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The Middle Fork of the American River is the perfect mix of thrills and amazing scenery. This Class 4 (IV) river is ideal for the thrill-seekers, experienced rafters or athletic beginners. With 18 miles of whitewater this all day excursion is sure to energize your soul. Experience the unique Tunnel Chute rapid; a tunnel blasted through the mountain back in the gold mining era.
Departure:
The meeting time for the Middle Fork is 8:30AM. You will meet your WET van and guides behind Raleys in Auburn, CA at 13384 Lincoln Way. After some quick introductions we will take short shuttle drive to our put-in location on Oxbow Reservoir.
The Trip:
Enjoy a stunning combination of scenery and adventure on this day long trip. We’re going to start the day with some of our favorite rapids. Good Morning Rapid, Tunnel Chute, and Kanaka Falls will make this an experience you’ll never forget! After stopping for a gourment deli style lunch we are continuing on with a challenging section that includes Class 3 (III) – 4 (IV) rapids such as Clevage, Parallel Parking, Texas Chainsaw, and more before reaching our take out.
Return: After your time on the water is complete, you will load into a WET van and head back to Raley’s parking lot. After about 20 minutes of driving we arrive back at your vehicles, then it’s time for the see you next times!
The 18 mile trip on the Class IV Middle Fork of the American River provides more adventurous whitewater rafting than your average rivers. You will find big drops, intricate technical rapids and tons of action that you won’t forget any time soon! This is a full day adventure full of whitewater action as well as calm pools that allow you to bask in the breath taking beauty of the 2000 foot deep wilderness river canyon. If all of that isn’t enough the Middle Fork provides the added benefit of its historic significance during the California Gold Rush.
We start are day in Auburn, California from which we jump into our shuttle vans to drive to put-in. You get a bird’s eye view of the canyon as we travel to our put-in.
It’s easy to get up early when you’re surrounded by the natural beauty of Auburn. From there we jump into our shuttle vans to drive through this picturesque canyon and see a bird’s eye view of it as we travel towards our put-in. Our shuttle van takes us on a scenic drive through El Dorado National Forest before we finally arrive at put-in for an awe-inspiring day rafting down The Middle Fork of the American River.
After being fitted with all the necessary rafting equipment and receiving a safety orientation from one of our highly trained guides, we load into our rafts to continue on this adventure. We start off right away with “Good Morning,” which aptly named rapid will surely get you awake if your weren’t already!
Next up is the famous Tunnel Chute Rapid which drops 80 feet through a 14 foot wide chute ending by floating through a manmade tunnel blasted through the mountain during the gold rush. The true beauty of rafting through the tunnel is that it feels like you are in a different world. You’ll be able to see some parts of the river where sunlight shines down, and then suddenly there will come this blackness all around you as though someone switched off your light switch. There’s just no way to describe how incredible it really is!
Soon after takin on the intimidating Kanaka Falls, we will stop for a gourmet deli lunch freshly prepared by your guide. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience and we have people come back year after year to re-live it.
Depending on snow pack and river flows the Middle Fork of the American is open to whitewater rafting June through September.
The very best time to experience this river is during midweek or Sundays when you can avoid the Saturdays crowd and experience the solitude of the canyon. You will feel like you have the river to yourself.
Please feel free to bring whatever items you would like to leave in your car for retrieval after the trip. Camp Lotus features hot showers available for your use.
Yes! We love rafting with friends, family, and coworkers! Discounts on rafting are as follows;
Note that discounts are not applied to other “add-ons” such as camping and photo/video packages.
South Fork and Middle Fork 2 Day Combo All Meals Included! Get warmed up on the South Fork and enjoy a beautiful night of camping
This is our premiere American River Rafting trip. It offers all of the thrills of a 1 day middle fork trip, but has the added advantage of giving you more time to soak in the beauty of this unique wilderness canyon.
One of the amazing things you will experience while camping along the river is the light show in the sky. Getting away from the city and suburbs, and the light pollution they bring, the night sky explodes with the fireworks of the stars.
A collection of various whitewater rafting photos over the years at WET River Trips.
We have a tradition here at WET River Trips that I strongly recommend all businesses incorporate. At the end of every season we go on a multi-day rafting trip. Not only is it a great team building trip, it also gives us the opportunity to reconnect with each other and why we do what we d
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The meeting place for this trip is directly behind the Raleys on Lincoln Way in Auburn. Please drive and park behind the Raley’s where our guides will meet you.
South Fork Trips Meet at: 5461 Bassi Rd, Lotus, CA 95651
Water flows in the South Fork American River result from releases from hydroelectric facilities located upstream. Such water releases are not subject to the control of El Dorado County or rafting companies operating under Permits from the County of El Dorado.
Transportation for trips operated under California Public Utility Commission TCP# 0038955