Arkansas River Tours

Arkansas River Tours is a long-established river outfitter operating along Colorado’s Arkansas River corridor, with primary bases in Cotopaxi and Cañon City. Founded in 1973, the operation has spent more than five decades guiding people on this river, building a reputation rooted in consistency, local knowledge, and a deep familiarity with how the Arkansas fishes and flows through different seasons. While widely known for rafting and multi-activity river trips, Arkansas River Tours also offers guided fly fishing experiences on some of central Colorado’s most productive trout water.

Fly fishing trips focus on float and walk-and-wade fishing along designated Gold Medal sections of the Arkansas River. Float trips cover long, fish-holding stretches that are difficult to access on foot, allowing anglers to work multiple runs, seams, and banks in a single day while drifting through prime trout habitat. Walk-and-wade trips slow the pace and concentrate on reading water, improving casting accuracy, and fishing specific pieces of structure more deliberately. Both approaches are shaped by river conditions, seasonal hatches, and angler experience rather than fixed routes.

Target species are primarily brown trout and rainbow trout, which thrive in the cold, well-oxygenated waters of the Arkansas River. Trips typically run from spring through early fall, with timing adjusted around runoff, water levels, and insect activity. Arkansas River Tours supports anglers across a wide range of experience levels, from first-time fly fishers learning the fundamentals to more advanced anglers looking to explore productive water with a guide who understands the river’s subtleties.

Guides are trained not only in angling techniques but also in river safety, navigation, and etiquette, reflecting the outfitter’s long history running commercial trips on moving water. Fishing can be booked as a standalone experience or alongside the company’s broader adventure offerings, which include whitewater rafting, scenic floats, and multi-day river trips. What sets Arkansas River Tours apart is its longevity on the Arkansas River and its ability to offer fly fishing within a larger river-based operation, giving anglers access to productive trout water supported by an outfitter with decades of experience on this system.