"Float trip" gets used for a lot of different days. Some are a few hours. Some are a scenic ride where the rods are optional. The full-day float at Rich Valley Adventures is a specific product, with a published price and a published list of what is included. It is worth reading that list before you compare it with a cheaper afternoon you saw somewhere else.
The full-day float starts at $1,400 for 2 people. That price is one boat and one captain. Additional adults are $375 each. Kids are $175. The boat covers an 8 to 12 mile stretch of the Roaring Fork or the Colorado River. Lunch, gear, and luxury door-to-door transportation are included. If a quote you receive does not sound like that, ask which trip it is. The page that states it is guided fly fishing.
One boat, one captain, a set number of miles
The base booking is two people. You are not buying a seat on a boat that already has strangers on it. One captain runs that boat. Additional adults join your boat at $375 each, and kids join at $175. Ask how many anglers the captain wants on that stretch before you add a fourth adult. The published price tells you what an additional person costs. It does not say a boat grows forever.
The distance is 8 to 12 miles, on either the Roaring Fork or the Colorado River. Which river depends on the day, the conditions, and what the captain is fishing. You can tell the company a preference. You should not invent a promise that every booking is the same exact ramp. The conditions page is the public place to look before you call. The service areas page is the map of the valley those rivers run through, from Aspen down through Basalt and Carbondale toward Glenwood Springs, where the Roaring Fork meets the Colorado.
Lunch is included. Gear is included. The door-to-door transportation is the luxury ride to and from the launch, not a separate transfer you have to arrange. That is why the price is a day price and not a "rods only" price.
Gear, license, and who the $175 rate is for
Rods, reels, lines, waders, boots, and flies are provided. You show up dressed for a day on the water. Layers, sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses you can see fish through are the list the fishing page already gives guests. Wear clothes you do not mind getting wet. A float day includes spray.
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife fishing license is required for ages 16 and up. Everyone in that age range needs their own license, including the person who "might not fish much." The captain cannot issue one from the boat. Buy it before the morning.
Kids ages 3 and up can fish. On this trip the kid rate is $175, not the $375 adult add-on. Waders are available for all children 3 and up, and adult sizes go up to size 15 feet. If a grandparent cannot get in and out of a boat, do not force this to be their day. Guests and grandparents with limited mobility can be hosted at the ranch ponds on the Spring Creek Ranch picnic instead. That is a different trip, from $800 per adult and $250 per child ages 3 and up, in Carbondale. The float is the moving-water day.
Deposit, timing, and what else exists
Book at least 2 days in advance. A 50% deposit is due at booking. Cancellations within 72 hours are billed in full. Two days is the minimum, not a suggestion that a Saturday in summer will be open on Thursday. The fishing page says summer days, especially June through August, fill, and booking further ahead is wise. November is a different pace. The rule is still two days and a 50% deposit.
Half-day wading trips exist from May through October. Guides have places to fish year-round, including alpine springs where spring-fed water keeps the temperature steady.: a 4-hour morning or afternoon. They are not this float, and this article does not invent a half-day float price. If you want four hours on foot, say wade. If you want the 8 to 12 mile day, say full-day float.
Call 970-456-3666 or use contact. Tell them how many adults, how many kids, shoe sizes for waders, and which month. The company has been guiding since 2012. The float is the first of the featured trips for a reason. It is a full day, one boat, one captain, with lunch, gear, and the ride included, from $1,400 for two people.
Private ranch fishing at Spring Creek Ranch
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the price?
The full-day float starts at $1,400 for 2 people, one boat and one captain. Additional adults are $375 each. Kids are $175.
What water is it?
An 8 to 12 mile stretch of the Roaring Fork or the Colorado River. Lunch, gear, and luxury door-to-door transportation are included.
Who needs a license?
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife fishing license is required for ages 16 and up.
How far ahead do we book?
At least 2 days in advance. A 50% deposit is due at booking. Cancellations within 72 hours are billed in full.