Monumental Expeditions

I found this company through a Groupon ad and signed my family up for a half-day expedition down Brown's Canyon on the Arkansas River. When I called the company to make the reservation, they told me that only one group was allowed to use the Groupon, and that it had already been taken - that was discouraging as I wasn't aware of it from Groupon's site, but to Monumental Expeditions' great credit, the nice lady I spoke to on the phone instantly gave my family the Groupon rate. Huge thanks to them for doing that, very cool. We also signed up for wetsuits, but upon arriving, the company recognized that they didn't have them for us and immediately sent a guy back to their shop to get them for us. Very cool of them to do that too.Some other random thoughts:- Planning wise, the trip on the water lasted about 2.5 hours, I think (though I don't recall exactly). I want to say we started around 2pm and were pulling the boats out of the water around 4:30 or so.- Pay the extra $3 for the wetsuits, especially if you think you'll sit at the front of the raft (and full disclosure, that's where all the water - and the fun - is). We went in August, and despite the fact that the water was only 60 degrees or so, I (wetsuit-less) was freezing by the end of the trip, while my wife (with a wetsuit) was pretty comfortable. - Depending upon the water, the guide will give you an opportunity to jump out of the raft and go swimming. Do it. It will be cold, but hey - how often will you do something like this? It's a hoot.- Depending upon the conditions, towards the end of the tour your guide will ask if you want to go "surfing". Do it. The raft will almost get swamped and everyone will get soaked, but it's a hoot, and again - how often will you get to do something like this? - Our two boys (12 and 8) went with us and had a blast. The rapids aren't too big (there are only a handful of class II and III rapids, on a scale of I-VI), so if you can go in late June/early July - when the water is at its highest and fastest, you may have a significantly more wild ride than if you go at other points. Again, we went in August and still had a blast.Our raft guide, Paul, was also a lot of fun and kept everyone laughing. You will do quite a bit of paddling, so be ready for that (though I believe you can sign up for a "lazy" tour where the guides do all the rowing). Bottom line - we had a great time w/ this company and will definitely look to go back if we're in the area. They are also small which makes it a little more personalized. Well done to Monumental Expeditions!

These guys were amazing! We had 3 guides on our trip and they were awesome! Very safety conscious and gave us a great run-down before the trip of what to expect if we fell out of the raft. But they were also hilarious in how they educated us. You could tell they've been doing this for awhile because they knew how to navigate the river but also make sure we had a fun, rapid-filled time. Very knowledgeable and great guides! If you're ever in the area rafting, we definitely recommend them (we had a group of 8).

Alex A. was the absolute best raft guide. She led us on an amazing trip, calmly and competently getting us through the white waters, and made the overall trip so fun and pleasant. I couldn't recommend Monumental Expeditions and her enough! Beautiful views of the mountains and the water was very clear too.

What a great experience rafting in Browns Canyon with Adam! We have rafted with another company that just did not have as good of a guide. Adam's knowledge of the river, as well as its geology and history, made our experience fun, safe, and informative. I would recommend this company to anyone wanting a super guide and river trip!

Raini (not sure if I am spelling name right-sorry) was a FANTASTIC guide. Not only did she help us navigate the currents best, but she saved an elderly kayaker who was thrown from his boat...DURING our rafting. Some people would have been irritated by the pause in the session, but she noticed something was wrong when all other guides were moving on, threw him and his separated kayak into our boat, and the gentleman was VERY thankful and said he was really worried how the day was going to turn out. Raini was fun and knowledgeable throughout. HIGHLY recommend this company when choosing from companies that all sound the same. One other thing. This is a small shop (with very competitive pricing), so you never feel like you are a forgotten part of a FLEET of rafts. We felt like the time was aimed only at us. Think of this company like a mom and pop shop you show loyalty to for services, or a tiny busy restaurant where you always feel like YOU are the only customer.

Took a group of 8 rafting, 7 of which were rookies. We had never used Monumental before, but I had used another company to raft the same part of Browns Canyon as this trip. Monumental was excellent - guides were great with all the different levels of rafters. We did an afternoon float and we're able to take our time, soak in the awesome scenes, and stop to let the kids swim and jump into the river. Monumental is a small business, which we love to support. There are certainly "fancier" options that carry a significantly higher cost. But at the end of the day you're there to float, learn to raft, and have a good time in the water. Not much better option than Monumental. Our guides were Mychal and Free - both were great. Tip your guides!

Nice folks with great spirit. Not the biggest, oldest, or fanciest outfitter -- it's a rustic, salt-of-the-earth vibe -- but hard to ask for much more than making silly jokes during a downpour! Would recommend, you should check 'em out.

Monumental Experiences is a great company. They are small, friendly and professional. I would rather go through them, instead of some big name/big group company that overbooks.Staff was understanding when my friends and I got lost and had to rebook. The guide Jess, was great. She was patient, nice and knowledgeable about the area. Plan to go again. And yes, spend the money and get a wet suit!

Loved our rafting experience with Monumental Expeditions! Best time we've ever had. Our raft guide, Free, was amazing helping our kids be involved even though they weren't as much help paddling. We will definitely do it again.

We had a great time with Aaron and Adam. I was in Aaron's boat and he had great insight into the geology of the valley and the river more generally. He kept the boat light and fun and made it a very personalized experience. Both boats were steered expertly; even though it was low water they kept us from bumping into rocks like all the other boats and gave us the maximum ride on the waves. Definitely looking forward to rafting with them again when I'm back in BV.