Once you arrive as our guest please know you are now what we consider “River Time”. This means we try and stick to a schedule, but times are merely a guideline and may not be exact once we start our adventure. Times below may vary, but not much!
The night before your rafting adventure begins:
4:00-8:00PM – Check in to our South Fork American River campground for camping the night before you start rafting. Dinner is not included.
Day 1
7:00AM Coffee, tea and drinks are available in the kitchen
7:30AM Breakfast
Mid-Morning (10:00am ish) Load shuttle for a short ride up to the put in
Lunch around Noon
More Rafting after lunch on the Gorge section of the South Fork American River. You will blast thru several Class 3+ rapids including Satan’s Cesspool & Hospital Bar Rapids!
Arrive @ take out around 4:00pm where we load the gear up and shuttle everyone back to camp. There is time for showers and some riverside relaxation while your guides prepare your appetizers. Drinks are also available.
Dinner is served around 6:30PM followed by campfire and riverside chats (campfire not guaranteed due to possible high fire danger)
10:00PM Quiet Hours begin until 7:00AM the following morning, that just means no loud partying, music or noises…it’s not a bedtime!
Day 2
7:00AM Coffee, tea and drinks are available in the kitchen
7:15AM Breakfast
8:00AM Load shuttle to the Middle Fork American River!
9:00AM Arrive @ Oxbow Reservoir put in where the boats are launched just below the release from the dam. There is another pre-trip safety talk as we are about to tackle more challenging rapids today.
Once on the water the river starts to meander back and forth and there are some fun Class 2-3+ rapids to start with. We make sure everyone is in sync and ready for the Class 4+ Tunnel Chute rapid that we encounter in the first mile of the trip! Many Class 4-4+ rapids follow and the river mellows out for an afternoon of Class 2’s, swimming, lunch as our guides share unique details about the river and it’s history.
In the afternoon there are more Class 4 rapids like Chunder and Parallel Parking. Guests will portage the Class 6 Ruck-A-Chucky falls and join back with the guide for more action to take out.
We are usually on our way back to camp by 4:00pm which is about a 40 minute shuttle ride.
Back you are welcome to take a shower before you depart.
Camping for an additional evening is a popular option for folks after this trip and is available at the same South Fork Campground.
