Testimonials

Courtney Kowalczak

I wanted to give my college Environmental Science class a chance to experience the St. Louis River in a new way. This rafting trip engaged all the students senses and the learning was tremendous thanks to Cliff Langley’s great staff. We learned about the ecology of the river and had a beautiful trip on this great river. I highly recommend this experience for everyone!

Courtney Kowalczak
Environmental Institute Director - Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College

Julia Kim

My daughter and I had a blast whitewater rafting on the St. Louis River this past Saturday! We’ve never been whitewater rafting before, but Swiftwater Adventures made it safe and fun. We’ll definitely do this again!

Julia Kim

Nora Whitmore

Swiftwater Adventures is amazing! The most knowledgeable and experienced wilderness adventure guides you’ll find. If you have an adventure in mind they can do it. Adventure at it’s finest!

Nora Whitmore
3M

Ryan Micke

The guides of Swiftwater were fun, creative, and created a challenging experience that with out a doubt brought our team closer together. We felt like warriors after this! We fear nothing and are ready to take it on again next year! Thanks Swiftwater Adventures.

Ryan Micke
Owner - RPM Online Solutions

Courtney Kowalczak

We have used Swiftwater Adventures to provide hands-on learning for our college students and community members. Currently the guided canoe trips have been effectively used to introduce limnology, ecology, and geology to our college students in a very engaging atmosphere. Our college is also looking at how the type of experiences that are offered by Swiftwater Adventure can be used as team building exercises by our incoming freshman. I would highly recommend Swiftwater Adventures!

Courtney Kowalczak
Environmental Institute Director - Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College

Bryan Wood

Cliff Langley of Swiftwater Adventures is that rare outdoor leader who combines adventure skills and natural history effortlessly. Not only is Cliff a skilled and experienced white water kayak and rafting guide, but he is also a master naturalist, with a deep and intimate knowledge of the flora, fauna and geology of the area. Cliff’s command of the regional area’s natural history and the stories he shares is stellar and his easy going and positive demeanor make every experience rewarding and memorable.

Bryan Wood
Executive Director - Audubon Center of the North Woods

Tom

Our guide Cliff was very professional from the moment we stepped out of our car to meet him, since most of us didn’t know what to expect. Cliff’s thoroughness and experience made us all feel as though we were in great hands. Not only was all of our equipment provided, we were able to bring coolers with food and beverages for the day. Also being a naturalist, Cliff’s wealth of knowledge of the geology, flora, and fauna made for some interesting talks along our paddle. The great scenery and good company made for an all around wonderful experience!! Cannot say enough good things about these guys! If you’re thinking about doing this, I highly recommend it!

Tom

Nicholas Justad

Cliff Langley, you’re the best guide I have had in my life so far in a canoeing field experience! The future looks bright for you as you are calm, dedicated, passionate, respectful, courageous, and educated. Thank you for your time and effort as we explored voyageurs! I look forward with great enthusiasm to seeing you again for some water fun! God bless!

Nicholas Justad

Meryl Lucchesi-Freyberg

Cliff is everything you want in a river guide. He knows the rivers he runs like the back of his hand and always has safety in mind, but is tons of fun! He is a great teacher, so you’ll never forget that if you swim, you put “feet up!” If you’re thinking about booking a river trip, Cliff is the guide you want to book with!

Meryl Lucchesi-Freyberg
English Teacher - Houghton, MI

Ernest Hansen

Cliff has the ability to instill confidence in new adventurers and build upon the skills of the more seasoned. He also instills knowledge of the natural settings. Overall, a very capable and professional guide.

Ernest Hansen
Physical Therapist

Bridget Ideker

Cliff has guided me through whitewater and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Cliff has a clear approach to teaching the necessary skills and safety measures needed to have a good time, while also integrating his naturalist perspective and depth of knowledge on the regions plants, animals and insects. He is a strong and experienced guide with a fun personality to match. His love for the intricacies of the natural world is contagious- he can make finding a beetle exciting, which is saying alot. Anyone who adventures with Cliff will leave having had a good time but also having learned alot about their own strengths and the exciting environment they are exploring. With his expert level whitewater skills Cliff gives back to the sport through his writing and photography- which reveals his commitment to our regions habitat and the education of others.

Bridget Ideker
Social Worker

Derrick Taylor

I’ve had the pleasure of participating in multiple excursions with Cliff Langley and Swiftwater Adventures. Each time I walked away with a great experience. The trips were professionally ran with safety and fun in mind. Our entire group had a blast and learned quite a bit along the way. Looking forward to our next trip with Cliff!

Derrick Taylor
Derrick Taylor LLC

Shannon McGrath

Cliff has definitely found his calling – he is a naturally talented leader, environmentalist, and guide who is energized by being outdoors. He not only has excellent river navigation skills, but also shares his expertise about the flora and fauna of the surrounding area. His experience and welcoming personality made our ‘fall colors’ whitewater trip so much fun!

Shannon McGrath
Transportation Planner - MnDOT - St. Paul, MN

Fraser Tyrrell

As one of the owners of Costa Rica Rios, we had the pleasure of working with Cliff for several months. His skills on the rivers were unmatched and his energy and enthusiasm was infectious. Knowing Cliff as I do I would highly recommend his company. He is an expert outdoorsman and if you are looking for the ultimate guide there are none better.

Fraser Tyrrell
Owner - Costa Rica Rios

What Our Clients Say!

Very enjoyable experience

Great experience , we had good weather and the guides were great and very informative Well organized and up-to-date on Covid precautions.

It was a blast can’t wait yo go back!!!

Very professional!!! A Lot of fun!! Highly recommended. Guides made sure it was fun and that you were having a good time!!

Great time!

It was great! My family of four (youngest 11 years old) had no experience with whitewater rafting and felt safe and had a ton of fun throughout the whole trip. We would definitely recommend it!

Great fun rafting!

It was an amazing experience. The staff was very professional yet extremely welcoming. Will go again.

Awesome experience!

Awesome trip! We had a great time! The staff was amazing and we got to surf the rapids. The drop was super fun! Would totally do it again!!

Great family day trip!

This was a great family adventure, ages 14-50s. We all loved it! Our guides were skilled, friendly, and fun! Keep us all safe and helped us have an awesome day on the river. Highly recommend it.

Fun Family Adventure!

The whole set up was perfect for a fun family adventure of all skill levels. The tour guides were fantastic!

Great experience

I went there yesterday for my birthday and it was AMAZING!! Will definitely go back! Caleb was awesome.

Day on the river

Whitewater rafting with Swiftwater Adventures was the highlight of our trip. Highly recommended. Everyone that works there from the bus driver to the very competent guides were pleasant and fun. Our family loved it.

Do it!!!

I have lived in Duluth 20 years, and cannot believe I haven't tried this until this year! It was a blast, and a very memorable highlight of the summer. The water level was high, making for a very wet ride. I wish I had worn a bathing suit for the experience we had. There was an adventure swim and the option to jump from a granite cliff, during a picturesque stop. The scenery is like the BWCA, with the cliff and pines. The staff were very organized, capable, and friendly. Two staff accompanied our group of rafts for safety and photos. I cannot wait to do this again, and I have been raving about the experience to my friends.

SO MUCH FUN!

Did not expect to have this much fun on our rafting trip. The rapids are much more than we expected which was awesome. We were worried it might be lame but it exceeded our expectations. Our guide, Trent, was so much fun.

Amazing!

It was an excellent experience that is exciting for everyone of all ages. The rapids are perfect, not too intimidating, yet incredibly thrilling. Great guides, definitely coming back!

Rafting on the St Louis River, MN

Surfing and the Electric Ledge. Patrick was our guide, he was awesome. Great photos! We will go again.

Awesome Ride for all ages

This was an awesome Ride! We went along with friends and family and really enjoyed it. It's not scary or risky, it's kids friendly. Our kids jumped into the water and swimmed also. The guides who came with our group are very friendly and gave us safe instructions and took care of us. Kory and Luke, Andy good Pictures! Carlson nice support! Thank you for this awesome experience!

Fantastic!!

We had a fantastic time and loved our guides. Lucas, Andy and Karsten were the best!! It was our first time and wasn’t nearly as scary as I worried it would be... in large thanks to Lucas! Thanks guys!!!!

Amazing rafting experience on the St. Louis River!

My son and I had a fantastic time! Our guide was amazing and informative! Plus, he kept me from getting sucked into the water when "surfing" our raft, which was an added bonus! Thanks for that Carston! The view was amazing along the St. Louis river too. Would love to kayak the Thomson Reservoir someday after this trip opened my eyes to it. Everything was done professionally following COVID guidelines too. We had so much fun and would highly recommend company and the adventure itself to anyone visiting Duluth! You won't regret it!

Great Family Experience

Our family of five had a great trip. 17 yr old, 14 and 10. We had never whitewater rafted before. We felt safe and our guide was great. The precautions taken for covid were fantastic. Thank you very much!