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American River Raft Rentals
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
23 reviews for American River Raft Rentals
Ahh, what a fun-filled experience. Not only was it my first time river rafting, but I actually got the opportunity to go twice this Summer.
Both times I went with a party of about 30+ people so it was nothing but tons of fun. The first time we rented 3 rafts and the second time we rented 4. I would say the huge, sturdy yellow rafts can hold about 10-12 people comfortably. From what I've experienced so far, the more you can pack into one raft, the more fun! The service was quick and friendly and the prices are fair.
Other tips I've gathered:
- If you're going to have to bring your important belongings (cell phones, cameras, keys), remember to double ziploc bag them.
- Don't forget sunblock as the river's currents are very calm so you're essentially going to bake under the sun.
- Drop off a car, preferably a van or SUV that can seat the most number of drivers, at the drop off location so you don't have to take the bus.
- Water shoes is a must as you will more than likely lose your sandals/slippers. They have a store that you can buy them at on site for only about $10.
- Bring rope to tie the rafts together. We didn't need our life jackets so we used our life jackets to tie the rafts together instead.
There are several rest areas along the river, including a cliff where you can climb up a rope to jump off of. At the end of the river there are also grills available for barbecuing.
I left burnt and bruised from all the craziness but I had a blast regardless. If you're looking for a chill/relaxing experience then this is the place to be.
This was my first experience on the American River and it was true lazy river rafting. We rented two 6-passenger rafts from American River Raft Rentals and were given four oars, but in actuality we only needed two oars because the river was flat, with the exception of one small 30-second rapid, so minimal paddling was needed.
After we picked up our rafts, we had to haul the them about a fourth mile down to the raft launching area. Too bad our rafts were not already at the launch site but the walk wasn't too far so we survived.
This rafting trip was extremely fun! We packed our lunches (lunch is not included in this excursion) in multiple coolers and tied them into the raft. Additionally we brought water guns so that we could attack other rafts. Note: one should tie the water guns into the raft or they may get lost on the river. We ended up getting attacked with water guns by two rafts but then formed an alliance with them so that we could mob on other unsuspecting rafts and soak them.
We started out with two rafts and at one point were tied to 4 other rafts as we floated down the river! I Have never seen so many people roll around and fall out of rafts in my life. It was hilarious.
There is an island (mud mound) that we stopped at in the middle of the river, where mud wrestling was taking place. The mud wrestling was absolutely entertaining! One girl got her fake nail ripped off! Sick!
There are no guides patrolling the river and life jackets are optional given that the river is so flat. Bring your sunscreen. It was triple digits in the sun, but the water was really cold!
At the end of the rafting trip, there is a large grassy area next to where the shuttle buses pick you up. We all took a brief nap under the trees. It was super relaxing. There are BBQ pits and benches in the grassy area if you want to cook after the rafting trip.
For the raft rentals plus bus ride back to our cars, the total was $19 a person. Super cheap!
If you are looking for a river with rapids try Cache Creek, however, if you are looking to truly lazy river raft, the American River is a good choice.
I will be back!
Let's start with the cons:
- 45 min bus ride from the parking lot to the river.
- expensive.
- bathroom situation. (The outhouse at the beginning of the river was putrid) The guides refused to set up a "toilet" on the river; suggesting instead that we pee in the river or dig a hole..
PROS:
- 45 min bus ride from the parking lot to the river so you won't have to carry rafting equipment on some mile long walk.
- best rafts i have ever used; with self-bailing features!
- awesome class 3/4 river (Middle Fork American River). Best rapids listed below:
*Tunnel Chute (the best class 4+ on the river)
*Kanaka Falls
*Chundra (6ft vertical drop).
*Ruck-a-Chucky (30ft drop into jagged rocks. You can choose to sit this one out).
*Cleavage (Ask your guide to "surf" the raft on this one).
*Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Final Exam (Exhilarating!)
* Pop Quiz (I think this is the one where we were shot up into the air)
- cool river guides; friendly competition among the other rafts.
- generally cleaner river, no trash all over the place.
- lunch served by our river guides! Fruits, meat, sandwiches, cookies, juice, you name it.
I've been to a couple of other places but they just weren't as organized or professional as American River Raft Rentals. I suggest Middle Fork American River where you'll get the gamut of class 2-4+ rapids. They are a bit more unyielding but we had a couple of first timers in our group who handled it just fine. Keep in mind that a river with class 3/4 rapids will require you to have helmets, life jackets and a river guide.
For a good deal, go to this website and click on the tab that says 'News & Hot Deals.'
http://www.whitewatert.../
I found a 4th of July deal for American River Raft for only $98; the usual rate could go from $120-160.
ARRR gets 4 stars for excellent rapids, wonderful lunch and good equipment.
ARRR gets -1 star for long, dusty bus ride and shoddy bathroom.
Staff were kinda grumpy, prices aren't really that cheap. Go here if you want to have a party-style rafting expedition down the American River, not if you want a peaceful weekend. Make sure to bring some booze, but please don't get too drunk otherwise you'll end up like this guy some folks had to drag out of the river because he fell asleep.... :O
Pack anything important in ziploc bags and make sure you secure it to your raft. Make sure you pull off the river and stop to go swimming in the freezing water or to have a picnic somewhere to get your money's worth. Fun? I think it depends on who you go with-- I had plenty of fun. :)
They get bonus points for having an awesome acronym for any water-based activity group: "ARRR"!
12 rafts + 40 friends + lots of rope = one rockin' day on the American River.
If you're looking for a fun group activity in the sun, this is your place. Here are a few tips:
- Bring water-proof bags for extra clothes
- Don't bring anything you care too much about-- phone, wallet, pet
- Bring snacks and booze in a cooler. And don't litter.
No hassle raft rentals.
We returned the rafts filled with a dirty mixture of river water, beer, smooshed chips, broken cigarettes, and other miscellaneous debris with no problem.
What happens at the end of the day when big groups of people are waiting for their ride, drunk, and no longer in happy party mode? They get rowdy and wanna get in fights. Be prepared to yell out shit like: was that mother fucker talking bout me? and repeat phrases like: I will fuck him up!
I forgot to pick up my ID, so I called and asked if I can send a self-addressed stamped envelope and have them send it back. They said they'll just send it, which is totally cool of them.
I've rented rafts from this place probably 2-3 times. The reason I keep going back is because the set up is easy enough and I'm too lazy to try to find another place to rent from.
When you go, you get in line to rent a raft. I rented a 4 person one for about $60 (after all the "launch fees" and taxes and whatever). You and your party carry the raft, life vests, and oars down a 5 minute walk to the launching site of the river. You float down at a slow pace and just sorta relax under the sun. Warning - there are other rafters with waterguns, so be prepared to get wet!
After about 1.5-2 hours, you see a landing site on your left where you row over to, park your raft and all the gear on the rocks, and collect your receipt (to get your license back at the original renting site). If you didn't already arrange transportation back to the original site, you pay $4/person to take their shuttle back (you can pay for this ahead of time). The only bad thing is the shuttles come about every 20 minutes and it gets packed.
Oh yah, and parking at the raft rental is $5.
Had a great experience rafting down the American River. We rented a 10 person raft as there were two people over 6 ft. tall and everyone in the raft was over 5'6". Sure we could have got a 6 person, but having the 10 person allowed for us to move around and made it much easier when the kids were getting in and out of the raft after swimming along in the river. This is lazy river rafting although we did go thru a couple of minor rapids and one nice one, that everyone else was avoiding, it was big fun!! The kids had a blast, which always makes me happy. The operation is professional and efficient. My only complaint was the bus line setup to go back to pickup your car. There was nothing there other than a makeshift cover for shade for about 9 people. No water, no nothing and that makes for a long wait in uncomfortable heat. If they can fix that part, i'd give them 5 stars.
Recommended for a nice weekend!!!
Bring your own water-based weapons against pirates.
I like adventure.
I like danger.
I like the thrill of a raft moving quickly through the water over rapids and deadly rocks
This has none of that. This is my 2nd consecutive year coming here to rent a raft and slowly float down the American River. Rentals aren't too bad. It's about 20$ per person depending on the raft size you get. With it comes oars and life jackets for every passenger. Anything else you want to have with you is all on you. What did I bring onto the raft with me?
~2 coolers
~ice
~4 12 packs of beer
~6 gatorade bottles of jungle juice
~6 sandwiches
~1 bag of chips
~1 box of cookies
~sunscreen
~sunglasses
~water guns
~a big smile
You would think that the trip consists of laying in the sun, intriguing conversation, and beer. Basically, an awesomely relaxing time. For the most part it can be. However, when you have too much alcohol and restless people, you get:
- spilt beer everywhere
- men erotically rubbing sunscreen all over each other's body
- people falling all over the raft and out of the raft
- water fights with every raft that you come in contact with
- eating soggy river soaked food
- people straddling other's faces
- non stop laughing
- bathing suits breaking
- lost items in the water including expensive sunglasses and flip flops
You may also wonder how we relieve ourselves with all the alcohol we're consuming. Well, the bathroom is literally surrounding you. No need to wait in long lines or search for a restroom, just jump right off, hang onto the raft and let 'er rip. Getting back into the raft is the only difficult part about this process.
In the end, it's not too costly and you can guarantee hours of good fun in the sun, assuming you are with the right people.
It started out on a Fourth of July. If you like rafting down the river with 10,000 drunk kids in a constant water fight then the Fourth is the best time to go. If you like helicopters flying over head and the Coast Guard and Sheriff's Office patrolling the water then the Fourth is the best time to go. If you like mud wrestling on "Temptation Island" where drunk guys push girls into the pit and hope that someone's top comes off then the Fourth is the best time to go. If you're OK with a few people dying in the river because of some drunken accident, guess when a good time to go is?
We don't go down the river on the Fourth anymore. We just went in the middle of August for my sister's birthday. There were only a few rowdy's splashing water and my mom stopped that real quick. We probably drank more beer than anyone else on the river and to my knowledge no one died. I spent a good portion of the time actually IN the water along side of the raft because the weather was great and the water was nice.
It's about a four hour trip if you stop and have lunch along the way. You can get by with a minimum of paddling and just let the current take you if you want. There's a shuttle back to the parking lot for $2 and a nice grassy area at the end where you can BBQ if you're not exhausted from being in the sun all day and drinking beer. If you plan on going on a Saturday (or the Fourth) it's best to make a reservation and a 6-8 person raft comfortably seats four people with room for about two good sized-coolers.
Gosh, I know this is unfair but this is more a review of the experience rather than the rafting rental place!!
Okay, okay, first the rental company. Actually, I guess they would get a 2 stars rating. The people were nice enough but the customer service was terrible. Maybe just TOO casual and not really helpful. It seemed like a bunch of kids running the place but maybe that is because most of the crowd was young as well so that's ok?? I don't want to sound like an old fogey but it was just annoying. When we went into the little office, having NEVER BEEN THERE AND KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT THE PLACE, we asked about the rates and what was offered...the girl behind the desk was like "it's all in here" --hands me a pamphlet-- "and you rent over there" just points in the general direction of the door. okkkkaaayyy??? Then what exactly are you here for??? That was annoying. And then we go out to "over there" and there was this long line in the hot sun (over 100 degrees) and I notice one checker just sort of standing around. I asked if she was open to customers and she says "oh I'm waiting for this guy to come back with his license"...okay but it's a MILLION degrees out here! Can't I get some paperwork started or something??? I know it sounds like I'm bitching about little things but it just kills me that good customer service is virtually non-existent these days.
OH YEAH!! And the other thing that pissed me off is that there are no signs to let you know where to go once you leave the rental station carrying your cooler, backpack and BIG ASSED RAFT!! You pass some kind of ravine and you have to go under a freeway overpass or something...I was like WTF???? Are we going the right way???
The whole operation is just loosely run...not very well planned out.
Okay the rafting trip--
It was AWESOME to be floating down the river on a hot day. BUT again, maybe I'm just too old for the crowd that comes here, do I have to friggin listen to ASSHOLES yelling stupid shit while I'm trying to relax and enjoy nature???? Some jerk had his "mock black guy accent" going and just yelling random shit...I think he was "rapping". We pulled over to a small beach to let him go by...I mean the WHOLE TIME he was behind us, his mouth was RUNNING. I'm suurrreee the people in the raft with him were annoyed...I hope so, cuz he was an ASS!
But you know, maybe this is just not the place for me. I would like to find a peaceful place where nature is center stage and not "look at me and by the way here is my asshole!!"
A-OK.
Good place to go once in a while to chill with good company. If you go with people you don't like, well then you'll have a horrible time, because there's no excitement from the river.
Basically, it's like going to the beach, except you're on a raft on a river and there's no sand. It's a good place to tan, but for sure wear sunblock and reapply like 5 times or you'll be hurting.
The girls in our group wanted to all go in one boat. However, floating down as eight Asian girls in a raft, we heard lots of derogatory remarks from so many passer byers.
1. We are not so helpless that we need men to row for us
2. We are not some exotic dragon ladies there to give your husband a show, you nasty lady!
3. We are not a bunch of foreign exchange students
Moving on, at the end, there's a place to drop off your raft so they can take the raft and stuff back to the beginning. The workers there were really unhelpful though. After dragging our raft to the shore and looking for where to put it, you'd think the workers just chilling in the shade would take the initiative to let you know what to do, but no. They weren't on the really friendly side either.
Anyway, there's a picnic area near by that's good to eat and play in the field. Then to go back, you have to wait for the shuttle and take a 30 min ride to the parking lot.. or you send some people to do this and drive the cars back to the parking lot near by.
Nonetheless, good place to have a relaxing good time with friends, next time we want to try the harder level courses.
Oh but if you do come here, don't forget your water guns, or you'll be attacked without anything to fight back with!
Notes to self and others: Be sure to have help putting sunscreen on all of back so as to avoid scorching sun burn. And remember to reapply sunscreen after getting wet. And don't overpack the ice chest because the initial walk down to the river is a mighty long one when carrying a heavy ice chest!
Overall, a fun, relaxing time, though... The whole trip from Sunrise to River Bend Park took about 3 hours. We parked our car at River Bend Park then carpooled up to Sunrise with our friends so we didn't have to take the shuttle back. The hardest part of the whole trip was carrying the raft down the long path to the river-- all the handles were split in 2 so it made it challenging. But once in the water, it was smooth sailing. The rapids are not hectic at all and only one time did water slosh into our raft.
Didn't see any water fights or water guns... the crowds were very mellow.
We rented a 10 person raft for 7 of us and had plenty of room for all our gear.
1 star off for the long walk to the river and the broken handles. Other than that (and the sunburn I now have due to my lame sunscreen application or lack there-of), a fantabulous day! I definitely want to patake in the experience again and plan to be better prepared.
Fun for all involved,
Float your cares away downstream,
A-holes with squirt guns.
Holy crap, carrying the beer coolers, snacks and the rafts to the river from the rental station start point seemed like a Herculean feat. Luckily, I had 7 guys with me. 6 out of the 7 are some of the hottest gay men that I know and love....
Some words to describe our experience:
Water guns
paddles (why won't the boats row or steer themselves?)
3 small rapids
beer, beer, Jack Daniels beverage thingy, more beer, a smirnoff ice and another beer...
A large rolling cooler will fit in a 4 person boat
Don't swim in that water, people PEE in that water...oh and geese and ducks like to take a dump in the water...
Cliff jumping
Water fights with random people
Joining a floating cannubis club
Did I mention the hot gay men that I was with and the beer?
Oh yeah, and my sexually secure boyfriend tagged along for the ride.
I'd show you pictures, but then I'd have to shoot you.
Total floating time - 4 hours, but that was mostly b/c we stopped to cliff jump and we were DRUNK
I know, I know drinking and water don't mix...
Prices:
4 Person Raft $48.00 $2.00 (damage waiver)
6 Person Raft $72.00 $2.00 (damage waiver)
10 Person Raft $132.00 $5.00 (damage waiver)
12 Person Raft $144.00 $5.00 (damage waiver)
I've been doing this for the last few years and either the river is getting more shallow, or I've been going at bad times.
Another thing is, when they say, get there on time for your reservation - they -do- mean it! Don't ask me how I know... (o.o);;;
Had a great time, people for the most part stayed friendly and playfull all along, and if you don't want to get it wet leave it on shore cuz even though its a lazy river ride most of the way, it has its bumps, and EVERYTHING will get wet.
Yesterdays loss count: 2 or three shirts, a pair of shorts, 2 shoes, a few pairs of sunglasses, 4-6 packs of waterlogged cigarettes, One rear auto glass window. (Not parked safely in the parking lot, but down the road further) Our sandwiches, some full beers, 3 cans of pringles, some very pale skin, a few brain cells, some of our sanity, and possibly a relationship or two. But that's the way we roll. It was still a blast, and I'll do it again as soon as I can !
For like $16 bucks a piece, including a ride back to the cars. (Parked safely for $4 bucks a piece.) Not a bad deal at all.
Have fun, and BE SAFE!
As spiff e. says below, it's the river you're there for & NOT the "rafting". The portion of the river where American River Raft Rentals is located isn't for the white water, dare devil, adventurous type. Let's say it's a class 1, or even a class 0 if that class exists. Bring your cooler stocked with alcoholic beverages (only allowed on NON-holiday weekends) a lunch and all your friends. There are several locations for you to stop over to ambush other rafters with yes, water canons, cliffs for you to jump off of, a rope swing for you to let out the Tarzan in you & small shores for you to relax and just enjoy the sun.
I recommend NOT using the paddles provided with your raft rental, unless you're trying to make a pit stop at one of the shores. Float time to the designated ending is 3-4 hrs. If you paddle, your trip could be over in less than 1. If you've got your entire posse with you (the more the merrier) bring rope or bungee cords to tie your rafts together. Also make sure you rent a raft that is equipped for more people than planned to be riding in the raft. You need space to stretch out. Plus, where do you plan on putting all that beer?
This is the best raft rentals company ever!! I had my first river rafting experience through this company back in 1996, and I've been hooked since. (Sidebar: I thought I was going to be able to go river rafting like almost every weekend when I went to college. But sadly, I learned the hard way that you have to actually show up to class and study sometimes if you want to do well. Everything in moderation I guess.) They have a nice selection of raft sizes (depending on the number of crew you'll be having), reasonable prices ($20/person depending on how many people are in the raft), knowledgeable and friendly staff. Also, seems like most/all the staff are in good shape and really easy on the eyes. This is the place to go/rent a raft from, if you want to experience just a nice n' chill day of coasting down the American River (Class 1). Everyone on the river is just looking to have a fun and chill time, and I've never had any bad vibes or experiences from other people on the river.
You can drink alcohol (no glass containers, so either cans, or just mix it right into your 2-litre bottles of Coke) but not on Holiday weekends (.i.e., 4th of July weekend). There were a lot of people drunk and hella hammered on the American River this past weekend - awesome fun. On holiday weekends, you can still sneak in alcohol onto the river, but you just have to be more discrete about it (think mixing your alcohol into your 2-litre bottles and no beer cans, but they'll be confiscated). There's also certain spots along the river where it's deep enough that people do some cliff diving - so pretty kewl and entertaining.
You'll be coasting down the river for several hours, so bring and apply A LOT of sunscreen and frequently, unless you don't mind gettin' cooked and sunburned. You should also stock up your cooler/ice-chest with some snacks (chips, fruits, sandwiches, etc.) Also, bring water guns, as a lot of fun water fights/ambushes go down all along the river, so it's better to be prepared.
It costs $4/ ticket for a shuttle ride back to launch area, so it's worth the price of the ticket. Oh yea, fair warning though, the shuttle gets pretty packed, and a lot of the people are still drunk when they get on the shuttle. So, there can be a lot of yelling and swearing on the whole ride back to your cars (not really a great environment for lil' kids to be in). So you might want to drop off a car at the parking lot ($10 parking fee), so your lil' kids won't be exposed to all that craziness. Overall though, this is an awesome experience, and you should definitely try it sometime.
Tons of fun! but.... walking your raft down from the store to the actual water is a real bitch! :P the rafts are heavy so if you're super wimpy don't be shocked when you have to put a lil muscle into getting your vessel down to the shore!
I have been doing this run since I was a little kid. Yeah, there isn't but one tiny crappy spot of rapids but that's why its far cheaper than going up to Coloma on a real white water run. To be honest with you this run is perfect mostly for those who like to drink adult beverages and partake in adult activities... :D ;)
Make sure you pack zip lock bags to keep any goods in you want to keep dry like your cell phone, wallet, or your sandwich. We like to go stock up on Subway subs and cold beer then throw a big ice chest Bring a cooler with wheels since you will be carrying the raft and don't want to have to add extra weight to it. I like to bring a tire tube to put the cooler on and tie it to the raft... that way the weight of the cooler isn't making your boat bottom all sunk where water can accumulate.
The ride down I believe is around 3-4 hours and longer if you stop frequently. Bring water guns if you want to be asswads and soak other boaters. (That's always good times!!!) I dont recommend water balloons because they garbage up the river and fish or ducks can choke on them.
They give you a shuttle ride back up and the shuttles don't have AC so pack a frozen water bottle for that portion of the ride. Great and cheap summer time activity if you get a group and all chip in. As other reviewers said, make sure you get a boat that is a little bigger than the actual number of people you have so you can relax and lounge. Bring an umbrella if you don't want to get too sunburned!
DONT forget to bring a loaf of cheap bread for all the duckies!!! tons of ducks & babies in certain times of the year will come up to your raft on the ride and they're super cute!
fun fun fun! and sunburn! please please please do not forget to wear sunblock. floating down the river + sun - sunblock = sunburn!
also put "drinks" and food in cooler. everything will get wet so put anything that you don't want soaked in a zip-lock bag.
ride is about 3-4 hours but after the first 2 hours of non-stop water battles, you are too tired to paddle and would just rather float the rest of the way.
also, bring a REAL water gun, not a supersoaker. large steam machine are $20 @ their store.
will def go again.
the worst things: trip from rental place to launch area.
they've got a decent rental system going on, but what you're really there for is the river. even though it's just lazy floating down the river, you'll still get wet, mostly from all the super soakers everyone has. and maybe the one or two rapids along the way. but the super soakers ... oh man, those super soakers. we need to get some.
and halfway down the river, there's this park on the left where everyone congregates. and you reach it right around lunchtime, which is perfect. that's the great part. the bad part, all the locals apparently park their butts there and water-attack everyone who passes by. those jerks.
at the end of the river, they have an easy raft drop off and they have a shuttle that brings you back to the parking lot.