Whitewater Excitement

I only write reviews if I really have something to rave about, and after our camping + rafting weekend with Whitewater Excitement, I am happy to rave!

Campground: communication and booking with Patti was so nice and easy. Our campsite was beautiful! Right next to the river with clean bathrooms... even in 109 degrees it was perfectly shady and we could dip right in the water as many times as we needed. It would be a great place to camp even if you aren't rafting. We didn't stay in the cabin tents, but they were empty so we checked them out and they are lovely! With nice porches and views. I would stay there anytime

Food: I can't say enough about the food. All the meals they prepared for us far exceeded anything I would ever expect to be eating at a campsite. Meals included fresh avocado, fresh fruit, fresh roasted veggies. Our tri-tip dinner especially was extremely impressive and delicious!

Rafting and Guides:
Day 1 - South Fork w/ Audrey
The South Fork is class 2s and 3s. Audrey was extremely knowledgeable and confident plus a lot of fun! she made us feel so comfortable the entire day, she was really great with the young kids on our boat and we all had an absolute blast. I would strongly recommend her to anyone. She definitely got us perfectly prepped for day 2 and I would have felt very comfortable having her for the middle fork as well.

Day 2 - Middle Fork with Brice
Even though we loved the class 3s...I'm not going to lie, I was feeling very nervous for the step up to middle fork. I'm generally very adventurous, but I was freaked out about the Tunnel Shoot. Brice guided us down the class 4s like an absolute BOSS! He's been on that river for 10+ years and I knew from the second we got in the water that I had zero to worry about. As long as we did what he told us to do, he had our backs. He knows the river like the back of his hand and guides with complete confidence and skill. I felt so comfortable having my child in that boat and I would highly recommend him to anyone. He makes you feel completely SAFE, so you are free to focus on the fun!
Tunnel shoot ended up being my favorite part of the whole weekend, it was AMAZING! The entire day is a great mix of thrilling rapids and beautiful, relaxing scenery.... with a delicious lunch!

In summary...if you are shopping around for different companies to take you river rafting down the American River. Stop shopping and book the trip with Whitewater Excitement. They are a 10/10 across the board.

I can't say more about how great of a rafting outfit you are. Janine is super helpful and supportive with the booking and all the changes and additions. Your campground is premium. Shade and right on the river! Laura was an excellent guide. Very interactive, charismatic, and fun! I enjoyed meeting you Phillip, and Norm too. You both are great and helpful and always trying to make sure we are enjoying and getting the most out of our visit. Thank you so much for the super fun few days of rafting!

I never thought i'd be say this but you should go whitewater rafting...
We did the south fork two day, it was super fun. Our guide (Aaron) was fantastic, the food was solid, and the camping (right on the river) was downright majestic. I would 100% recommend this trip and crew.

My daughter's girl scout troop booked a full day whitewater rafting trip at the end of June with 8 girls and roughly the same adults/parents/chaperones.

We had a great time. Our guide Autumn was great with both the adults and girls and it was both fun and exciting. She was great with instruction and descriptions of each rapid and the river/environment as we went through it. We also happened to get Autumn's mom, who joined our boat and she was also quite the joy to for the girls.

Lunch was provided, consisting of water and lemonade, fresh fruit and a sandwich spread. It was pretty good quality food, and enough to get everybody full.

The facilities and transportation were all very good. Bathrooms were flush toilets and clean. Buses were clean and decently modern. The check-in facility was also in good shape and they do keep keys/phones for you.

They do provide a tipping guide, and I thought they earned it easily.

We LOVED our trip and thought the value was tremendous. The lunch was great (including delicious fresh fruit!) and the sodas and candy bars at the end were a nice touch, especially for our teenagers. Our guide was Ricardo, and his many years of experience all over the world were fascinating to hear about and we felt taken care of and in excellent hands the whole time.

Went here on a bachelor party and stayed for 3 nights with two days of rafting. Hadn't been rafting before but the guides were super great. You kind of jump into the deep end with a class 4 right off the bat but none of the boats in our group had any trouble with them as Amy and Bryce did great work navigating it.

The food brought out was sandwich stuff and they had a good amount of toppings to pick from. Better than what I assumed was going to be a prepackaged giant two foot long sub split for us. So much better than that. Last day we ended right at our campsite which was nice.

As for the site the cook was great and made some great food. They have a volleyball and horseshoes court on the premises along with a ton of showers. Was a fun little trip

We just completed the South Fork 2 Day Package as a surprise trip for my son's 13th birthday. We arrived Friday afternoon and were greeted by the friendly camp hosts, Anthony and Jen, who showed us the campsite they had cleared for our arrival, and gave us the lay of the land (bathroom/shower locations, camp store, etc). We were perfectly located right next to the water, with a campfire pit and picnic table. First night, dinner isn't provided but it gave us an opportunity to check out the cute little town and eat some great pizza at Whitewater Pizza just about 5 minutes up the road (hats off to the crust makers there!). The next morning, the owner Philip's dad Norm prepared an amazing breakfast with fresh fruit, pancakes, two different kinds of eggs, sausage, potatoes, OJ, coffee... all the fixings! He was super friendly and shared history of the company and how it's been family owned for over 40 years! After a bit, we met THE AMAZING CHARLIE (how she will forever be named) who was our guide for the weekend and got us suited up. Being the first time we've rafted, our party of 4 was excited (some of us maybe a little nervous?) but ready to roll. We started with some safety tips, basic instructions, hopped into the raft and did some practice, then off we were, cruising down the river. We got warmed up with some Class 2 rapids, which helped familiarize us with the concepts of rafting, while also just appreciating the absolute beauty of the river and surrounding mountains. THE AMAZING CHARLIE was super knowledgeable about the areas and had interesting anecdotes along the way. Lunch was sandwiches with all the fixins, chips, cookies, water and lemonade. After lunch, we prepared for Class 3's and she did great explaining what we'd need to do upon entering into those more energetic rapids, and ensuring we were tucked in to avoid any unplanned swims lol, as well as giving clear instructions along the way. Class 3's were EPIC and so much fun! The day wound down, and we were transported back to camp for a delicious dinner w/ tri tip, potatoes, ravioli, grilled asparagus, fruit, bread and butter, and salad. All freshly prepared and as wonderful as the family and guides who work there. The evening was spent with a campfire, playing some games, reading some books, and relaxing after a great day. (To say we slept well is an understatement!) Sunday was a similar experience (french toast and bacon for breakfast, and all the other fixins, yum!) which was great! We truly had the best time and will 100000% be back. The trip was, to quote my now 13 year old, "Epic!". I can see this company being great for both super experienced rafters, as well as first timers. 10 out of 10 would recommend!

I went water rafting with my coworkers, my first time water rafting and I loved it. It was a last minute getting in the group but it was well worth it. I enjoy every moment of it except the heat but with the cool water it was all good. Athen our guide on the raft was really informative about the surroundings. And the food was the best part because I feel like eating out doors the food tastes better than eating at home. It just I have one on one with nature and all my getting to know everyone was super great. The chef at this place cooks the best food, I loved his salmon and beef tri-tip with veggies was the best. The breakfast was the bomb too, blueberry pancakes were gone before I get to them. Will definitely recommend camping here, nothing but fun.

Our first whitewater rafting experience and it was so much fun! We did the popular South Fork American River Gorge Run, which was roughly 6 hours and included lunch. Our guide, Kelly, had such a positive attitude and gave us first-timers a sense of comfort as we were preparing to enter some Class III rapids. Overall, a great day spent on the river. We'll be back!!

Our trip was awesome and we had the best guide! Charlie really made all the best comments. Kept us super informed on the landscape and directed us perfectly on how to go through all the rapids.

I would give this trip a 4.5 out of 5. A couple of us would have liked to have a few more options in the eating since there are vegetarians. Maybe some hummus would be good :)

THANK YOU CHARLIE