American River Whitewater Rafting

The day begins with a pick-up from your lodging between 6:00 and 7:00am. We head east across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which offers great views of the San Francisco skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and the East Bay. We stop for a quick snack/breakfast in the Central Valley (not included). Famous for its rich volcanic soil, the Central Valley is a booming agricultural region known for almonds, grapes, tomatoes, peaches and strawberries. Then we continue our journey up through the cattle and horse ranching foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the American River. You will be given a short pre-trip briefing by your trip-leader, which will cover what to bring and what not to bring on the raft. You can ask lots of questions as well so you get a better understanding of what to expect on your rafting trip. Then you’ll be given a life jacket, helmet and paddle, and your guides will make sure your gear is a proper fit. They will then give you a detailed safety talk and show you how to sit in the raft and how to paddle. This South Fork rafting trip starts off with a slower pace consisting of mostly Class 1 and 2 rapids, great for warming up before getting into the bigger Class 3 whitewater. So sit back on the boat, enjoy and soak up the sun. After about an hour and half of mellow rafting and enjoying the scenery, it’s time to get fueled up with a hearty lunch. This yummy lunch includes several choices of meats, cheeses, vegetables, PB&J, finger food, condiments and cookies; you will definitely not go hungry. After lunch, it’s time to get back on the river! Sit up and lock your feet in as you enter the Gorge Section on the South Fork with all the big rapids. Soon you will be getting very wet, paddling as well as laughing your way down rapids like Fowlers Rock, Triple Threat, Satan’s Cesspool, Hospital Bar. The few hours of rafting after lunch go by fast as you paddle from one exciting rapid to another. After all the enjoyment of whitewater rafting your trip will culminate with your rafts entry onto Folsom Lake. The last few miles of flat water are made effortless, as the raft is towed out by a Honda Jet Ski! Back on land, you’ll dry off and hop back into the vehicle to head back to the city. The tour ends with a hotel drop off between 8:00 and 8:30pm.