South Fork American River - 2 Day Rafting Trip

Lotus, CA /

PRICES STARTING AT
Weekdays Mon/Tues & Thurs/Fri 
  • $299 – adults (ages 14+)
  • $149.50 – kids (ages 7-13)

 50% off kids 

Weekends Sat/Sun
  • $329 – adults (ages 14+)
  • $309 – kids (ages 7-13)

Camping, Rafting & Meals included!

Our 2 day South Fork American River rafting trip is ideal for families with kids ages 7-8+ groups and ok for non-swimmers. This is also great for groups coming from Sacramento, the Bay Area, & Southern California!

We will take you white water rafting on the Class 2-3+ South Fork American River both days! Camping for 2 nights is included at our Riverside Campground, with showers and flushing toilets. We also offer a more wilderness style trip on the river which is popular with both youth groups (scouts etc) and corporate/adult groups.

Meals are included starting with a hearty breakfast the morning after you arrive. We provide 5 meals on the trip – breakfast, lunch & dinner day 1, breakfast & lunch day 2.

We start rafting on the South Fork American Class 2 section mid morning and stop again for lunch before tackling the Class 3+ rapids on the Gorge section in the afternoon. There are many rapids on this section including Satan’s Cesspool & Hospital Bar. We end in Folsom Lake and load the gear up and shuttle back to camp. There is time to shower and relax riverside upon arrival back at camp. Appetizers & dinner are made by your amazing river guides, after they clean up dinner they wish you goodnight until breakfast in the morning.

Day 2 you wake to the sound of the rushing river. Coffee & tea is available in the kitchen early morning followed by a tasty breakfast before we head out for more rafting! This is an earlier morning than day 1 and we have a longer shuttle to the upper Chili Bar put in on the South Fork American River. You will tackle many Class 3+ rapids for the first 7 miles finishing with the infamous Troublemaker Rapid. We float into the Marshall Gold Discovery Park for a picnic lunch at the historic park. There is some time to walk around, but a return visit in the afternoon with more time to explore is a popular post rafting trip activity. There are a few more miles of Class 2-2+ rapids back to camp like Old Scary and Barking Dog. We bid you farewell, or you are welcome to add on another night of camping.

We will provide transportation to/from our South Fork campground as needed during your rafting trips.

 

Trip Information

  • Great for Families, First Timers, and Groups
  • Upgrade your stay with a Canvas Tent Rental
  • Great get-away from San Francisco, Sacramento & Lake Tahoe

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 and you will return to camp around 4:30PM
6:00PM Riverside appetizers
6:30PM Dinner
8:00PM 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 put in for the Chili Bar Run. Safety talk at put in and start rafting!
NOON Riverside lunch either at Marshall Gold Discovery park or our camp
The final 4 miles back to camp are pretty mellow with a few Class 2 & 2+ rapids along the way including Barking Dog a few strokes before we take out at our camp
3:00PM
We say our fond farewells as you head home or to your next destination … OR maybe you would like to stay another night?

  • Kids ages 7 and up
  • non-swimmers
  • great for groups & families

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:

FOR RAFTING

Required Items:

  • Re-usable 20oz or more water bottle (filled with ice water)
  • shoes (no flip flops)
  • sunscreen

 

Suggested Items:

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

 

DO NOT BRING:

  • Wallets
  • Expensive jewelry
  • Pets

 

FOR CAMPING (both nights)

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

Directions

Meeting Place:

Tributary Whitewater – American River Outpost
6500 State Highway 49
Lotus, CA 95651

Please note that cell phone reception in our remote area is not guaranteed, although it is getting better. Please be sure to check drive times when booking your rafting trip and allow for additional time on Holidays and weekends.