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South Fork American River

South Fork American River – 2 day Wilderness Rafting Trip

Lotus, CA /

2 Day /

Medium Spice: Intermediate (Class III)

  • Trip Time: Arrive 4:00-8:00pm the night before your rafting trip begins
  • Trip Length: 21 miles
  • Non-Swimmers Welcome
  • Meals: 5 Meals
  • Camping: 2 nights included

PRICING

Weekdays Mon/Tues
  • $319 – adult
  • $159.50 – youth (8-17)*
  • $299 – additional youth (8-17)

* Kids are 50% off with every full paying adult!*

Weekends

Please contact us if you are interested in a Saturday/Sunday trip.

BOOK THIS TRIP!
Wilderness Rafting and Camping Great for Kids

This is the perfect 2 day American River rafting trip for youth groups, scout groups, and corporate groups looking for a wilderness rafting trip. We are conveniently located close to Sacramento, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe!

This is suitable for non-swimmers. We recommend a starting age of 7-8 for kids, the Class 3+ action starts early on Day 1 and we want everyone to have a fabulous time. If you do have younger of more timid members of your group, we offer a 2 day that starts with more Class 2 rapids, but also on the South Fork American River.

Join us at our established South Fork American River Campground, with showers and flushing toilets for the first night of camping. The 2nd night is spent at a more primitive location with a beautiful beach (there are no showers or flushing toilets on night 2). This night of camping in the wilderness is memorable for all ages. Guests usually sleep under the stars and wake to the amazing sounds of the river and her beautiful nature surrounding in the morning. Both nights are included with the trip, and you are welcome to add more before or after!

There are 5 meals included with the trip as well, all prepared and cooked by your amazing river guides! With this trip we do take all the gear on the river with us for the 2nd night of camping in the wild. There is an extra guide (sometimes 2) rowing a boat with all the equipment.

The first morning coffee & tea is available in the kitchen early morning followed by a hearty breakfast before we head out for a day of rafting! This is an earlier morning than day 2, we will shuttle you put in for the upper Chili Bar section that we will run that day. There are many Class 3+ rapids finishing with the infamous Troublemaker Rapid. We float past the historic Marshall Gold Discovery Park where gold was first discovered on the River starting the California Gold Rush of 1949! There are a few more miles of Class 2-2+ rapids back to camp like Old Scary and Barking Dog and we will stop there for lunch. The gear boat(s) will join us on the river for a few more miles of rafting before we reach the BLM campground for our overnight stay. Our guests help us get the gear onto shore and there is time to explore, play games, swim, fish etc. You might be surprised at the spread our guides are able to create for appetizers and dinner in the evening! Drinks are also included and we will reach out about alcohol preferences as we can provide a moderate amount for adults.

The second morning is quite leisurely as we enjoy our coffee/tea/juice with breakfast and watch the water flows start to rise. This is a dam controlled river so the following evening you will have seen a major drop in the river levels. We launch mid-morning and travel down a few Class 2 rapids before lunch. After lunch we head into the Gorge section of the South Fork American River for several Class 3 rapids including Satan’s Cesspool & Hospital Bar. We end in Folsom Lake, load the gear up & shuttle back to camp. There is time to shower if you like before departing, you can also join us for another relaxing evening by the river after your trip.

 

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
  • 2 days of white water rafting (covering 21 miles)
  • 5 delicious meals
  • 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 is primitive located on BLM property, no showers and vault toilets
TRIP ITENERARY

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.

The first day of your rafting trip. Your guides will hand out dry bags for your overnight gear for camping tonight as it will be in a different location

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!
NOON Lunch
12:45PM Back to rafting!
2:00PM Pull into BLM camp
Free Time to hike, play and explore!
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 of your camping and rafting vacation. 

7:00AM Coffee, tea and drinks
7:30AM Breakfast
Play or relax time!
10:00AM Load up and get on the river!
12:30PM Stop for Lunch, more Class 3 Rafting
4:30PM Take out and head back to our campground where your cars are parked
5:30PM Fond farewells as you head home or to your next destination … OR maybe you would like to stay another night!

Directions

6500 State Highway 49 Lotus, CA 95651

Please note that cell phone reception in our remote area is not guaranteed, if you do not have Verizon we suggest you save the directions.

Please be sure to check drive times when booking your rafting trip and allow for additional time on Holidays and weekends.  

About Raft California

With over 25 years of running the highest quality rafting trips and river tours, Raft California invites you to join us on one of our spectacular rafting adventures!

We have whitewater rafting trips on over 12 rivers in Northern California, Oregon, and into Nevada! Rivers include the South Fork American, Middle Fork American, North Fork American, North Yuba, Truckee, Tuolumne, Kaweah and more!.

Get In Touch
Raft California
6500 State Highway 49
Lotus, CA 95651
(530) 626-7385
info@raftcalifornia.com
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RAFTING NEWS

Rafting Trips Available September 2020

September 7, 2020 No Comments

There’s still time to go rafting! Join us for a whitewater rafting trip on the Klamath, American or Truckee Rivers! Many trips still running in

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$10 off Lower Middle Fork American River trip Tuesday August 25

August 23, 2020 No Comments

Lower Middle Fork American River – Class 2 | Perfect for kids 4+ This is a Class 2 Rafting Trip suitable for Ages 4+! Click

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Middle Fork American River | $50 off 2 day trip Sat-Sun August 29-30

August 23, 2020 No Comments

Middle Fork American River – Class 4 Whitewater Rafting! This is a Class 4 Rafting Trip suitable for Ages 14+! Click here for more information

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keep calm and paddle on

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