American River Tours & Whitewater Adventures
Rated #1 Whitewater Rafting Trip in California by Trip Advisor!
March, 2023: Wow! Our snowpack is looking to be the best in decades and our season will begin May, 2023. Please contact us by text or email for pre season prices and information.
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We recommend making your online reservation at least 30 days in advance but we do take walk-ins if space is available.
We've been rafting the American River for more than 40 years. Our trips are fun for everyone... first timers and veteran rafters alike will have the time of their lives on the South Fork of the American River! Rafting is the perfect outdoor activity for families and groups.
What sets us apart from other rafting companies is our commitment to providing you with the best river trip available in the west. Since 1983 our talented staff has been leading river adventures throughout North America and we are focused on bringing all of this experience to the American River. Our skilled river guides each average more than 15 years of professional rafting on the American River and other rivers throughout the world. We raft with safety as our number one objective and we let you try fun, unique and interesting experiences on every trip:
- Learn about the interesting river history of the Coloma area and California's Gold Rush from our experienced River Guides.
- Discover fun river things to do like "surfing" and "riding the bull" on the South Fork of the American River!
- Our riverfront resort overlooks the river. Book a night or two in our riverfront yurt here.
- Families with children as young as 3 years old can raft on our Lazy River Trip! Our minimum age for the Upper whitewater trip is 10 years old.
"The Lazy River Trip"
- South Fork American - 2 hour family float trip. 1:00PM check-in:
Raft the Class 2 Lotus Loop section of the South Fork of the American River. This trip takes you and your family through mild rapids and interesting history of Marshall Gold Discovery Park. This is a grreat trip for families with young kids. You will have a guide accompany you so you can relax and enjoy the experience. There are many places to stop and swim throughout the trip if you'd like to jump in and cool off!
Camping on your River Trip
River Park Resort, our 9 acre private rafting facility is located on the South Fork American River in a quiet corner of the Coloma/ Lotus Valley. It features almost a quarter mile of river frontage:
- Fully furnished yurt overlooking the river. We also have nice riverfront private tent sites for do it yourself campers.
- Private areas for swimming and sunbathing.
- Uncrowded places to swim and relax after your river trip
- Modern restrooms
2023 Water Information
The South Fork of the American River will have guaranteed class 3 rafting from May 14 to September 2 (summer schedule).
Please check our calendar for rafting days and pricing
2022 Rafting Deals
Check out our last minute discounts for the best rates on the South Fork of the American River.
Big thanks to John, our guide for the afternoon south fork trip today. This was the first rafting trip for my wife and I and we will remember it for a long time to come. He was very nice, answered any and all questions we had during the trip and shared lots of great stories too.
I will definitely let anyone I know about your trips if they come out to the area. It was well worth the trip for us. This was one day of our week long trip to Lake Tahoe to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
Thanks again.