california rafting trips & vacations

South Fork American 1/2 Day PM Gorge Run

North Fork American River is a GO this Spring

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South Fork American River – 2 day Wilderness Rafting Trip

What Gear Does Tributary Provide

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 riverside camping (different locations each night, additional nights available as an add on)
    • Your first night of camping is at our established South Fork American River campground in Lotus, CA with showers, and flush toilets (additional nights are at this location)
    • The second night of camping out on the South Fork American River @ BLM camp
  • 5 meals
    • Day 1 – breakfast, lunch & dinner
    • Day 2 – breakfast & lunch
  • Dry Bag for your gear on the 2nd night

What Gear Should I Bring

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

 

FOR CAMPING (both nights)

  • sleeping bag
  • pillow
  • flashlight/headlamp
  • change of clothes
  • towel

 

For camping Night #1

This night is at our established campground on the South Fork American River

 

For camping Night #2

This night is at the BLM campground

  • tent & sleeping pad (Raft California will also provide)
  • duffel with personal gear that can easily be packed into our large Dry Bag
  • Kids ages 7-8 and up
  • non-swimmers
  • great for groups & families

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

Your guides will hand out dry bags for your personal & overnight camping gear

  • 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
  • 8:30AM Safety talk and put in and start rafting
  • Class 3 rapids begin early in the trip and you will encounter Meatgrinder, Maya, Troublemaker and more.
  • 12:30 Lunch @ our Riverside Camp
  • 2:00pm Back to rafting – time on river varies as gear boats join us after lunch.
  • A few miles of Class 2 rapids
  • 4:00pm Land at our overnight camp where we unload the gear from the rafts as a communal team (guests included)
  • Free Time to hike, play and explore! We also suggest you set up your overnight sleeping accommodations (tent, hammock, under the stars) before dinner.
  • 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

Day 2

  • 7:00AM Coffee, tea and drinks
  • 7:30AM Breakfast
  • Explore, play or relax as we wait for the river flows to rise. We also take this leisurely morning to pack up all our gear again to take down the river.
  • Noon Lunch
  • Lots of Class 3 rapids like Fowlers Rock, Satan’s Cesspool & Hospital Bar
    4:30PM Take out and head back to our campground where your cars are parked
    5:30PM usual departure time if guests are going somewhere else for the night. Or an additional night at our riverside camp in a Canvas Tent is a great end to the vacation.

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