Review Highlights
“Our guide yesterday at the middle fork of the American river was Jesse and he has been my favorite guide so far.” in 53 reviews
“Roger , who was our guide this time - rules and commands the raft, would go rafting with him any day!” in 45 reviews
“The Tuolumne was so high that most other outfitters weren't running it that day, but they let those with experience go.” in 12 reviews
Location & Hours
Serving Walnut Creek Area
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About the Business
Business owner information
Scott A.
All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting is a family-owned and operated outfitter with over 60 years of experience professionally guiding white water rafting trips on 10 of California's best rivers. We offer white water rafting trips near the San Francisco Bay Area. Each One, Two, or Three-Day river trip is led by our crew of professional guides devoted to making your trip safe, fun, and memorable. Whether your group size is large or small, family or friends, a bachelor party, corporate group, or if you desire a private trip - we're here to give you an adventure like no other. Choose from springtime classics like the Kaweah and North Fork Stanislaus, an overnight trip in a wilderness canyon on the Tuolumne or Middle Fork American, summer fun on the South Fork American, or a thrilling adventure on the Class V Cherry Creek. This is only a sample of the trips we offer, so check out our website or give us a call for more info. We hope to see you on the river!
Ask the Community
Q:
Is there a minimum age or weight requirement? Looking to take my kids rafting this summer.
A:
Hi Tim! We have a variety of sections to bring kids of different ages. Typically the youngest we take is 5 years old on our Tom Sawyer section of the South Fork American River. If your kids are 8 and up, they can enjoy the South Fork American Lower… more
Scott A., Business OwnerQ:
Are photos taken during the rafting trip to be later available for purchase?
A:
Hi Arris! Yes, on most rafting trips there is a professional photography company that takes pictures of rafters as they go by. Start here to view and purchase your photos:… more
Scott A., Business Owner
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Recommended Reviews
Overall rating
256 reviews
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- Brian C.Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, CA01Jul 19, 2024
Our guide Kendall was amazing. The trip was fantastic. I have been on several trips with all outdoors and each one has been fantastic. All outdoors is very professional, great customer service and great guides
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Scott A.
Jul 22, 2024
Hi Brian! Thank you so much for your review and for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you back on another river trip soon!
Douglas N.Norwalk, CA601311Jul 25, 2024Had a wonderful time today on The Middle Fork American River. Our guides Landis and Wyeth were extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced rafters, and that made our family of four feel really comfortable. Will definitely recommend All-Outdoors company to my family and friends in the near future!
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Scott A.
Jul 26, 2024
Hi Douglas, it is great to hear your family had such a wonderful time with us on the Middle Fork American. Thank you for joining us and for this awesome review! Hope to see you back soon!
Janice S.Los Angeles, CA12815May 28, 2024This was my husband and daughter's first river rafting trip. It was so exhilarating. The guides were great they made us feel safe and comfortable. The water was cold but we were given wetsuits and splash jackets. We enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch.
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Scott A.
May 28, 2024
Hi Janice! You all look great in these photos! Thank you for joining us on the river for your first rafting excursion. We hope it won’t be your last!
- Karel B.Turlock, CA23184Jul 15, 2024
We did the 1 day Middle Fork of the American River trip. It was a fantastic trip! It was beautiful and thrilling. Our guide Lee was very experienced, kind, funny and gave us a lot of guidance which put me ease. I highly recommend.
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Scott A.
Jul 18, 2024
Hi Karel! We are so glad to hear your Middle Fork American River rafting trip was such a success! The smiles on your photos say it all :-) Thank you for joining us and for this great review!
- Charmaine S.Long Beach, CA0314Jun 23, 2024
We just did a 1 day trip down the Tuolumne River and had an amazing day! JP, our guide was passionate and experienced about rafting. He shared stories and facts about the river as he guided us with ease and confidence. It was a fun and an unforgettable day. The best rafting experience I've had!
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Scott A.
Jun 24, 2024
Hi Charmaine! We are so glad to hear your rafting trip on the Tuolumne River was such a success. Thank you for joining us!
4223739216Aug 31, 2022Updated reviewWe had another awesome adventure on the Cherry Creek / Upper Tuolumne 1-day trip last week with All-Outdoors. I highly recommend AO and this trip in particular if you're looking for a fun, adrenaline-filled challenge!
+ Cherry Creek is no joke. There are so many exciting rapids along this route, including a good number of Class V rapids. Per AO's description, it's the most challenging commercial river rafting trip in California. Getting thrown out of the raft into a rapid could be especially risky here.
+ This was a real workout. Before we got to the big rapids, we had a safety swim test where we had to swim across a small rapid to the other side of the river (to make sure we could swim) and then swim under the raft from one side to the other. These were the least pleasant and most tiring parts of the entire day for me - but I get why they're necessary safety checks, and they boosted my confidence that I could do the same later if I actually fell out of the raft unintentionally.
+ AO's planning and guide expertise, led by our rafting guides Adam and Horse, along with Joe steering the guide boat in front of us and another raft behind us with more expert paddlers, clearly shone through. We trusted in Horse's and Adam's commands and paddled our hearts out to make it through each rapid as smoothly as possible. When you're getting thrown around in the boat and smacked in the face by waves of water, it's both thrilling and mildly terrifying. We all had a ton of fun.
Thanks to our amazing guides, our fellow guest paddler, and the guide boats for their support and for helping us have a wonderful time down Cherry Creek. All-Outdoors continues to be my favorite whitewater rafting outfitter in the area, and I'll be back soon for my 5th trip with them!Helpful 5Thanks 0Love this 4Oh no 0Jul 31, 2021Previous reviewAnother 5-star experience! We had an amazing 1-day whitewater rafting trip down the wild and scenic Tuolumne River with All-Outdoors. This was my 3rd time rafting with AO, and I highly recommend booking with them whether you're a first-timer or have prior rafting experience. The trips are extremely well-organized and a lot of fun!
I bought a trip certificate back in January 2020 during their yearly pre-season sale, which allows you to save 25% on the cost of your rafting trip (which you can book later on, once you've figured out the best date that works for you).
Unfortunately, we had to cancel our booked trip once COVID-19 shut down the Tuolumne trips for the rest of 2020. Thankfully, we were able to use the same trip certificate this year, and AO honored the original trip price that we had paid for. I've experienced great customer service in all of my interactions with All-Outdoors - if you have any questions that haven't been answered on their detailed website, the reservation staff are easy to reach via phone or email, proactive with follow-ups, and super helpful in general. (Thanks to Amanda, Beth, and others!)
The booking process was quite smooth - after I emailed them with the # of people in our group (9), they sent me a list of all of the dates remaining in the rafting season that could accommodate our group size, which made it a lot easier to narrow down a date. In the weeks leading up to our trip, I also got a few email reminders with things to bring and the online waiver forms for everyone to fill out beforehand.
The meet-up spot was in Groveland, which is on the way to Yosemite National Park, so we were able to turn this into a weekend trip and day-hike in Hetch Hetchy the day before our rafting trip.
On rafting day, we checked in at the meet-up spot, dropped off our car keys in a bucket to avoid having to risk carrying them on the raft, and then got into two school buses for a long and windy drive down a tiny road to the Tuolumne River put-in spot at Meral's Pool. We went through safety guidelines as a group, then strapped on our PFDs (life jackets) and helmets, got our paddles, and were assigned to boats. They will do their best to keep you with the rest of your group, but since we had a party of 9 - more than a single boat could fit - we split up into a boat of 4 (on a 4-seater steered by Horse) and another boat of 5 (on a 6-seater steered by Dave; we also had a party of 1 join us). There were a few other AO rafts and another rafting company's boats all going at the same time, and they shuffled around the boat order so that we could stick reasonably near our other boat.
Mid-July weather was perfect for this trip: the air was pretty hot (in the 90s F), every splash of cold water felt refreshing, and we quickly dried off during the calmer sections of the river. The last time we rafted was in October and we were shivering even with our wetsuits (no wetsuits required this time though!)
The Tuolumne River has a great mix of exciting Class IV rapids and calmer spots where you can take in the scenery, the beautifully clear water, and even go for a quick swim in some sections (bobbing in the water up to your neck through a small rapid is such a different experience than floating through it in the raft! So fun. Prepare for lots of water getting in your face.) There was also a giant rock (maybe 25-30 ft high?) that we were able to scramble up to the top and then jump into the water from - it was a bit painful landing but also fun.
Lunch was packed and prepared by our guides: lemonade, fresh cut watermelon, chips, and a neat sandwich station. (Again, very well-organized). We also got a surprise mid-morning snack of granola bars and candy bars - that full-size Twix bar made me one very happy rafter.
At the end of your trip, you have the option to purchase photos, which for this trip were taken by a photographer from Rapid Shooters who kayaked down the rapids alongside our rafts. Great way to see what kinds of funny expressions you and your group made going down the rapids!
I also want to give an extra shout-out to our rafting guide, Dave, who masterfully and safely steered us down the rapids and through much of the calmer sections (so that we could chill for a bit) - and also somehow managed to hang upside-down on the outside back of the boat after getting thrown out of the raft with the force of Class V Clavey Falls, and then hoisted himself back in to continue steering... Dave, you are the MVP!Oct 7, 2019Previous reviewWe went on the Middle Fork American River 1-day trip the last weekend of September (the last weekend for this season) and had a ton of fun!
I'd been rafting once before but most of my group were first-timers. Tunnel Chute and Kanaka were my favorite rapids; the other ones were actually a bit calmer than we'd expected, but that might also be partly due to the lower flows (in fall), plus our stellar synchronization and paddling skills (ha!)
No one fell out of the boat (except on purpose) and I felt safe at all points on the trip. The guides prepared us beforehand with safety tips, provided the necessary PFDs and helmets, and overall organized the trip very well.
We got out on the water around 10am and got back in around 3pm. Lunch was at 1pm and was quite good! The ingredients, especially the fruit and vegetables, all tasted really fresh; the guides set up an impressive sandwich bar and provided us with much-needed energy. The wind was trying to blow us back upstream for most of the trip, so we had to do a decent amount of paddling at some points to continue our momentum. The paddling was quite fun too though!
The day started out quite chilly and rained a bit around noon/1pm. Thankfully, AO let us borrow wetsuits and splash jackets without making us pay for them - probably because it would've been miserably cold and wet without the wetsuits! The sun came out in the afternoon which made for a perfect ending to the trip.
Lastly, our guide, Tyler, was fantastic - I remember the first time I rafted with AO years ago, we also had an amazing guide who cracked jokes with us and hyped us up for every rapid - and Tyler was just as great! He told us about the local scenery, wildlife, and historical points along the river and also shared some of his own stories about his rafting adventures. I think the guides can really make a huge difference on the trip - not just to save your life in case you end up in a risky spot, but also to make the trip more fun.
Cost per person was about $190 (including fees). Totally worth it in my opinion for everything that came with this trip.
We'll be back for the Tuolumne River next spring for a little more challenge :)- Henry B.Santa Cruz, CA05May 27, 2024
Had a really fun time on the Merced river, with great instruction from Gator and Westley for some first time rafters. We had a fun time and learned a lot about rafting, and are looking forward to returning on a more challenging stretch! We appreciated the team's friendliness and knowledgeability.
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Scott A.
May 28, 2024
Henry, thank you for taking the time to review your Merced River rafting trip. We are glad to hear you had a good time and look forward to seeing you back soon!
- Sep 21, 2022
Joe was an awesome guide! We had so much fun on this trip!! It was an amazing trip as we went down the rapids. There was a scary moment where during a level 3 rapid, a kayak toppled over in front of us but Joe was safely able to navigate through the dicey rocks and keep everyone safe, including the kayaker.
Get the option for lunch! We were starving by the time lunch rolled around and they had a deli picnic spread out. It was really nice and I loved the fresh fruits they provided. (There was also cookies, chips, brownie brittle but I was trying to eat healthy!)
I highly recommend booking with this company as you won't regret it. They're extremely professional and took care of everything we needed. They have all the equipment you need, including splash jackets and a wetsuit (if you wanted one) all included.
We're going to go again next year for sure!Helpful 1Thanks 1Love this 1Oh no 0 
Mija R.Sacramento, CA163157Jul 31, 2023Aside from the fact that my daughter Kennedy thinks that Emma is the coooooolest, she really loved the trip too. The lower South Fork American river trip was exciting enough for the big kids (me) and mindblowing for the smaller one (she's 10). Grateful for having the experience and for whomever that decided that an optional side of pickled onions were necessary for the sandwiches. See you again sooner than later.
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Scott A.
Aug 7, 2023
Hi Mija! Thank you for your review! We are happy to hear the rafting trip was a success. We look forward to seeing you and Kennedy back soon.
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