Women’s Expedition Packrafting Course
"I can’t recommend Four Corners Guides enough! The Women’s Packraft Essentials was my second course with them, and once again, they exceeded my expectations. Lizzy and Jule create a supportive and empowering environment that fosters learning and camaraderie and I gained all the skills I hoped to master while also connecting with an amazing group of women. Thank you, Lizzy and Jule, for another unforgettable experience!"
Emma Millar
Take a Course With Women, Taught by Women!
Course Description
Turn the blue lines on maps into trails on this women’s expedition packrafting course. Acquire the packrafting skills you need to embark on bigger and better adventures on your own! And do all this one of Colorado’s most stunning rivers with a big group of badass women.
The scenery on the different sections of this river range widely from mountain forests to desert canyons. And the quality of the boating matches the scenery, with everything from wide and languorous Class I paddles to rowdy Class III.
You’ll very likely see bald eagles, otters, bears and other wildlife, and generally not so many human beings. Sometimes, when the sections below McPhee Reservoir flow (which only happens when we have a big snowpack), you’ll have more company on the river. But the River of Sorrows never disappoints.
Four Days of Heaven
Join us for this 4-day, Level 2 Expedition Planning and Paddling Course! We’ll spend two days training in the kayak play park and on various sections of on the Animas River, followed by two days in the backcountry on the Dolores River.
To do this course, you should be comfortable paddling Class II and with self rescue (aka “wet re-entry”) most of the time.
The sections of river we run depend on the 2025/2026 winter snowpack.
This is not a course for total newbies or timid boaters.
If you’re not sure you are experienced enough for this course, please visit our blog post, “What Level Packrafter Are You?“
Price: $1395
A 50% deposit is required to secure your space. If you are registering inside of the 90 day window, the remaining balance is due immediately.
Please review our cancellation policy, which you will find on our Terms, Conditions & Cancellation Policy Page.
Why Take a Course w/ Women, Taught By Women?
Women learn differently from men. “Whether you call it ‘girl power’ or ‘feminine energy,'” says Jule Harle of Alaska Packrafting School, ladies have a different learning style. And women’s packrafting courses can offer a distinct environment where they can talk through concepts and issues more thoroughly than might happen in a mixed class or class with just men.
“There’s a part of the brain that’s twice as big in a female that processes new experiences or manages fear through talking,” Jule says.
Who knew? Well, we women did, of course 
So, here you go–four women’s bikerafting and packrafting courses. Want to read/listen more about how women learn differently from men? Check out our, “A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting & Bikerafting” podcast with Jule Harle, owner of Alaska Packraft school and sometime guest instructor for FCG. You’ll find it on our website or on Spotify.
Email us if you want to schedule a bikerafting course for you and your lady friends. Also ask about our full-ride scholarships for BIPOC women, queer and transgender folks through the Armida Huerta Adventure Fund.
What's Included
Includes food on the backcountry portion of the trip, starting with lunch on the first day and and ending with lunch on the last day.
what's not included
Food and lodging, though you may reserve a glamping tent or the cabin at Scullbinder Ranch. Your stay includes dinner and breakfast @ $135 per night.
Please make sure you have a whitewater-capable packraft (either a self bailing or decked packraft), a drysuit, and a whitewater helmet, PFD and paddle. You may rent these items locally at 4Corners Riversports or online at Backcountrypackrafts.com. We will provide you with the 10% discount code once you register for the course.
We do not provide food, lodging or transportation. You must have your own vehicle.
once you register for the course.
Instructors
Krista Beyer
Krista spends most of her days thinking about water. This lifetime curiosity was cultivated as a child in the wet climate of the Pacific Northwest. At an early age, she would pull on a pair of muck boots and some trusty foul-weather gear to explore the tidepools of the Puget Sound. Krista’s curiosity has since taken her to the study and exploration of the aquifers of northeast Arizona, the river corridors and fisheries of the Colorado River Watershed, the snowpack of the San Juan Mountains, and the glaciers of Alaska. To this day, muck boots are her favorite shoe, and her favorite days involve a dry suit or a durable rain jacket. Krista is certified in Swiftwater Rescue and is a Wilderness First Responder. Krista is a Level American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor.
Annie Bussell
After moving to the southwest in 2013, Annie found a deep passion for backpacking into remote wildernesses and floating wild rivers. As a raft guide since 2014 and a Level 4 ACA-certified packraft instructor since 2025, she has long held a love for navigating and immersing herself into river corridors. After starting work at Alpacka Raft in 2021, she discovered packrafts. These tiny inflatable boats have allowed her to merge her love of backpacking and paddling and find new ways to access the remote wildernesses she loves. While not paddling or hiking, Annie makes art, including stunning murals you can find on the outside of the Alpacka Raft factory and at the La Plata County Airport.
Check out a quick Facebook clip from our women’s trips in 2024.
