Adventure 16: Outdoor and Travel Outfitters - Since 1963

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Middle Fork of the American River Rafting

Whitewater Rafting in Idaho with O.A.R.S

Highlights

  • Paddle through steep walls covered in pine forests as you plunge down into American River Canyon
  • A delicious deli-style picnic is served riverside
  • Continuous whitewater action on an intense Class IV drop, Chunder, provides thrills and chills

Full Description

On O.A.R.S. Middle Fork American River white water rafting trip, you’ll raft through a lovely, secluded canyon where a melee of pounding whitewater, and the beauty of the Sierra Nevada foothills combine to offer an action-packed river trip which includes an underground run through class IV Tunnel Chute.

Rafting the Middle Fork of the American River is a "must do" on all rafter's lists! The Class IV Middle Fork of the American River rushes through a pristine, secluded canyon where a melee of pounding whitewater and the beauty of the Sierra Nevada foothills combine to offer an incomparable whitewater rafting adventure in California near Sacramento. In 1889, in an effort to divert the flow of the American River in search of gold buried beneath its waters, miners blasted a tunnel through the side of a cliff, unknowingly creating one of the most unique whitewater features anywhere. Now known as "Tunnel Chute", this long, tumultuous rapid is the heart-stopping highlight of this thrill packed Middle Fork American rafting experience which concludes with a stretch of this pounding river disappearing underground.

Includes:

  • Skilled professional guide service
  • Delicious deli lunch
  • High quality inflatable rafts, related river equipment including paddle, splash jackets (spring and cold weather trips only), and helmet and personal flotation device
  • Transfers from the meeting place to the river and back

Excludes:

  • Pre- and post-trip accommodations and meals
  • Wetsuits (available for rent on early season and cold weather trips)
  • Insurance of any kind, including travel insurance
  • Items of personal nature
  • Gratuities

Day by Day Itinerary

We'll meet at 8:00 AM at the Driver's Flat turn-out in Auburn. Please be prompt. Once everyone's arrived, we'll take a 45-minute shuttle ride to our put-in at Oxbow, where our boats and the rest of our O.A.R.S. crew await us. Our guides will present a thorough safety talk, and then our adventure begins.

Not a minute from our launch point, we encounter our first whitewater. Aptly named Good Morning, this big-wave Class III rapid will get our blood flowing and our hearts pumping, eliminating any remaining sleepiness from the early morning. The next mile and a half brings several Class II-III rapids in quick succession, giving us a chance to sharpen our paddling skills for the mother rapid of the Middle Fork: Tunnel Chute, which is fast approaching.

We hear the ominous roar as we approach Last Chance, a thrilling Class IV drop that positions us for entry into Tunnel Chute. We paddle hard, lining up our raft to go flying down the falls and into Tunnel Chute, a long, growling stretch of whitewater that paws us back and forth through its frothing channel and, as we emerge with laughter and cheers, down through the famous underground stretch of river. 100 yards later we float back into the sunlight, with our hearts still pounding like miners' tools breaking the rocks for gold. For the next mile and a half, we happily negotiate more adrenaline-pumping Class II-IV rapids with highlights like First Flip and Kanaka Falls.

After plummeting through Kanaka, the river changes considerably, meandering over several miles of calm water. This is a great chance for us to rest our arms momentarily and gaze up at the beautiful scenery around us. We are now in the heart of Auburn State Recreation Area in the American River Canyon, where steep walls covered in pine forests plunge down into the boulder-strewn river. Springtime rafting offers green hills blanketed with colorful wildflowers; later in the season, the hills turn a golden yellow that contrasts sharply wi th the green woods that cover them.

Lunchtime comes and we pull off the water for a delicious picnic. Knowing that a morning of hard paddling inspires a very hearty appetite, we make sure that our lunches are always abundant and satisfying. Lounge in the shade of an oak tree with a deli sandwich piled high with fresh cold cuts, cheese and veggies or perhaps tasty taco salad, plus icy lemonade, water, fresh fruit and cookies. After feasting and relaxing on the beach, we resume our journey.

Back in our boats, we'll finish paddling through the flat-water section, then prepare for another long stretch of continuous whitewater action. An intense Class IV drop, Chunder gets us back in the swing of things just before we make a hard right and pull off the river above the roaring Ruck-A-Chucky Falls. This 35-foot waterfall is classified an un-runnable VI, which means that we must get out of the boats and portage the rapid. We'll walk down the side of the pounding falls, then look back up to see our guides "ghost boating" the empty rafts - pushing them over the falls - for an idea of what happens to boats in Class VI whitewater! Back on the river, we finish our day with another mile and a half of great whitewater like Parallel Parking, Texas Chainsaw Mama and Final Exam.

As we reach flat water and our take-out, our river trip draws to a close. An O.A.R.S. shuttle willbe waiting at the take-out point to return us to our vehicles by approximately 5:00 PM.

About The Operator:

O.A.R.S

Headquarters:

Angels Camp, CA

O.A.R.S. was the first exclusively oar-powered rafting company permitted to operate trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Through our four decades in the adventure travel industry, we have become the largest and most diverse family of river-based adventure travel companies in North America, operating on over 1230 miles of rivers in the continental U.S. In addition to our signature Grand Canyon trips, we offer adventure vacations in Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, as well as in British Columbia, Chile, Galapagos, Fiji, Baja and Peru. The heart and soul of O.A.R.S.-from president and founder George Wente to the more than 300 dedicated guides and employees on our team-is that we are all genuinely invested in every passenger, every trip and every lifetime memory.

Our Staff

We consider our O.A.R.S. outdoor adventure guides to be among the best in the industry! Some began their river-guiding careers more than 30 years ago; others were born into it. They are entertainers, historians, geologists, botanists, chefs, medics, anthropologists, event planners, authors, photographers, wilderness pathfinders, and they are the single most complimented component of our organization. Our guides are also professional, playful and ever mindful of your wants and needs, and their enthusiasm for the natural world is contagious. Learn about our guides through reading their detailed biographies, experience and interests.

Our Adventure Consultants and our year-round office staff who provide you with all the trip-specific tips, trip planning assistance and adventure travel trip logistical support have more than 100 years of combined experience in the adventure travel industry, as well as close to 1000 river trips between them.

Your O.A.R.S. Adventure Vacation

You concentrate on fun. We brew the coffee, cook the meals, pump the boats, provide the gear, plan the day, find the best camp spot, and we strive to fill each day with excitement, discovery and the attention to detail you deserve. O.A.R.S. provides the best average guide-to-guest ratio in the adventure travel business (1:4).

You do only what you feel like doing. Want to paddle a ‘ducky' or admire the view from the bow of a boat; go on a day hike or stay in camp and read; save room for dessert or have two pieces of seared salmon? Every day is yours to do with as you please.

Camaraderie

Is there any other experience more conducive to creating new, lasting friendships and deepening family bonds than an O.A.R.S. adventure? Our outdoor trips are wonderful equalizers, bringing together like-minded people from diverse backgrounds. Time and again we hear from guests about their joy of having met kindred spirits and new traveling companions. Parents bask in their child's newly-gained confidence in the natural world. Gone are electronic distractions, commutes and deadlines, leaving guests with uninterrupted time to relax, snuggle under the stars, savor a sunset and swap tales around the campfire.

When you join an O.A.R.S. adventure travel trip, you're not just a customer-you are a friend, a member of the crew and an extension of our family-owned and operated company. We'll answer your questions, feed you well, show you a good time and share with you our passion for the world's waterways.

Our Pledge

Outdoor adventure vacations are our specialty, and we work hard to provide our guests with the best travel experience of their lives. If part of your trip under our control wasn't everything you expected, we will work with you to make it right.
Responsible Travel

Environmental stewardship is nothing new to O.A.R.S. We've been at it for four decades. In partnership with our guests, we have contributed more than $3 million in donations and fees toward the preservation of the environment and to environmental and wildlife conservation initiatives. For a detailed account of our environmentally responsible practices, check out our Responsible Travel page.

Don't Just Take Our Word for It

O.A.R.S. has been routinely recognized by adventure industry experts, media and our guests for our commitment to excellence and innovation in travel. In both 2008 and 2009, National Geographic Adventure magazine selected O.A.R.S. as "The Best River & Sea Outfitter on Earth" based on their criteria including education, sustainability, quality of service, spirit of adventure and references. Since 2007, Condé Nast Traveler's Wendy Perrin has recognized our Reservations Manager, Mindy Gleason, as the "Top Travel Specialist" in the River Rafting category for her unique ability to offer O.A.R.S. travelers "the best blend of expertise, access, and good value." Additionally, year after year magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Outside, Men's Journal and Sunset along with NBC, CNBC, Forbes Traveler and SmarterTravel.com have all recognized O.A.R.S. for serving up some of the "Best Trips on the Planet."