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Online store always open
Visit our photo partners
You will meet us at 9:30 AM at the private Camp Lotus campground, where you’ll meet your guide and be outfitted with everything you need to enjoy your trip, including paddles, life jackets and helmets.
You’ll enjoy some of the most fun rapids and beautiful views the American River has to offer. Along the way, we’ll stop for a gourmet deli lunch served riverside.
You will be returned to your starting point between 4:30 and 5:30 PM. There, you will have the opportunity to purchase photos of your adventure, and utilize Camp Lotus’s showers and other amenities. Should you wish to camp at Camp Lotus the night prior to or after your rafting trip, simply book online or call us ahead of time.
The great thing about the South Fork American River is it’s the perfect river for novice rafters or if you are more adventurous W.E.T. has the guides with the experience and training to provide a more exciting trip.
The South Fork of the American River is the most popular whitewater river trips in California and one of the most popular in the world. Just 45 minutes east of Sacramento and 1 hour west of Lake Tahoe, this class 3 beginner to intermediate 21 mile river has over 30 exciting rapids that are perfect for everyone from 7 to 100, and for families to bachelor/bachelorette parties. Winding through the golden foothills in the heart of the Sierra Nevadas, every rapid ends in a calm pool giving you a chance to celebrate, laugh and relax before your next thrill. In addition to the exhilarating rapids the South Fork American River cuts right through the historic town of Coloma california where gold was first discovered giving rise to the golden state. This river offers the perfect mix of thrilling rapids interspersed with calm stretches giving you the opportunity to bask in the gorgeous scenery of the oak filled foothills and each other’s company. This dam controlled river has the added benefit of providing guaranteed ideal rafting flow from March into October even in the driest of years.
When you choose W.E.T. River Trips to guide you along your adventure, the South Fork American River provides you the opportunity to learn new paddling skills in a safe environment or make the seemingly simpler rapids the thrill of a lifetime. That’s because as the premier rafting company our experienced, local guides have the ability to provide the experience you are looking for. Whether you want to get your feet wet in whitewater while staying in the raft or want a more exciting trip where you very well find yourself in the river more than once. Either way you are guaranteed to have the experience of a lifetime. We here at W.E.T. river trips have made the decision not to become the biggest rafting company so that we can have the flexibility to provide you with your desired experience. Since safety is always our primary concern we have retained the most experienced, trained and skilled local guides to provide you with this experience.
5461 Bassi Rd, Lotus, CA 95651
The meeting place for this trip is our private campground partner, Camp Lotus. Please take the time to download and print directions as cell phone service can be spotty.
Drive Times:
Sacramento Area: Approximately 45 mins
San Francisco: Approximately 2 hours
EXCELLENT Based on 256 reviews Kelly Cox-GonzalezOctober 18, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I attended a WET 2-day Middle and South Fork rafting trip with some friends a few weeks back and it AWESOME! Our guides Ant, Drew, and Walker were super friendly and fun, and very knowledgeable about the river and its history. It really helped ease my nerves knowing that our guides were so well versed. White water rafting was both a nerve racking and thrilling experience! I would absolutely recommend taking a trip with the WET crew! This trip really convinced me to be more open to outdoorsy experiences like this! Thanks so much for such an incredible weekend!! :) John LewisOctober 9, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent Experience! Earlier this summer I went on a "Chili Bar" trip with a Big group. The hospitality of the WET crew was great from beginning to end! We had boats of all abilities and the guides definitely catered to each group, especially the boat of teenage boys. The trip was great, but if I'm honest, that top half of the river left me wanting more. Later in the summer I had the opportunity to take a group out again and the "Gorge" was exactly what we needed! Thank you WET! We will be back next year, maybe even for the Middle Fork! Brittany RickettsOctober 1, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My friends and I had an absolute BLAST with WET on our white water rafting trip. We got so incredibly lucky with the absolute best guides: Ant, Drew, and Walker. They were the perfect mix of fun and stern and lead us to greatness all down the river! They ensured our safety and kept us laughing through all the rapids. The campsite and provided meals were also excellent. They took such good care of us!!! It was literally an awesome experience. If we were to go again, we would only choose WET! Thanks so much for such a memorable weekend! Sean GillenSeptember 29, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had an awesome two day trip for a 30th birthday, 14 people with Ant, Drew, Walker as guides, shout out to Noel and will for driving too (and driving our diabetic friend back to the car early). Very well organized and a ton of fun. Lauren FordyceSeptember 23, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had so much fun rafting with guide Hayley! Will definitely be back :) Brigitte RabieSeptember 19, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We did the two day rafting trip with the more mellow rapids on Day One and Class 4 rapids on Day Two. Our guide Hailey was very professional and did an excellent job of teaching us how to work together to navigate the rapids. We had a lot of opportunities to get in the water and cool off and Hailey was good about helping us conserve energy so we weren’t too exhausted by the end of Day Two. Having the meals included was a huge plus. Not only were they delicious but it meant that we could just sit back and relax! We also did the GoPro and it was a lot of fun to watch later on. Highly recommend! I look forward to going again next year!! Nathan SecrestSeptember 17, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Guides were super friendly and fun to talk with. Everything on our end felt relaxed even though I’m sure the guides had logistics to be aware of. Campground hosts for WET were also superb and were able to accommodate a last minute request for grill support. Andrew ElmsSeptember 16, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Awesome experience! Fantastic guides! Looking forward to doing it again next season. KatherineSeptember 6, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. So fun my cousin and I started planning our next rafting trip as soon as we got back to the car :D Guides Stu (Stew?), Jo, and Walker are all very friendly and fun! And the Australian fellow, I think his name is Matthew?, in addition to being friendly and fun is also quite heroic and may be part mountain goat XD Thank you to these wonderful guides for facilitating the fun and keeping us safe! (On the Middle Fork: watching them raft down the big waterfall is wild! They are so pro!! Very impressive.) If you’re on the fence about rafting, DO IIIIT!! Everyone we bullied into coming with us had a blast. You will too ;) Alex CohenSeptember 1, 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 10/10 experience - was super fun and a great time. Walker was an awesome guide and made the trip!Verified by TrustindexTrustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more
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