and learn more about the river in an individualized, student-teacher setting. You’ll get daily, intensive instruction in guiding oar and paddle rafts with hands-on practice in a supportive environment.
How do you become a Colorado River guide?
New rafting guides must meet Colorado’s state whitewater rafting guiding standards before they’re allowed to guide trips commercially. The minimum Colorado standards include having 50 hours of certified training, First-Aid training certification, and CPR training certification.
How do rafting guides get paid?
Normal pay for a river guide is about $30 per trip, and Bashore usually does two trips a day. He also gets tips, which vary from $2 to $100 and average $15 to $20 per trip.

How much does a Grand Canyon river guide make?
Their pay rates begin at $65 a day for new raft guides and get as high as $125 a day for veterans. Over the course of a season, 3-4 months, a guide could be earning a minimum of around $4,000. However, that is just the beginning for earning potentials as a raft guide.
How much do raft guides make?
New guides might make $60 to $100 a day plus tips and top guides $150 to $200, and you have to remember this is typically a four-month season.
Is being a raft guide hard?
Learning to be a raft guide is hard, but actually being a raft guide is harder. It’s not just the obvious skills that make the difference between a mediocre guide and a great one.
What does a raft guide do?
A raft guide’s primary job is to navigate an inflatable raft with passengers (crew) down a river in a safe and enjoyable manner.
How much do you tip rafting guide?
The amount you tip is really up to you. Raft guiding is considered a service industry and many people believe anyone in the service industry, like restaurants, hotel employees, and hairdressers, should get between 10 % to 20% of the total cost of the service.
How much do you tip a rafting tour guide?
between 5 and 20%
Tip a white water rafting guide between 5 and 20% of the overall cost of your rafting trip. Between $5 and $20 per person, is usually acceptable.
Should I tip raft guide?
How much should you tip rafting guide?
Gratuities based on a per person basis might be $10-$15 per person for a full-day rafting trip. Using a percentage formula, gratuities in the 15%-25% range of the full-day trip cost are standard. Gratuities may range from that amount for certain demanding, expensive, and/or high-level day trips.
How much do Ocoee River Guides make?
New guides might make $60 to $100 a day plus tips and top guides $150 to $200, and you have to remember this is typically a four-month season. It’s definitely a lifestyle choice, and sometimes guides are living out of a car when they start.
Can a beginner do Class 4 rapids?
What’s the Most Advanced Class of Rapids I Can Do as a Beginner? If you’re physically fit, at least 14-18 years of age (water level changes minimum age recommendations), and ready for some adrenaline-pumping excitement, you can join in on trips with Class I-III rapids interspersed with Class IV rapids.
How much do you tip raft guides?
between 10 % to 20%
The amount you tip is really up to you. Raft guiding is considered a service industry and many people believe anyone in the service industry, like restaurants, hotel employees, and hairdressers, should get between 10 % to 20% of the total cost of the service.
What is a good tip for rafting guide?
Tip a white water rafting guide between 5 and 20% of the overall cost of your rafting trip. Between $5 and $20 per person, is usually acceptable.
What do raft guides do in the off season?
Whether typing away from their laptops, taking calls as they run their businesses from afar, or taking a seasonal break from work, these guides often return to their home offices once the season commences.