Whitewater rafting conditions excellent on Arkansas river

If you’re looking for a good way to send off the summer, rafting on the Arkansas River might be a good option.

Parks and Wildlife officials say huge winter snow pack and steady monsoonal rainfall in the central mountains has produced what experts describe as rare late-season whitewater rafting conditions.

Flows are being measured near 1,000 cubic feet per second at key checkpoints along the river in Browns Canyon, Wellsville, and Parkdale. That’s above average for this time of year.

Another good reason to go, Joe Greiner, president of Wilderness Aware Rafting in Buena Vista, says tourist crowds are dropping fast.