Before river rafting, thrill seekers that needed to be splashed to have fun were limited to those engaging in dolphin wrestling and Gallagher shows. Celebrate watery wiles with today's Groupon: for $25, you get $50 toward any half-day or full-day rafting tour from American Adventure Expeditions. Depending on which trip you choose, difficulty levels range from beginner and intermediate to advanced. American Adventure Expeditions recommends that you bring a swimsuit, quick-drying shorts (not cotton), heel-strap sandals or tennis shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat, as well as dry clothes and a towel for after your trip. Wetsuits, river shoes, and splash jackets are available for an additional fee.

American Adventure Expeditions' intrepid guides share their love of the Colorado wilderness with adventurers of all sorts, leading a variety of scenic and thrill-seeking Arkansas River tours. Beginner and intermediate adventurers can choose between the Brown's Canyon and Bighorn Sheep Canyon tours, each of which will glide rafters through a mix of serene river stretches and rapids with such names as Zoom Flume, Big Drop, and Kamikaze (each up to an $84 value for a full day and up to $49 for a half day). The Brown's Canyon option shows off a remote canyon with remarkable scenery, and the Bighorn Sheep Canyon tour treks through the waters of a high-desert setting, catching glimpses of bighorn sheep and rock formations that resemble Colorado congressmen. For full-day tours, paddlers can expect to span 17 miles, and half-day tours track 10 miles down the canyon. Both tours are suitable for families, groups, first-timers, or sentient life vests.

Experienced rapid razzers can elect a more challenging route with the Royal Gorge or Numbers full- or half-day trips. The Royal Gorge tour, an American Adventure Expeditions exclusive, cuts down Bighorn Sheep Canyon into the Royal Gorge, where granite walls rise over 1,000 feet into the air on either side (up to $99 for full day, up to $64 for half day, adults 18 and over only, 14 and over with guardian). Rafters can expect big waves, fast drops, and river nymphs armed with Super Soakers as they rip through rapids like Sunshine Falls, Boat Eater, and Wall Slammer. Tight channels and steep drops make for nonstop action on The Numbers trip, which is one of the most difficult branches of commercially rafted river in Colorado (up to $104 for a full day, up to $66 for a half day, adults 18 and over only, 16 and over with guardian).

Though most full-day tours leave in the morning and last about six hours (depending on the tour), half-day tours provide a less lengthy down-river jaunt, departing two or three times a day and lasting about three hours (depending on the tour). Certified river guides lead all tours, which depart from either of the locations, in Buena Vista or Cañon City.