Mild to Wild began its rafting and jeep tours more than a month early this year following an especially warm and dry winter season in La Plata County.
The business, located at 50 Animas View Drive, usually opens rafting and jeep tours around May 1, said Benji Mickel, general manager and rafting guide. This season, rafting tours began March 19, he said.
A March warm spell and a rush of spring break visitors looking for alternatives to skiing drove the decision to open early, Mickel said.
“It was kind of tough (on tourists) with the Purgatory season closing, so opening up earlier (amid) some warmer weather ‒ we thought it might be a good option for (them),” he said.
Mild to Wild guided 36 rafters over spring break, and eight more between spring break and mid-April, he said.
“We love taking the locals rafting … but predominantly it’s the tourists that come here to go down the lower Animas River, as a lot of the locals have rafts themselves,” he said.
Mickel said the business is running reduced offerings during its early opening zone ‒ one midday half-trip at 12:30 p.m., versus five departures per day during the main season. Regular season offerings will begin Saturday, he said, ahead of tourist season.
Mickel said a possible monsoon predicted for late summer makes him optimistic about this year’s river prognosis.
“It certainly isn’t the best (precipitation) year that we’ve seen … but we’ve had lots of years that have had low snowpack and ended up being great rafting years due to a wetter spring and summer,” he said.
The Animas River “pretty much always” has enough water for rafting trips, he said.
epond@durangoherald.com
