EXPLORE TRIPS

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

View Our Open Positions Below!

Come have a Summer you will never forget on the Arkansas River in beautiful Colorado! Arkansas River Tours (ART) has been a whitewater rafting/fishing outfitter since 1973, with over 50 years of experience we have a lot to offer. We focus on safety, adventure, leadership, equality and the environment. Our mission is to enhance people’s lives through outdoor recreation on the river and we are a very tight knit team that is passionate about this. We raft and fish from Browns Canyon all the way through the Royal Gorge.

We have a nurturing and inclusive culture, and this is illustrated in our training programs for all positions. Our staff is our greatest asset, so we believe it is very important to invest in the development of each person. If you are interested in being apart of our team and want to show our guests an experience they will never forget, please apply today!

All of our positions are seasonal, and the season is from April through September depending on the position. We have an office in Cotopaxi, CO and one in Canon City, CO and most positions work out of each office.

Choose FRom Our Available Positions

River guide stands while rowing boat of happy guests

River Guide Trainee

Learn how to become a professional certified River Guide and give our guests an experience they will never forget! Spend your days outside on the river and learn the techniques of being a commercial river guide.

  • Once interviewed, you will be invited to an intensive training course
  • Become CPR & First Aid certified
  • Learn how to navigate the River at all levels in all sections
  • Learn unique history and flora and fauna of area
  • Educated on excellent customer service
  • Teach our guests how to paddle properly and follow guide commands
  • Learn and execute all safety measures on and off the river
  • Once you become an employee the pay rate starts at $14/hr + OT + Tips + bonus opportunities. 1st year guides typically make $4k-$5k in wages and around $4k in tips per season
  • Bonus opportunity based on performance
  • Cost is $400
  • Season May 17th – Labor Day (If in college than Aug 15)
Whitewater on the Arkansas river with all-star rafting guides

Experienced River Guides


Guide on one of the best commercially run rivers in the nation. With 100 miles of river to run you will get to experience everything from class I to V and we run ½ day trips to 3 day multi-day trips

  • Will need to provide current river logs and certificates to meet state requirements
  • Perform a “check out” prior to starting so we can test your skills on water and with customers
  • Receive Trip Leader training and attend our Swiftwater rescue course
  • Additional training as needed
  • Pay is based on per hour and starts at $15/hr up to $20/hr + Trip leader pay + OT + bonus opportunities
  • Season May 1st – Labor Day (If in college than Aug 15)
Fishing guide smiles while holding trout

Experienced Fishing Guides

Guide on one of the best commercially run rivers in the nation. With 100 miles of Gold Medal fishing, you will get to run a lot of different stretches, including class V if you have the skills.
  • Will need to provide current river logs and certificates to meet state requirements
  • Perform a “check out” prior to starting so we can test your skills
  • Must have Trip Leader status and excellent fishing skills
  • Receive Trip Leader training and attend our Swiftwater rescue course
  • Pay is based on per ½ day trip $175, $225 full day and $1k for Gunny Gorge 3 day
  • Season April 1st through September 30th depending on water conditions
Two smiling reservationists employed by Arkansas River Tours

Reservationists

This position is responsible for providing great customer experience from our guest’s first interaction through their entire customer journey.
  • Making reservations
  • Checking in customers
  • Photo & Retail Sales
  • Ensuring the store is organized, clean and inventory is stocked
  • Balancing Cash register
  • Cleaning bathrooms
  • Helping with food coordination for trips
  • Jumping in wherever is necessary
  • Season April 1st through Labor Day
  • Pay rate starts at $15/hour + OT
Collage of Arkansas River Tours bus'

CDL Bus Driver

Transport happy guests to and from the river while navigating the beautiful mountains and rivers of Colorado.

  • Must have a current class B-P2 CDL and Medical Card
  • Must be able to pass pre-employment drug screen
  • Ensure buses are up to safety regulations
  • Responsible for securing the load on the trailers
  • Pay rates start at $20/hr + OT
  • Season May 1st through Labor Day
Rafting guides enjoy lunch next to boat

Kitchen Coordinator

This person is responsible ensuring our guest have an amazing experience with their river side lunch or meals on their overnight river trip.
  • Responsible for preparing meals for each tour
  • Ordering of food inventory for vendors
  • Shopping for supplies as needed
  • Maintaining a clean and organized kitchen
  • Pay rates start at $15/hr + OT
  • Season May 15th through Aug 15th

Why Work For ART?

Happy guests with an ART river guide on the Arkansas river rafting trip

We are a small to medium size outfit on one of the most popular rivers in the nation. ART is NOT like some of the other bigger outfits that have a corporate feel with no flexibility. We are more of a family unit and enjoy working and playing together on many of our planned outings. Inclusion and flexibility is very important to our culture. At ART we are committed to developing the best employees and guides in our valley and have created the top training program in our opinion. We have highly trained staff that are certified instructors for Wilderness First AID, CPR and Swiftwater Training. In addition, we have established an incentive plan to show our appreciation for high performing employees that is above and beyond regular wages.

As an outfit we have chosen to not be one of the biggest but one of the best on the river. With the 50 years in operation the demand for our brand increased dramatically and this allows us better to allocate our staff to tours. In the past outfitters would have staff scheduled every day and they would only work if there are trips for guides or they would work 7 days a week with no breaks. Since we have high demand, we can schedule a 5-day work week with 2 consecutive days off. This allows our staff to get their needed rest and to allow them to enjoy Colorado on their days off without the worry of not working on their scheduled week.

ART runs all the sections of the river and offer anything from a 1.5 hour trip to a 3 day trip so as a guide you will get to experience more of the river than any other upstream or downstream outfitter on the Ark. In addition we run 3 day tours down the majestic Gunnison Gorge. We also offer employee housing for staff members that are interested.

Why would you not want to work for ART?!

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