South Fork American River Deluxe 2-Day Trip

Arriving at our private riverside campground the night before your trip, our dedicated camp host will escort you to your assigned camp area, show you the facilities, and answer any questions that you might have about your American river rafting adventure.

The morning of your trip you will be served breakfast at 8:00 AM (coffee, tea, hot chocolate are available earlier for those who just cannot sleep in).  After breakfast there is time to relax a little before checking in at 10:00 AM for the rafting part of your trip.

After a short bus ride to the launching area, your guides will help you with the required river gear and give you a river safety orientation.  Then we split up into groups, assign the guides and push off onto the South Fork American river.  The trip begins with some bouncy water to warm you up for the afternoon session of big rapids.  We stop for lunch where your guides will prepare your riverside buffet lunch. Bathrooms are available during the break.

The afternoon section, called the Gorge, begins with some bouncy whitewater and even an out of boat experience through “Swimmer’s Rapid” a fun, small wave train that leads to a huge pond to recover in.  A fun way to cool off in the hot summer. Then the river builds and enters the “Gorge”, where the rapids come almost in non stop fashion for 6 miles. Rapids like “Satan’s Cesspool”, “Bouncing Rock”, and “Hospital Bar” are only a few of the exciting rapids you will encounter in the Gorge.

After finishing the Gorge, our busses will meet you with cold drinks and a snack for the 30 minute bus ride back to camp where you can clean up, relax a bit, and get ready for hors d’oeuvres and a hearty BBQ dinner served by our camp cooks and your guides.  After dinner we will have dessert and a slideshow of you rafting through some of the big rapids of the day.  Then it’s off to your camp area and a relaxing time by the campfire (conditions permitting) before turning in for the evening.

The next day again brings breakfast at 8:00 AM and a 30 minute ride up scenic Highway 49, the Gold Country Highway.  We’ll pass by Coloma State Park, where gold was first discovered in 1848 by James Marshall.  Arriving at the launching area, we again give you a refresher on our river safety talk, board the rafts and tackle the Upper Chili Bar section of the South Fork American river.

Just downstream is our first class III rapid, “Meatgrinder”, the longest on the river (not the biggest, though).  The morning session is packed with rapids that will challenge and thrill you, the last of the morning will be the famous “Troublemaker Rapid”.  After Troublemaker, we relax in a more mellow section for about an hour, then pull off at Coloma State park and your guides will prepare our buffet deli style lunch with all the trimmings.  Then have a lazy float back down to camp to finish our journey on the South Fork American river.

At the end of the day, we will have waiting for you cold drinks and snacks at the meeting area, where again your guides will be there to thank you for coming and let you know how you can view and purchase professional photos of your trip (if you wish).

• Skilled, professional guide service.
• High-quality inflatable rafts, paddles, helmets, personal floatation devices.
• Wetsuits and splash jackets for springtime trips prior to Memorial Day weekend only – (if needed).
• Transportation from the meeting place to the river and back.
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner on day 1 and breakfast and lunch on day 2.
• Drinks and snacks at river’s end.

• River clothing is very casual and you should expect to get wet!  
• Bathing suit/trunks, lightweight, quick drying top (rash guard works well).
• Lightweight windbreaker for cool mornings, sweatshirt for cool evenings.
• River sandals or old tennis shoes work great (No flip flops or bare feet allowed).
• Hat (optional under helmet).
• Sunglasses (suggest retaining device so they don’t end up in the river).
• Waterproof sunscreen and lip protection.
• Bottle of water (drinks provided at lunch and end of the trip).
• Inexpensive waterproof camera (professional pictures are taken at one of the rapids).
• Dry clothes for trip home (to be left in your car).

Camping Items

• Tent and ground cloth (not needed if you reserved a 4-person dome tent or a 5-person deluxe cabin tent with us – call to book: 1-800-750-2386)
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Pillow
• Long pants
• Shorts
• Shirt
• Sweatshirt or light jacket
• Dry shoes
• Flashlight
• Lantern
• Insect repellent
• Food, snacks, and drinks (see above for what we provide on your trip)
• Campfire wood (when campfires are permitted, please call for current conditions)

Please do not bring

• Pets, fireworks, high pressure water guns or firearms

South Fork Deluxe Two Day Trip Information

Whitewater Excitement Assumption of Risk/Wavier of Liability Form
South Fork Details and Directions