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:
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.
- Back at 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.
- Riverside lunch around noon
- 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.
