About Class III Rafting
Class III Whitewater Rafting
The South Fork of the American is divided into two sections. The Upper section includes famous rapids like Trouble Maker and Meatgrinder. The Lower or Gorge section includes rapids such as Satan's Cesspool and Hospital Bar. Both sections are Class III rated and typically we run them each on seperate days providing multi-day groups with two distinct rafting experiences. The Lower section departs from camp after lunch and finishes in Folsom lake. Groups return back to camp via Rock-N-Water bus. The upper section departs from camp via camp bus immediately after breakfast. Guests will have lunch on the river before completing the trip by landing at camp.
What is Included
Class II Whitewater rafting with a professional whitewater guide
Lunch
Professional Rafting Photos
What you need to bring
You and your Friends
Swimsuit / swim trunks / Athletic Shorts
Footwear that will stay on your feet (no flip-flops or Crocs!)
See our What to Bring List for full details
What we provide
Rafts
Paddles
Life Jackets
Helmets
Guides
Drinking Water
Food (varies by trip, but all include lunch)
Wetsuits (if needed)
Instruction & Training
Games, Fun, Leadership and Team Building – Time permitting
American River rafting trips include all transportation once you get to our camp.
Technical Whitewater Information
What is White Water Rafting?
River Classification System – Learn about the river class difficulty rating system, and how you can use it to get a general idea of how one rapid or river might compare to another one. Note: Water levels can vary Spring through Fall which will affect the intensity of rapids.
Water Flow Statement from El Dorado County
El Dorado County ask that all rafters on the South Fork of the American River be aware that "Water flows in the South Fork American River result from releases from facilities located upstream. Such water releases are not subject to the control of El Dorado county or commercial rafting companies operating under permits from El Dorado County."
Details & Possible Upgrades for River Rafting in California
By default, each of the above multi-day rafting trips have you arrive around 7 PM the night before (eating dinner before you arrive), and leaving around 6 PM (eating dinner on the road) at the end of your last adventure.
If you live more than 3 hours away, or you just want to finish your trip with even more awesomeness, we recommend you add dinner and another night of camping & campfire time to the end of your trip for just $35/person.
Looking for more whitewater? Try our Class IV California Rafting Trips. Again, please contact us if you have any questions, or are not finding exactly the rafting experience that you are looking for.
T-shirts can be ordered for the whole group at $20/person.
Deposits and Cancellations
All Inclusive Pricing
The prices listed on this site contain all relevant fees, rentals, and taxes. There are no hidden costs.
Minimum Numbers
We can often accommodate groups of less than 6 people, but on some dates we might need to require you bring a minimum of 6 people for multi-day Class III California whitewater rafting trips, and a minimum of 10 people for trips that include a day of IV rafting, or III kayaking. The minimum number of people that you sign up for is used to determine your non-refundable deposit amounts.
Deposits
For rafting trips booked at least a month in advance, you will have 2 weeks to pay a non-refundable deposit of just 25% (based on the minimum number of people you plan to bring) is all that is required to hold your whitewater reservation. If you are booking your river trip at least 3 months in advance, we’ll spread that payment out into two payments over two months to make things easier for you. For trips booked less than 30 days out, full payment will be due shortly after booking your whitewater trip.
If you signed up for a range of people, 3 Fridays before your trip you will tell us the final number of people that you plan to bring. Two Fridays before your trip is also the date at which you will be responsible for paying for the number of people you have reported to us even if someone cancels out last minute.
Cancellations
We are used to playing in the outdoors under a wide variety of weather conditions in California, so rafting trips typically happen rain or shine. We will contact you should we need to cancel your river trip in advance for any reason. In the infrequent event that Rock-N-Water cancels a trip, you will of course receive a full refund.
Unique circumstances are a part of the complexity of daily life. While we can not promise to give you grace on your deposit or final payment, we can promise you that should you need to cancel or bring less people, we will individually evaluate your unique circumstances to determine if exceptions can be made.