With Colorado’s beautiful summer just beginning, it’s time to start planning your overnight rafting trip. Make sure you have all of your gear, your closest friends and family, and most importantly: ingredients for all of the meals you’ll be making riverside! We have lots of meal tips and recipes to make your adventure run smoothly. 

Start your mornings off strong! You will need a lot of energy to conquer all of the activities you have planned for the day. Get your proteins in with an easy and quick omelet. Put the ingredients together before you leave and all that you’ll need on the river is boiling water. Easy to customize and delicious for everyone in your party. 

Whether you plan to have lunch on the water or stop and take a break, sandwiches are easy to transport and make. All you really need are lunch meats, cheeses, veggies, peanut butter and jelly. Get creative and use bagels or tortillas instead of bread. Salads are also a healthy meal that are simple and quick. Make sure to bring snacks to eat throughout the day such as pita chips and hummus, fruits and veggies, or trail mix. There are plenty of combinations to this tasty snack. 

Once you’re off of the water and ready to relax, it’s time to start dinner. Pasta or soup is very easy and quick to make, but our favorite is a campfire pizza log.  All you have to do is place it in aluminum foil and over the campfire – remember, you’re just preparing the fire for s’mores later! 

There are a couple of things you can do before you leave for your adventure to help out when you’re on the river. Prepare and freeze as many things as you can to keep the cooler cold and cut down on prep time when you’re tired. Potatoes and rice are also staples to bring because they can be used in many different meals. If meal prep sounds too complicated for you, go on an overnight with one of our raft guides! Their meals will be the highlight of your trip.