trip. Mile 18.1, BOUNCING ROCK (II+). However, Tom did an amazing job guiding us and teaching us history about the area.
Fees charged for parking and put-ins. The campground is cute. We booked the 2-Day rafting trip down the South Fork of the American River. It's often referred to as "everyone's favorite river" …
This rapid, with a big hole on river right, provides a bouncy whitewater ride. Mile 18.6, HOSPITAL BAR (III). Swimming here is not recommended, especially at low summer flows. Sunday morning they had a great spead for breakfast that left you with a full tummy. This trip was excellent! Chili Bar Store (530) 642-1669. Thank you Jeff, Chelsea and Oars for taking quality care of all of us. There are many companies to choose from so it makes it tough to know who to choose. Shayne was by far the best of all the guides. TAKE OUT for the South Fork American River Gorge Run is at Salmon Falls Bridge at Folsom Reservoir. We really enjoyed learning to. At high flows, this rapid has some huge waves and holes. Great day with lots of fun, scenery and water!! It's normally a pretty easy run down the middle, but there is a big hole at higher flows. On low-water years, the competition moved downstream to First Threat Rapid. Mile 18.8, RECOVERY ROOM (II+). It provides surprising whitewater fun. Mile 10.8, HIGHWAY RAPID (II+). We're located along the American River Valley in Coloma - the perfect place to get the best rafting photos! These are the only public facilities on the South Fork American River whitewater rafting trip. Fun is in our blood and photography is our passion. It is a treat to find Surprise Rapid uncovered! Mile 17.6, LOWER HAYSTACK CANYON (II+). While it was over 100 inland the river kept us cool and comfortable. She asked us who we wanted to go with and we told her we wanted adventure and a wild ride and she did both of those. Amazing trip in the American River, Class 3.
The trip was lovely and we felt safe, it was fun and the guides were all incredible. Mile 5.1, TROUBLEMAKER (III+). He did a lot of teaching about both rafting and the local history - both of which we appreciated. Also known as "Taco Bender" this is a fun play spot for kayakers.
Our family had so much fun. If the Folsom Reservoir is full, there will be a flat-water paddle or a tow-out, and this rapid will be under water. At Racehorse Bend rapid, the river drops and bends left, pushing current into the right wall. Chili Bar: The only publicly-accessible put-in for the Chili Bar run. He was so fun, knowledgeable and incredible to be around. This tree can be spotted atop a distant hill and does indeed resemble a lollipop.
I was a little afraid at first but she... There is a sharp-edged eddy on river left, at the blue house shortly above the bridge. We camped the night before. 128 reviews of OARS American River Outpost "Gotta make sure this rafting company gets some love on here!
We all went in the same boat and really valued the time on the water with the family. First Threat Rapid is a favorite kayak surfing hole and site of the American River Festival Rodeo. Here is a mile by mile guide: Upper South Fork American ~ Chili Bar Run Mile 0, Put-in (start) for Upper South Fork American River Chili Bar rafting trips. Great company. All in all we honestly can't wait to go back.
Our company sponsored a 21 miler trip this past weekend. We had a great time. A rocky chute. We did a one day tour with my son's classmates (6th graders and some siblings as young as 8 years old). Safety is paramount. This is the first big rapid on the South Forkâs lower section. Thank you OAR and especial thanks to Shane. It's also sometimes referred to as "S-Turn" rapid. American River Conservancy (530) 621-1224. of Boating and Waterways for non-commercial boating access. While the run started at 9 am and ended in the gorge at 5:30 it was a day well spent. Jeff Gibson and Cameron were our guides, with Dana as our Trip Leader.
This trip was excellent! As always, don't leave valuables in your car; Salmon Falls has a bad reputation for break-ins. After a long pool, the river pours over a sharp drop (Lost Hat), then bends left and right into a bigger drop against the left wall. Both guides made the trip fun and informative while keeping us aware of the dangers that could occur while on the river. Such a lovely deli spread for lunch. Big, fun waves and clean drops. Families, couples, large groups, church groups. I went with word-of-mouth and tried American Whitewater.
Mile 9.0, BARKING DOG RAPID (II).
12 Ladies, 2 boats, 2 guides, great fun, & adventure! This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. The river turns left down a narrow, rocky chute with big, irregular waves. Satanâs is the biggest rapid in the Gorge Run of the South Fork American River. We loved Dana our tour guide. We had 13 people in our group all of various fitness levels, everyone enjoyed the time and made for good memories for years to come. It's often referred to as "everyone's favorite river" because it's accessible and ideal for first-time rafters. Mile 0.3, CHILI BAR HOLE (II). Our guides Max, Luke, Kevin and trip leader Carley were truly outstanding. OARS American River Outpost: South Fork American River Rafting Trip - See 187 traveler reviews, 80 candid photos, and great deals for Lotus, CA, at Tripadvisor. Their breath of knowledge and experience is surpassed by none, this alone is good reason to pick OARS for you white water adventure. The South Fork of the American River is located in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, about an hour and a half east of Sacramento. There is a sneak route on the far right. OARS caters to active travelers of all ages and abilities with experienced, professional guides and top notch equipment. Great rapids but what made our trip amazing was our guide EMILY. Class II rapids continue to mile 20 if the reservoir is low. Chili Bar was named after the Chilean road builders during the early Gold Rush days. Take out or put in here to continue to the lower section of the South Fork. Salmon Falls Bridge at Folsom Reservoir. This used to be a fun little ledge hole, but it was wiped out in the flood of January 1997, and is now simply a riffle. Mile 1.5, MAYA (II-III). This is a great place for everyone. Mile 10.6, CURRENT DIVIDER RAPID (II+). A long, curving rock garden.. Mile 11.5, SWIMMERâS RAPID.
We're looking forward to when we could go again. South Fork American River. Raft the South Fork American River with OARS California Rafting Top rated on Trip Advisor! My boyfriend and I just got back from an awesome weekend rafting with OARS and it was by the far the best time we have had in a while.
Can't wait to go again, they did a great job. (There are a few spots that are closer to the river that I'm sure u could request if you aren't with a group). Also known as Blue House Eddy or Whiplash. You can see us above, alongside, and hopefully never under, the following rivers: South Fork American River, Middle Fork American River, and North Fork American River. As its name implies, this is a rock garden to be maneuvered through with skill. Three separate drops, and all three can be run down the middle - with lots of bouncy, splashy fun. He made sure we had input into the various routes we could take with each rapids and the second day, with Class IV & a Class V rapids, he clearly did more with our raft than the other guides from various companies did with theirs. maneuver all the rapids! The 21-mile stretch of the South Fork of the American River is less than an hour from Sacramento, and just an hour and a half from Lake Tahoe. Shane Taylor. There is a small eddy on the left just down stream.
Open year round. We had the "cozy cubbie"; it was a small spot, would of liked a bigger spot because our tent didn't quite fit but we made it work. Hotels near (SMF) Sacramento Intl Airport, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting, Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks in Lotus, Tributary Whitewater Tours - South Fork American River Rafting. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. We didn't need to worry about anything, though we wouldn't have minded helping with dishes or carrying boats etc. We hope to do this again, possibly a two day adventure next time. Salmon Falls Bridge: This is the take-out for the Gorge, and is the last river access before Folsom Reservoir. We took the gorge run, and while the all day add in was just slightly more, the gorge was plenty! There is additional parking across the bridge on road right. Apple and peanut butter topped the sandwich for that extra energy needed for the 2nd half of our trip. Everyone had a blast.Our 2 guides Jeff Gibson and Chelsea made the trip fun and adventurous. The American River Conservancy handles the lower parking area. Based out of Lotus on the South Fork of the American River, OARS offers American River white water rafting near Sacramento & Lake Tahoe. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. The 21-mile stretch of the South Fork of the American River is less than an hour from Sacramento, and just an hour and a half from Lake Tahoe. Awesome family vacation, American River Class 3, Low Water Season, We were looking for a fun family bonding vacation. And dinner on Saturday night was delicious! Entrance to âThe Gorgeâ - occurs after the third sighting of the Lollipop tree. The pre-trip information was helpful, through and informative. Things to do near OARS American River Outpost. Henningsen Lotus County Park: Easy river access, lots of parking, bathrooms and open-air shower, modest fee, open year-round. He was helpful, personable and knowledgeable. A family of 7, our youngest is 10 so we did one of the two trips they offered for our minimum age. This is the biggest rapid on the upper section of this whitewater rafting trip. I liked the all-inclusive nature of the trip - food and lodging included. This was our kids first whitewater rafting. Professional photographers are frequently stationed here with their cameras.
The walk to river wasn't too bad. The Chili Bar Store sells snacks and last-minute supplies. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. We are the premier photography company specializing in whitewater river rafting photography. That takes some doing!I cannot recommend OARS highly enough.Great company, great staff, great experience! We especially enjoyed our tour guide Zach. If you do plan to do the South Fork I highly recommend doing both the top part as well as the lower part.
This site may not function properly in your current browser. Swimmer's Rapid is a great spot for rafting passengers to jump in and experience what it feels like to swim a rapid. For Labor Day weekend, my friends and I chose to go whitewater rafting at the American River. The South Fork American River offers all the qualities that make river rafting incredibly fun: lively, approachable rapids, splashing waves, and classic California scenery. Mile 7.3, LAUGHING EDDY (II). Maya is a favorite surf and lunch spot for kayakers and private rafters. All you need is sun screen, swimsuit, shorts, shirt and river shoes/sandals. He took care of us while encouraging us to take advantage of the river, swimming when it was safe, cooling off safely and pointing to all the beautiful nature around us. The lunch they prepared both days were very good. The South Fork American is one of the most popular (and most populated) whitewater river runs for rafting and kayaking in the state. Mile 6.6, BEGINNER'S HOLE RAPID (II). Bekeart's Gun Shop, located in the Park, offers similar activities and old-fashioned trade goods.
The park closes and an entrance gate is locked at sunset.