South fork American river trips
VIEW DIRECTIONS / Places to Stay / places to eat
South Fork Specific Trip Information PDFs
[ AM HALF DAY TRIP INFORMATION PDF ]
[ PM HALF DAY TRIP INFORMATION PDF ]
[ WHOLE RIVER TRIP INFORMATION PDF ]
[ GORGE RUN INFORMATION PDF ]
[ CHILI BAR RUN TRIP INFORMATION PDF ]
[ SF 2 DAY TRIP INFORMATION PDF ]
[ YOUNG RAFTERS TRIP INFORMATION PDF ]
[ YOUNG RAFTERS OVERNIGHT TRIP INFORMATION PDF ]
South fork American 1 Day check-in times:
- AM HALF DAY – 8:00 AM
- PM HALF DAY – 12:00 Noon
- WHOLE RIVER – 8:00 AM
- GORGE RUN – 10:00 AM
- CHILI BAR RUN – 9:00 AM
- YOUNG RAFTERS RUN – 9:30 AM
ALL TWO DAY Trips:
CHECK IN AFTER 5:30 PM THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR TRIP
FIRST DAY BREAKFAST TIMES FOR 2 DAY TRIPS
- SOUTH FORK 2 DAY – BREAKFAST – 8:00 AM
Directions
Whitewater Excitement Camp 6580 Highway 49, Lotus, CA 95651 ***Please do not rely on your GPS or phone for directions as only Verizon works in our area.***
From Sacramento:
- Take Highway 50 east towards Placerville and South Lake Tahoe.
- Exit Ponderosa Rd (Exit #37) in Shingle Springs. This is 1 mile past the town of Cameron Park.
- Turn left on Ponderosa Rd and cross over Highway 50.
- At the second stop light (immediately over the overpass), turn right on North Shingle Rd towards Coloma.
- Drive 4.5 miles and you’ll come to a curve in the road, keep left, this is Lotus Rd.
- Drive 7 miles on Lotus Rd. Lotus Rd will dead end into Highway 49.
- Turn left on Highway 49 and drive 1.7 miles.
- Start slowing down at the 1.5 mile mark.
- Look for the Whitewater Excitement sign on the left.
- Turn left into the driveway, stay to the right and follow the signs to the WWE parking area.
From South Lake Tahoe:
- Take Highway 50 west to Placerville.
- Turn right on Highway 49 (Spring Street, sign to Coloma).
- Follow Highway 49 to Coloma.
- Pass Marshall Gold State Park and you’ll cross a bridge over the river.
- Drive 1.5 miles past the bridge to the Whitewater Excitement sign on the left.
- Turn into the driveway, stay to the right and follow the signs to the WWE parking area
From Auburn:
- Exit Highway 49 Southbound towards Placerville/Cool.
- Follow Highway 49 down the canyon.
- At the bottom of the canyon turn right across the bridge and up to the town of Cool.
- Four miles past Cool is Pilot Hill.
- Drive 5.5 miles past the town of Pilot Hill and look for Whitewater Excitement sign on the right.
- Turn into the driveway, stay to the right and follow the signs to the WWE parking area.
RUNNING LATE/ LOST CALL 530-888-6515
Places to Stay
Campgrounds
We have our own private camp area, only for WWE Guests, right on the banks of the South Fork of the American river. Our facilities include: bathrooms with hot showers, flush toilets, sinks and mirrors, recreation areas with volleyball, horseshoe pits, and ping pong. All of our camp areas are group areas that are assigned prior to your arriving. Smaller sized groups could be sharing an area with another smaller sized group.
Reservations for the WWE Camp Area can be made by calling our office at 1-800-750-2386. Cost for camping is $14.00 per person per night. We do also have areas for RV’s, however, we do not have any hook-ups available.
Coloma Resort (530) 621-2267
Lodging
Hotels / Motels
Marriott – Springhill Suites, Auburn, CA 530-492-5656
Holiday Inn, Auburn (530) 887-8787
Motel 6, Cameron Park (530) 677-7177
Quality Inn, Cameron Park (530) 677-2203
Best Western, Auburn (800) 201-0121
Gold Country Inn, Placerville, CA (530) 622-3124
Mother Lode Motel, Placerville, CA (530) 622-0895
Cary House Historic Hotel, Placerville, CA (530) 622-4271
Bed & Breakfasts
Villa Florintina Coloma, CA (916) 778-0109
Enchanted April Inn Cool, CA (916) 939-9144
Powers Mansion Inn Auburn, CA (530) 885-1166
Cottages by the River
Coloma Cottages, Coloma, CA (530) 334-3479
Places to Eat
American River Pizza (530) 887-1969 (10 min away)
We serve a variety of great food including, Appetizers, BBQ Ribs, Salad Bar, Sandwiches, Burgers, Wraps, Pasta Dishes, Pizza, Beer, Local Wines, Beverages and Much More.
Troublemakers Beer Garden Phone: (530) 663-8723 (3 min away)
Great outdoor Summer dining experience serving Roman style pizza, salad, curry, rice bowls, local beer and wine.
Cafe Mahjaic (530) 622-9587 (5 min away)
Dinners at Café Mahjaic are New American, a mixture of all ethnic backgrounds. All foods, sauces and breads made from scratch using naturally raised organic meats and grains. Daily specials. Restaurant now open Wed. – Sun.
Sierra Rizing Bakery, Catering & Coffee House (530) 642-1308 (4 min away)
Breakfast, lunch and dinner fare with locally roasted coffee, fresh baked goods, soups, salads, pastas, pot pies and more. Enjoy daily dinner specials, fine desserts and espresso well into the evening. Open daily year round.
Coloma Club Café (530)626-6390 (3 min away)
Café open 6:30 a.m. Great family style eatery, full bar, live music every weekend.
