To our Friends and Family,
Happy New Year! We hope all of you are staying healthy and enjoying the winter. We are getting prepared for the upcoming season, and wanted to answer some of the questions we have been receiving.
Are you planning on running trips in 2021?
Yes! We plan on operating on all 4 of the rivers in the 2021 season. The North Fork and Merced may have smaller seasons in April and May, but the South and Middle Fork American will be running throughout the whole season.
When will you start trips?
We plan on starting rafting trips at the end of March and into early April! Exactly when we start will depend on who will want to experience the river with very little people, wildflowers, and amazing rapids! Please check out our Insider’s Guide to the American River, it is packed with information about the river, area, what’s needed, and much more.
Will it be the same as last year?
We do not know what this season will bring us. While we are pleased with the amount of knowledge and the progress being made during this pandemic, we cannot know if things will return back to normal for this summer. We do have precautions and measures in place that have been tested over a season and Whitewater Excitement will continue to use them until COVID is no longer an issue.
How was the 2020 Season?
The 2020 Season started off rough, with our first trip being 2 and a half months later than usual, June 20th. Once we got the “green light” from the county and state agencies we had been working with, we started running smaller trips. In doing this, we managed to get a feel for what worked, and by the time July came, we were in full swing. We modified our operations, limiting the number of people in vehicles and at our facilities by almost 50%, required face masks to be worn whenever distancing was not possible, and did not mix different groups in the same raft.
There were some positives! Our guests enjoyed having their own “private” raft and the river was not as crowded as previous years and had a more personal feel.
What can we expect this 2021 Season?
At this point in time, you can expect the same modifications as we had last year. You will still receive to same personal, caring, and exciting experience that we pride ourselves in. If conditions improve, you can expect we will modify our operations accordingly and keep you updated. We will continue to follow state and local regulations.
We updated our Cancellation Policy last season with you well being in mind, and are planning on using the same this upcoming season.
To read further on what we did last year, and what to expect this season, check our post Rafting in the Age of COVID and see our 2021 Season Update
Phillip and Norm Schoenhoff
