american river recreation - day tours

We had a cousins reunion and decided to go white water rafting and we are so glad we did!! We had an amaing day on the river despite all the smoke from the forrest fire. Our guide Christian was very entertaining and a fun guy. I am sure he wont forget our group!! We didnt want the trip to end. We definately want to come back to do the North Fork.

From Louisiana & didn't know who to choose but decided on American River Rec. We had only been white water rafting once before: Kananaskis River, Alberta, CA. Chose the Chili Bar Run on South American River. It was a morning run and as we drove to campground we passed over the river & it looked low. Was a little nervous but it proved ok. The daily water release upriver hadn't happened yet but by the time they drove us in their bus to the drop off point, the river had risen and everything was ok. Our guide was Robbie & he was extremely nice and safety conscience and we had a great time. My 3 girls and I enjoyed the trip & the rapids were fun. There were class II & class III rapids. I noticed that Robbie even helped hold onto my youngest during the stronger rapids to ensure safety. The water was cold but didn't stop one of our raft mates from jumping in. At Trouble Maker Falls is where the official photographers sit to take pictures on Chili Bar Run. The time on the water was somewhere around 2 hours or so. The official pictures are done by a third party & you have to go to their location to purchase a disc. It cost around $50 but you can get a discount to reduce it. My girls want to raft again. Visited 7-22-13.

For this years summer camping vacation on the way to Yosemite, we stopped by Coloma and went with my family on the full day (Chili-bar/Gorge) South Fork trip July 22. It was nothing but spectacular!! I had rafted with ARR (south/middle fork) in the past as a boy scout and I've had nothing but good memories from that experience. Going with ARR now as an adult with my own family has continued that experience from when I was a kid. ARR are complete professionals when it comes to navigating the awesome white water of the American River. My group consisted of 6 adults (3 female/3 male), 1 teen (female), and my son (age 7). Since my son was included in this trip, my wife and I were a little worried that it may be too much for him. That was not the case. Our guide, Andreas, was the consumate professional when it came to navigating the lines of some of the rougher rapids. Instead of taking the riskier routes (which may get you a crazier ride) he played it safe and got us through unscathed. Since we had a small child in the boat, he stayed glued to Andreas' hip and we felt comfortable with this arrangement. Everyone had a blast and we'd definitely do it again. I can't say enough about Andreas and how his experience and love for white rafting made the trip enjoyable. The only negative about the trip was the morning pick-up. For some reason, we didn't get picked up on time and were worried that we were forgotten. Since cell coverage in the area was spotty at best (Sprint/Verizon only) we had to find a landline to call them to pick us up. It all worked out in the end but for a moment we were stressing out a bit and almost didn't make the bus to go to the drop-in point. Even with that minor hiccup, I would recommend and choose ARR for any future white water endeavors. I'm already thinking about a future trip next summer.

We had a nice day out on the river. However, our guide was not good. If we were to go again, I would request Danny, the Aussie guy, or Hippie. They provided lots of information and made sure the people in their rafts had fun.

My day trip with American River Rafting on the Lower Fork of the American River turned into a bucket list worthy event. Class II and III rapids, great equipment and excellent guides. Our guide, Robson, was incredible. Just an over the top experience. FYI, you'll want to get pictures. They are taken by an independent company that will sell you a photo CD of your raft at each of two class III rapids. Great photos, but they are pricey. $50. for one CD, $75 for both. Try sharing the cost with others on your raft.