It is official! New Mexico River Adventures has run our first trip of the 2011 season.  Mark and Leigh of San Antonio, Texas joined us for two fantastic days of biking and rafting.  The biking portion took place along the West Rim trail overlooking the Taos Box section and stopping for lunch near the Gorge Bridge, a breathtaking sight not to be missed.  The river trip was the next day on the lower canyon starting with a scenic float through the Orilla Verde State Park followed up with and exciting ride through the Racecourse, the class 3 section.  The temperatures in Northern New Mexico are starting to warm up and spring is definitely in the air! It is prime time for a those of you out there that would prefer to run the river and see less people and more wildlife.  The bald eagles are still hanging out near the river fattening up for the flight back north in the near future.

The plans for our brand new shop are moving along right on schedule.  NMRA will be meeting all of our guests at the new location just south of the ending point of the most popular section on the Rio Grande, The Racecourse.  We are looking forward to providing everyone with a safe place to leave their vehicles, an opportunity to pick up any last minute essentials (sunscreen, water shoes, hats, etc.) and also the ability to view your photos right after your trip.  We can’t wait to open the doors!

We are hoping to see all of our old friends out here this summer and we are so excited for all the new ones we are sure to make on the river.  Give us a call and let’s go boating!

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to inform everyone that Known World Guides has been sold to some of the Known World Guides. Matt Gontram and Wendy Hinton have purchased the business from me in the past few weeks. I had decided after 16 years of outfitting that I wanted to pursue other items such as my conservation work and have a little more free time in the summers to run other rivers and explore more of the world.

I’m sure that most of you all remember Wendy as she was one of our Guide School Graduates in the summer of 2001 and then became a key figure in our operation for a number of years before leaving to run other rivers and pursue Nursing School. Matt and I have known each other for many years and worked together on the Salt River in AZ as well as his working for Known World during the high water seasons. Matt also has an international guiding business called Global Descents, www.globaldescents.com,  that runs rivers in Africa and Chile just to name a few. I want to assure you all that Matt and Wendy are some of the most professional, enthusiastic, and personable outdoor professionals I know. They are sure to keep the vision and dream of the highest quality and safest outdoor adventures that I had of Known World Guides alive as well as expanding their own models of professionalism and creating their own dreams for New Mexico River Adventures.

I will still be very involved during this first seasons transition to New Mexico River Adventures and many of the guides that you have known through the years will be with us. The new boathouse location will be in Rinconada, NM right in the river corridor and will be fantastic both logistically and travel time wise as you will hopefully all join us this summer and get reacquainted with Matt and Wendy. Please check out their web site www.newmexicoriveradventures.com and I hope to see you all on the Rio this summer.

John Weinmeister

Whether you’re looking for a wild whitewater rafting trip through the Class IV rapids of the world famous Taos Box or a scenic floating raft trip through the azure canyon of the Rio Chama, Known World Guides has a river rafting trip or outdoor adventure for you and your family or group.

Whitewater and Scenic river rafting is our specialty, but we also offer adventures and activities in other outdoor pursuits. If you’re interested in kayak instruction with world class instructors, mountain biking the local trails with our knowledgeable guides, or wilderness travel in the high alpine country with seasoned professionals, Known World Guides can offer you a wide variety of River and land based activities.

We are recognized within the Santa Fe and Taos rafting community as being the swift water safety specialists and in fact provide the area’s river rescue and whitewater guide training. And, have always been known for having fun, highly-trained guides. We love what we do and it shows.