South Fork / North Fork American River - 2 Day Rafting Trip

• Rare spring trip combining 2 American River forks
• Great for experienced paddlers
• Camp 2 nights at our South Fork American riverside camp where we enjoy volleyball, horseshoes, camp store, campfire circle, hot showers and flush toilets
• Great guides: skilled and ready to provide a safe and fun outdoor adventure

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 North Fork American River!
9:30AM Arrive @ Iowa Hill put in. There is another pre-trip safety talk as we are about to tackle more challenging rapids today.
The big Class IV action starts right out the gate on this trip with some of the most iconic rapids on the American River – Chamberlain Falls, Zig Zag, Bogus Thunder & Staircase rapids. Once we pass Shirttail Canyon Creek, the river mellows allowing us to catch our breath and revel over our accomplishments from the morning. We will stop for a riverside lunch after the Big Class IV rapids.
We are usually on our way back to camp by 4:00pm which is about a 50 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.

Day 1 – South Fork American River Gorge Run

Coming Soon

Day 2 – North Fork American River

• Kids ages 14 and up
• Strong Swimmers
• All participants must be in good physical condition for challenging rapids

Included for the rafting:

• PFD (Personal floatation device / aka life jacket)
• Paddle
• Helmet
• Professional raft guide for each raft
• Shuttles to/from camp

Included with this overnight vacation package:

• 2 nights camping at our established South Fork American River Campground
• 5 meals
  • Day 1 – breakfast, lunch & dinner
  • Day 2 – breakfast & lunch

FOR RAFTING

Required Items:

• Re-usable 20oz or more water bottle (filled with ice water)
• shoes (no flip flops)
• sunscreen
• Wetsuit or Drysuit (you can also rent wetsuit/splash top from us)
• This is a spring rafting trip – DO NOT WEAR COTTON! We suggest you wear polypro and wool materials.

Suggested Items:

• sunglasses (with a strap)
• baseball hat
• Cell Phone (at your risk, it will sink)

DO NOT BRING:

• Wallets
• Expensive jewelry

FOR CAMPING (both nights)

• sleeping bag
• pillow
• flashlight/headlamp
• change of clothes
• towel
• tent & sleeping pad OR Rent a Glamping Tent
• camp chair