FAQs

We take special care to design all our American River rafting trips suitable for every age group, beginning with age 4. Young or old, those who have taken an adventure with us have had one of the most amazing experiences of their lives. First-time rafters and those quite young are advised to begin with the gentle waters of the South Fork of the American, and then progress up the ladder of difficulty from there. However, we can also please first-timers who are adventurous and in good physical condition who may be looking for more of a challenge. Because you will be wearing life jackets at all times on the river, you need not be an outstanding swimmer.

Guests can check availability and/or make reservations by calling WWE’s office at 1-800-750-2386 or by going online and book your trip there or just send us a check availability form and we will get right back to you.

Phone reservations will be held, but not confirmed, for 3 days. After 3 days, a 50% deposit of your total trip cost is required to confirm the dates you request. If our office has not received your deposit within 3 days, your reservations will be canceled, opening those spaces up on a first-come first-served basis.

For confirmed reservations with deposits made, the remaining balance is due no later than 30 days prior to the start of your trip.

Please be sure that you fully understand WWE’s cancellation policy prior to making any reservations:

If your reservation is cancelled for any reason, you will receive a 100% credit for a future trip with us. Credits are given for guests who give us at least a 3 day notice that they will not be attending. There is no credit for not showing up for your trip without notice, or for trip cancellations within 3 days of the trip. Cancellations must be e-mailed by the Group Organizer to our office by the above times.  No trip date changes may be made within 31 days of your booked trip.

Please understand that when we make a reservation for you for a specific date and trip, we are holding spaces for you and turning others away because of space limitations imposed on us by various governmental agencies. Those spaces are very difficult to fill at the last minute. We reserve the right to cancel or modify a trip due to weather (trips run rain or shine), water conditions, insufficient reservations or other circumstances beyond our control. In such cases we are only responsible for the trip fees paid to us. Guides and other on-river staff employed by Whitewater Excitement are not authorized to make or promise trip refunds or credits. Such determinations can only be made by the WWE Office Staff.

Trip Travel Insurance is strongly suggested and will cover such cancellations. Trips depart rain or shine. Your signature below acknowledges that you understand and agree to these terms and conditions, and authorize any credit card activity that has been arranged by telephone or via the internet.

We recommend arriving around 10 minutes before the check in time for your rafting trip. This gives you ample time to check in, use the facilities, and prepare yourself for the trip.

Whitewater rafting, just as any other activity or sport, requires a degree of physical exertion. It is therefore important that we have the following guidelines to ensure the safety and enjoyment of each participant. Every rafter must be able to properly wear a WWE life jacket, which accommodates torsos with a circumference of maximum 56 inches.

Participants with potential health concerns: if you are in poor physical condition or are overweight, have a history of asthma, allergic reactions to bee stings, heart trouble, epilepsy or any other medical condition that may endanger yourself or others or diminish your enjoyment of the trip, you should consult a physician prior to making a reservation. We strongly discourage women who are pregnant from participating in our rafting trips, for obvious reasons.

At Whitewater Excitement, Inc., your safety and enjoyment are our utmost concerns. However, whitewater rafting, just as any adventure sport, involves a level of inherent danger and risk. Injury through accidents can indeed occur, and participant belongings can be damaged or lost.

WWE does not assume responsibility for any injury or death to participants, nor for the loss of personal belongings, damage to cameras or any other item, or for the loss of time and/or expenses incurred by an accident while on one of our trips. In order to best accommodate a variety of experience levels and/or physical conditioning, we offer a wide range of trips.

Because we are not qualified, nor in the position to, properly assess your health and/or physical condition, we rely solely on your judgment to choose a trip that is suitable for your fitness and experience level. If you have particular concerns regarding your physical condition, we recommend that you first consult a physician.

All trip participants are required to read and sign an Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability form prior to the trip departure. Please call us with any concerns or questions or if you would like a copy of this form sent to you.

No, for safety reasons, Whitewater Excitement, Inc. cannot and does not permit alcoholic beverages while on the river on any of our trips. We must note that drinking and whitewater simply do not mix. Whitewater Excitement Inc., therefore, reserves the right to refuse a registered guest or terminate a trip if we believe that any person or persons is creating a safety hazard to himself, other passengers, or staff.

There are, however, cold beer and local wines to taste and enjoy following the trip with dinner (if you have booked a multi-day American river rafting trip)

Whitewater Excitement, Inc. is a licensed outfitter that is granted the use of these rivers by the Bureau of Land Management, California State Parks, U.S. Forest Service, and El Dorado County which requires the following notice: “In its natural state the South Fork of the American River would not have sufficient flows throughout the summer season to support rafting or other river activities as we know them today. Adequate flows for such activities are the result of releases from hydroelectric facilities located at Chili Bar and above. Such releases are made when necessary for power generation, and are not subject to the control of El Dorado County or commercial rafting companies operating permits from the County of El Dorado.” Whitewater Excitement, Inc. is a proud member of America Outdoors, California Outdoors, Friends of the River, and the El Dorado Professional Outfitters Association.

Tipping your river raft guide is a nice way to show your appreciation that he or she did an outstanding job guiding your raft down the river. Sometimes, though, just being able to afford to go on your vacation is a lot, and we appreciate that. Most guides rely on their tips to live by, a lot are college-age guys and gals trying to save for college . . . and every little bit helps.

Tipping your river raft guide is just like tipping any other service industry, if good service is given then reward them with a nice tip. An average tip for a half day trip is $5-$10 a person, a one day trip is $10-$15 a person, and a two day trip is usually $15-$20 a person. Again, these are just guidelines and we understand everyones situation is different.

Absolutely! If you have been on a previous rafting trip on the American River and would like to have the same favorite river rafting guide just call and mention it to the specialist making your reservation. We will make every attempt to accommodate your request, however, it is not guaranteed.

Yes, you can still go rafting if you or others do not know how to swim. Swimming ability is always recommended, but not required to go rafting on rivers such as the South Fork of the American river (unless we are in a High water situation where the river level is quite a bit higher than normal). We do require participants on our Class 4 rivers to know how to swim.

After all of our trips, you can view and purchase your photos on our website by clicking “Buy Photos” on our top menu and selecting the day and your boat.

The best time to go rafting on the american river is whenever you can! Our season lasts from April-September, and while the majority of rafting takes place between June-September, each month offers a different experience. You can learn more in our blog post.

The South Fork American River is located in the heart of the gold country near Coloma, California. This is where gold was first discovered in 1848 by James Marshall. Whitewater Excitement, Inc is right on the banks of the South Fork of the American river, located near Placerville, CA – just west of Lake Tahoe. Which is one of the most popular river rafting locations in the nation.

The Coloma Valley is located approximately 50 miles east of Sacramento and 62 miles west of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California. Coloma is most noted for being the site where James W. Marshall found gold in the Sierra Nevada, at Sutter’s Mill on January 24, 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush.

Yes, it is important to stay hydrated during a day of whitewater rafting on the American River. You can read more about what to bring in our blog post What Should I Bring Rafting?

The answer is yes, rafters can fall out of the raft into the river!  However, this is unusual and only a small number of people end up falling out. Our goal is to keep you in the raft. We have so much more to say about this, so read our full blog post on Do Rafters Ever Fall Out of the Raft into the River?

We don’t recommend bringing anything valuable with you on the river, and that includes you car keys and wallet. We recommend locking your wallet and other valuables in your car, and storing your car keys in our lock box when you check in. For more information, learn about what to bring.

Guests are not able to bring their dogs on the river or even to our private campground. If you have a dog with you, we recommend finding a dog sitter in the area during your trip.