About Class IV Advanced Rafting
Has your group been whitewater rafting before and looking for the next level adventure? Do you Have teenagers who can’t get enough thrill no matter what they are doing? This river trip might be for you!
Whitewater Rafting in California – The Ruck-A-Chuck
Ultimately, we have a day long experience of Class IV rafting in California. This is on a 16 mile section of the Middle Fork of the American River. It’s a full day rafting trip that has some extreme whitewater throughout the day. There’s plenty of opportunity for group bonding and experiencing God on the class 2 and class 3 sections as well. This is an isolated, deep river canyon protected by the Wild and Scenic River Act. This trip is perfect for High School church youth groups, young adults and Adult Christian fellowships looking for an adventurous rafting experience. Additionally, this adventure is a great addition onto any Rock-N-Water Christian Camp experience.
The Class IV River Trip
This river offers some incredible rapids with intense river features. We start in the early morning at Oxbow powerhouse. Initially, after safety briefings we hit the water and navigate our first Class III rapid of the day “Good Morning Coffee.” There is a nice section of class II and III before we stop to take a look at our first Class IV of the day “Tunnel chute.” Tunnel chute is an impressive looking Class IV+ rapid and we will run it together after our stop. There’s another section of smaller rapids and some exploring. Shortly after we will get to experience Kanaka another class IV rapid. After Kanaka, we get to catch our breath. Our guides stop on the shores of the river to prepare lunch and fun before heading back to the river.
After a section of calm, water fighting, swimming, and quiet time we hit another section of serious rapids. Chunder is the first waterfall of the day. There a quick second to smile at the camera before we’re unloading the rafts to portage Ruck-A-Chuck Falls. Ruck-A-Chuck is an impressive Class VI waterfall that isn’t run commercially. Additionally, right after Ruck-A-Chuck is Cleavage another class 4 waterfall. Immediately after that, follows parallel parking another class IV. There’s a few more Class 3 and 4 rapids in the next 30 minutes or so before takeout at Greenwood Bridge.
What is Included
Class III Whitewater rafting with a professional whitewater guide
Professional Rafting Photos from Hotshot Images
Lunch
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.
Want a Northern California rafting trip that’s a little more adventurous? Try our Middle Fork American River 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.
There is an extra $15 per person fee for doing adventures on a Saturday or Sunday.
For river rafting trips that take place October through June there is an extra $15 per person fee in these months.
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.