Paddle your own inflatable kayak on the Lower Animas River (ages 14+)
Run Class III–IV rapids on a full-day Taos Box rafting trip
Ride the Durango & Silverton train to raft Class III–IV rapids in the Animas River Gorge
Clarity is geology, not luck: quartz sand, seagrass filtration, and how close the Gulf Stream runs. Thirteen beaches, and the trade-off each one asks of you.
Florida issues no boating license at all. What the marina checks is a safety education card, and whether you need one comes down to one date: January 1, 1988.