We have our pass to come here whenever we want. We got a pass a few years ago as well, back when…read morethey still gave a disabled discount with my disabled card. Now they don't. But it was $30+ and worth it this time. We took our dog and let her frolic around with other people's doggies. The water feels so good when it's hot weather. Getting in the water was a breeze! I don't have to go lower and lower walking in slowly because it was too cold. No, the water was perfectly cool. But not icy. I also like to enjoy the big field of grass with my little girl doggy. But only thing is you should arrive early for a good table.

I love the quote "time is like a river, you never touch the same water twice"…read more This is yet another spot on the American river I visited for the first time on land. We were in the area and wanted to picnic on the water. The parking lot is large and there are baseball fields and other park stuff but if you venture down the rocky somewhat steep hill there are little areas on the shoreline. We spent the entire day listening to the water and swimming and stacking rocks. We watched all the rafters go by but they couldn't see us. I saw 3 people go down the rapids on paddle boards standing!! That was impressive! I was absolutely content watching them from the shore in the shade eating my lunch with my legs in the water.. great day!

We enjoyed exploring the powerful waterfalls and roaring rivers of Coloma, CA!…read more We did the Dutch Falls Hike Length: 2.5 miles Type: Out and back Level: Moderate Elevation gain: 272 ft Be sure to bring hiking poles, hiking shoes and get ready to get a little muddy (worth it, I promise!)

This trail is pretty well reviewed on Alltrails and Google but I could not find it on Yelp. As is…read moretypical, reviews on other sites can be short and quite limited so from what I read I was excited to try this trail. It is lovely right now, but you can tell it is on the precipice of drying up for the year and turning brown and dusty. Speaking of precipices, there were many areas where the path was unstable of the cliff face had collapsed. The trail was just not well maintained and there were tons of bugs, especially mosquitos due to the sitting pools of water and long grass. Even being coated in bug spray, I found dead bugs in my shirt when I came home and my hiking partner had bugs go in his mouth and eye. We saw poison oak and although I checked my dog thoroughly for ticks after the hike and found none, she is good at staying on the trail so I would be cautious with wandering pups. Overall, the trail is moderate and if maintained would be spectacular. However, the blatant disregard for the trail is a solid reason to take away a star. The other reason is that there is no parking in the area, with the exception of the museum parking lot and we paid $10 to park over a half mile away from the trailhead on a hike that will take you an hour max. Still, while this trail was disenchating, we did drive past a few other parks and trailheads in the area with free parking that we were previously unaware of and will most likely be back another day to try those.

1/5/2019: I wrote several reviews for James Marshall Monument and Coloma State Park; however, all…read moremy reviews mysteriously disappeared! Yah~YELP! Where ARE my reviews, eh? THEREFORE, I searched ALL the YELP! photos I posted: I found a few photos dated 1/5/2019 as PROOF I did write my reviews for both locations. Disappointingly, ALL my photos AND reviews for James Marshall's Monument and Coloma State Park event MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED AFTER 2019! UNHAPPY! Anyway, in June 2022, I attended a Military Funeral I personally arranged at James Marshall's Monument for my deceased Army friend who passed away plus, instrumentally preventing his family from spending an egregious, heinous sum for funeral expenses, i.e., I contacted the Coloma State Park's Head Supervisor Ranger on my friend's family's behalf. Blessed, the Head Park Ranger Supervisor contacted my friend's family a couple days later who only had to pay $75.00 for reserving James Marshall's Monument location for my friend's Military funeral! The location presided a PRIVATE, dignified, Military funeral which involved the US Army Color Guards who fired off a 21-Gun Salute for my deceased Army friend, ample parking provided for all attending the Military Funeral, conveniently located picnic tables for food/libations setup, and more importantly, an easy, short stroll to James Marshall's Monument where the 21-Gun Salute was presided. My friend's family were so grateful to Coloma State Park's Head Park Ranger Supervisor for allowing presiding a Military funeral which was quite a distance from the Coloma State Park's American River parking lot. Reiterating, reserving the James Marshall's Monument location for my friend's family and all who attended my friend's Military Funeral, it was so PRIVATE, awesome, easy, uncomplicated set up due to the picnic tables for the food and libations were conveniently adjacent to the clean restrooms, and overall, a gorgeous, tranquil, serene, appropriate location presiding a somber, dignified, Military funeral. Finally, presiding a Military Funeral at James Marshall's Monument for my friend's family will always be remembered and revered. Best of all, all who attended my friend's Military funeral have ALL returned exploring James Marshall's Monument--again, James Marshall's log cabin, checking the construction updates for both St. John's Catholic Church and Emmanuel Church, Sutter's Mill, gold panning the American River, sent snail mail from the Coloma Post Office, ate at my friend, Noah's Argonaut Cafe, and hiked all the trails, too! BTW: Since I'm 100% Service-Connected Vietnam Veteran possessing a Veteran's Distinguished Park Pass, reserving James Marshall's Monument would be NO FEE for me! FYI: Resource Building For PHYSICALLY Applying For A Veteran's Distinguished Park Pass Resource Building 1416 9th Street Sacramento CA 95814 (916) 657-4380 https://www.mapquest.com/us/california/resources-building-375367030 www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30958​ Contact CA Park Pass Sales Office: (800) 777-0369 ext. 2 Send email: parkpassinfo@parks.ca.gov

Awesome historical stop. This cute 1800s old town brings the California Gold Rush era to life with…read moreover 20 historic mining buildings. You can still see a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a cafe, event venue (Gold Trail Grange), museum and a charming little post office that is actually still functional. It's a great spot for all, kids enjoy the fun gold-panning activities, adults interest to learn the Gold Rush history, walking trail, picnic and hanging out by the river. We also walked around the Mt. Murphy Road Bridge, this bridge offers great views of the South Fork American River and the white-water rafting, please watch out for cars, the bridge is narrow! Highly recommend stopping by this place.

What a fun family adventure! Sam (our guide), was very dynamic in interactions during the trip. She…read morewas great at breaking the ice- fun facts! We appreciated the enthusiasm! So much fun going down the American River.

We had a fantastic experience on a 1 day trip on the South Fork American River. We had three 11…read moreyear old kids in our boat and the guide (Parker) was so patient and friendly to them! The trip was just the right balance of excitement and feeling safe. Our guide was awesome and clearly an expert at navigating the river. Also highly recommend the campsite - nice flat sites and clean showers/bathrooms.

We had our wedding at EarthTrek this past weekend and I couldn't wait to write a glowing review. We…read morefeel so fortunate to have been able to host our wedding here - it was everything we'd dreamed of and more. From the moment we stepped onsite for our initial tour, EarthTrek was the immediate and obvious top choice for us. The grounds and facilities are very well kept and it's obvious that the family takes a lot of pride in the way they care for the site. There are so many areas for guests to explore and enjoy - many of our guests raved to us about the beautiful, serene venue. The river provides such a soothing backdrop and the whole site feels very private and secluded. We really loved that our guests could book overnight camping, and we also opted for the breakfast burrito option on Sunday morning, which was a big hit and a really delicious, bountiful spread. Laura, who was our primary point of contact, is a dream to work with - just genuinely one of the nicest people I've ever come across, and so accommodating and responsive (which is exactly what you hope for when you're planning a wedding). Our wedding was very DIY and decor-forward, and Laura was so great about scheduling site visits with us so we could plan and take measurements. I could go on and on, but basically: EarthTrek is incredible and I highly recommend working with them at their beautiful venue.

I go on an annual rafting trip with friends and ALWAYS go to Earthtrek. The campgrounds are more…read more"glamping" than "camping", but you are still outdoors, by the water enjoying an opportunity to bond with nature. Jerry and his family run this operation with love and kindness. His meals are always amazing, including vegetarian stuff! I miss that he doesn't schedule rafting directly but he has a great agreement with Oars and always steps in the ensure our trip is dreamy. So grateful for this little part of paradise that he allows us to visit and enjoy.

Took my son rafting for his 14th birthday and what a great choice it was! All the guides were great…read morebut we got River! She was phenomenal and funny, fit right in with my family lol. She guided the boat amazing and handled all the sibling banter with one command to row lol. He knowledgeable of the river and all the trees and wildlife was pretty awesome too, we definitely felt safe but she allowed us to be fun-scared too. A huge thing I am thankful for is River also requested that we leave the phones behind and I am so grateful for that! I know some of the other guides allowed it but getting away from their phones and just enjoying the outside was exactly what I had hoped for. Thank you River and all the guides. We will be back!

I decided I wanted to take the kids I nanny (11 & 13) to do something fun and unique and thought…read morewhy not finally cross off whitewater rafting from my bucket list?! We were gifted a beautiful day on the river with multiple sightings of wildlife including fish jumping, ducklings, geese, and even a bald eagle! The best part was getting to see the kids do something, get scared, have a blast doing it, and then ask to come back for more intensity next time. I really appreciated the guides for their hospitality, humor, and kindness. However my main piece of feedback would be a friendly reminder that nature and outdoor recreational activities are a form of escape and respite from our every day life, so being more mindful of the topics of conversation brought up during the ride is very important to the atmosphere.

This review is long overdue, but it was my brother and I second time going with this company and…read morethe first time was amazing we went on the South Fork River for our first time white water rafting and it was great first time Carly our guide was amazing. The South Fork River was the perfect start to rafting especially if you haven't been. It's class 3 rapids. We went on a Friday we did a full day and lunch is provided. You meet at the location and at the end they do take you back. For our second time we wanted some more rapids, steep drops etc we enjoy rafting and being outdoors. The person I spoke to on the phone mentioned the Middle Fork River and I was like perfect. This route was awesome it definitely had the drops the currents and everything else in between. I recommend it. Our guide Myra was amazing I will definitely go with her again. The other guides who were there as well were awesome too. The meet up spot is in Forrest Hill it is a full day bring plenty of water and sunscreen make sure to eat something before you go rafting. They also have water on the boat and lunch is provided. I personally like going on a weekday prices are cheaper than a weekend and the river isn't crowded and we went on Wednesday. It's worth the price. I have talked to a few people on the phone and they have all been amazing answering all my questions etc. I will be going with this company for as long as they stay open. I'm ready for the next trip!

Just went for the full day rafting yesterday July 5. Did the Middle fork with some Class 4 and -…read moreClass 5 down the chute into a killer tunnel! Best family day! We had a knowledgeable, personable and very competent guide - Devin - who made the day excellent for us. Only upside needed is the lunch stop - would be nice to have some paper plates and places to sit to eat lunch - but it was enough food of make your own sandwiches/wraps chips and fruit for all. No pics as it was a totally electronic free day. Family time 100%. Looking at doing another multiple day trip next time.

We had a group of 11 folks ages 11- 65, some with no rafting experience and others with a lot of…read moreexperience. Our two guides, Walter and Issac were amazing. They were incredibly professional but also engaging and so much fun making out experience thrilling and a blast. They put the nervous folks at ease with their competence, calm and patience and made sure everyone had a great trip. This is a anual family trip for us and the first time we went through WET, we'll be booking them again next year.

Wish we booked the whole day! MJ was great at showing us the ropes and guiding us down even though…read morewe had no experience prior. Rapids, swimming, gold rush history mixed in. Had something for everyone. Made us feel safe while letting the kids get a little adventurous on ride down. Treasured memories for sure.

I was afraid to go Whitewater rafting because I get seasick very easily. But I tried it anyway, and…read morethere was absolutely no problem. No seasickness at all. Not to mention how wonderful our guide Gretchen was, and how beautiful the river was. I'm 66 years old and this was my first white water raft. I wouldn't call it scary but it was very thrilling and exciting.

I've rafted on the South Fork and Middle Fork several times times with various companies- I have…read morealways had a great experience- but the companies change names or stop doing middle fork- which is what led me to Whitewater Excitement this year- Everyone who works there from admin to guides to drivers etc are super helpful and nice!! My sister, nephew and I wanted to do Middle Fork this year and I remember it being an adrenaline rush and challenging but so fun- We picked a Tuesday so it was not crowded, but when it ended up being just the three of us in the raft with Juli, I was a little nervous, remembering how intimidating tunnel chute was- and I didn't have the security of a full raft of people to weigh down the raft and help paddle to build up speed. This just goes to show you how important a seasoned veteran rafting guide is Juli was amazing. He gave clear instructions, he was very calm, and he managed the raft like a pro. No no flipping over and no one fell out. So exciting! Now I want to go to Costa Rica and look up Whitewater excitement there and request Juli. Hope to do this at least one more time this year. If I lived closer, I would go more often. Ps- I read some people complaining that you have to pitch in to carry the raft from the water up to the trucks and from the trucks down to the water, I've only been with one company that did not ask you to do that. All the rest have always had the rafters help out in pitch-in.