Yellowstone Raft Co

What Yellowstone Raft Co does

Yellowstone Raft Co, operating legally as R & R Rafting, Inc., is a family-owned whitewater rafting outfitter founded in 1978 and based in Gardiner, Montana, at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The company operates commercial rafting trips on the Yellowstone River under permits issued by the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, offering an 8-mile scenic float, an 18-mile whitewater run, and a higher-intensity Canyon Run. Beyond rafting, the product portfolio has been extended through partnerships to include kayaking, horseback riding via Hells A Roarin' Outfitters, and overnight tipi glamping with Yellowstone Tipis, with a sister entity, Paradise Adventure Company, used to organize adjacent adventure offerings.

The business sells primarily direct-to-consumer through the FareHarbor booking platform, supported by a website, Facebook, Instagram, TripAdvisor, and a blog. Per-person pricing ranges from approximately $60 for shorter floats to $250+ for longer whitewater trips, with private charters priced between $600 and $1,150. Operations are seasonal, running May through September, and the company employs approximately 5 core staff supplemented by seasonal guides. In 2020 the office was destroyed by fire and rebuilt; the company is now accepting bookings for the 2026 season.

The revenue model is volume-based, dependent on tourist visitation to the Yellowstone corridor, weather and river conditions, and permit-constrained trip capacity. Customer acquisition is driven by organic search, TripAdvisor rankings, and social media rather than paid performance channels at scale. The company competes with a limited number of other permitted outfitters operating on the same stretch of river.

Name

Yellowstone Raft Co

Legal name

R & R Rafting, Inc.

Website

https://yellowstoneraft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Yellowstone Raft Co is a family-owned, NPS- and USFS-permitted whitewater rafting outfitter founded in 1978 in Gardiner, Montana, offering guided river trips, scenic floats, kayaking, horseback riding, and glamping to leisure travelers visiting Yellowstone National Park from May through September.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adventure Tourism Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Whitewater Rafting, Kayaking & River Adventures (THAJABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whitewater Rafting, Kayaking & Canoeing Outfitters (THAAADAB), Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing) (THAAALAB), Rafting & River Float Trips (Whitewater, Leisure Floats) (THAJAJAI), Kayaking, Canoeing & SUP Tours (Guided/Paddling Excursions) (THAJAJAF), River & Wetland Ecotours (Canoe/Kayak, Mangrove/Swamp Tours) (THAAAEAE), Mountain & Wilderness Lodges (THAAAHAE)

Keywords

• Whitewater rafting tours
• Scenic float trips
• Guided kayaking adventures
• Horseback riding excursions
• Outdoor recreation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gardiner

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Adventure Activity Bookings: Revenue generated from booking fees for whitewater rafting trips, scenic floats, kayaking tours, horseback rides, and combination packages. Customers pay per activity or as part of bundled packages. Transactions are one-time fees per trip with no recurring revenue component.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yellowstone Raft Company provides guided outdoor adventure experiences on the Yellowstone River in Gardiner, Montana. Core offerings include whitewater rafting trips (8-mile, 18-mile, and Canyon Run), scenic floats, guided kayaking tours, and horseback trail rides, along with combination packages such as Saddle & Paddle and luxury tipi glamping. All trips are led by trained guides using company-owned rafts, kayaks, and equipment under permits from the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.

Product overview

Yellowstone Raft Company offers a diverse portfolio of outdoor adventure experiences centered on the Yellowstone River in Gardiner, Montana. The core offerings include whitewater rafting trips (8 Mile, 18 Mile, and Canyon Run), scenic floats, guided kayaking, and horseback riding experiences. The company provides both shared group trips and private exclusive bookings, plus combination packages like Saddle & Paddle (horseback + rafting) and Float & Ride (horseback + scenic float). Accommodations are available through Yellowstone Tipis glamping, which can be bundled with river adventures. All activities are permitted by both the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, with the company operating since 1978 as the original rafting outfitter on the Yellowstone River.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 18 Mile Whitewater Rafting

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Yellowstone TipiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYellowstone Tipis provides luxury glamping accommodations near the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone Raft Co offers combined Raft & Glamp packages pairing overnight stays with whitewater rafting, scenic floats, kayaking, or horseback rides. Located less than a mile from the park entrance.
• Hells A Roarin' OutfitterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRanch partner providing horseback riding facilities and wranglers for Saddle & Paddle, Scenic Float & Ride, and Cowboy Cookout experiences. Located at 164 Crevice Rd with corrals 30 minutes from Gardiner town.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing operating permits for commercial rafting trips within and adjacent to Yellowstone National Park boundaries.
• U.S. Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing permits for operating commercial rafting trips on U.S. Forest Service lands along the Yellowstone River corridor.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Paradise Rafting: Direct competitor offering whitewater rafting, scenic floats, and horseback riding on the Yellowstone River from Gardiner, MT. Operates the same NPS/USFS-permitted river stretches and shares the same tourist customer base of Yellowstone visitors. Note: this is the sister company of Yellowstone Raft Co (subsidiary), illustrating the close structural overlap.
• Wild West Rafting: Montana-based outfitter running multi-day whitewater rafting trips on the Yellowstone River and other Montana rivers. Comparable in offering (guided rafting, scenic floats, family-friendly trips) and in targeting the same tourist demographic visiting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
• Geyser Whitewater Expeditions: Gardiner, MT-based rafting and kayaking outfitter operating on the Yellowstone River. Directly competes for the same Yellowstone tourist traffic with similar Class II-III rafting, scenic floats, and kayaking trips. Shares the same NPS-permitted river corridor.
• Montana Whitewater: Montana outfitter with rafting, kayaking, and scenic floats on the Yellowstone and other state rivers. Comparable guided adventure product mix and target customer (Yellowstone and Montana tourists) but also offers fly-fishing and zip-line extensions, making it a strong comparable on diversification strategy.
• Yellowstone Raft Tours: Gardiner-based competitor offering guided float trips on the Yellowstone River, including wildlife-focused scenic floats. Direct overlap in scenic float product and customer base, though more focused on wildlife viewing than whitewater thrills.
• Scenic Safaris: Jackson Hole, WY-based outfitter offering guided rafting, scenic floats, and wildlife tours near Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Comparable in geographic market (Greater Yellowstone) and in combining river-based tours with wildlife viewing / family-friendly experiences.

Regional players

• Yellowstone Vacations: West Yellowstone-based tour operator offering rafting, fishing, and wildlife tours in the Yellowstone region. Geographic overlap but operates primarily from the West Entrance rather than the North Entrance, with a wider but less rafting-focused product portfolio. Comparable in grouping multiple adventure activities into bookable packages.

Broad incumbents

• REI Adventures: National multi-day adventure tour operator offering guided rafting, hiking, and multi-sport trips across the U.S. including Montana-based itineraries. Not a direct competitor on the Yellowstone River specifically, but provides a benchmark for the broader guided outdoor adventure tour operator model.
• Backroads: Premium active travel company offering guided multi-sport trips including kayaking, hiking, and rafting in U.S. National Parks. Comparable in delivering guided small-group outdoor experiences to affluent travelers visiting iconic natural destinations, though broader in scope and positioned at higher price point.
• O.A.R.S. (Outdoor Adventure River Specialists): Established national rafting outfitter operating guided trips across multiple western U.S. rivers including in Montana. Comparable in business model (multi-day guided rafting trips, family-friendly options, multi-river permits) but with national scale and longer-trip focus. Useful as a benchmark for the commercial guided rafting outfitter category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YellowstoneRaft
• Instagraminstagram.com/yellowstone_raft_company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yellowstone Raft Co