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!

The main park sits along the South Fork of the American River in Lotus, CA (FYI - The Gold Rush…read morestarted a few miles down the road). On the main park side, there are two parking lots. Between the lots are natural grass soccer fields. There are several mobile soccer goals free to use. Around the lawn and park perimeters is a paved walking trail, the full loop is .4 miles. Easy, flat ADA path. I enjoy walking it. Near the boat launch are public toilets. The boat launch area is for rafts and kayaks. Don't expect to launch anything bigger than that. Right now, in December, the river is swift and fast with rapids. The current conditions are only for highly skilled pro kayakers. In the summer, the water's edge is calm enough for folks to dip their toes in but it's wall to wall folks here especially on the weekends. There are more park facilities across the street. There are lighted baseball fields (Field A for little league and kiddo play and Field B for adults), children's playground, parking lot ($10 parking fee), and trail access to the Gam Saan (Chinese translation Gold Mountain) trail that connects to the Monroe Ridge Trail in Marshall Gold Discovery State Park. The trail just opened last February. If you paid for parking across the street, you don't need to pay again. There is a pedestrian crosswalk. But please do be careful, majority of cars don't stop and rumble on through regardless if folks are in the crosswalk. The speed limit is 25 mph in front of the park but not a lot of drivers adhere to that. The parking fee increased to $10 from $5 since this past summer. 100% increase... ouch. Parking is self pay and cash only. You have to take an envelope from the pay station box and fill it out with your vehicle info. (I know... I can hear ya' all saying who carries exact cash or even a pen... where the app). Anyhoo, the slip goes on your car dashboard and the envelop with the $10 into the locked bin. The penalty for non payment is a $25 fine. Also the light for the ball fields are not free and only takes tokens. Tokens are sold from the El Dorado County Parks & Rec Department. You have to call the Department to set up an appointment at the offices to purchase the tokens. The times I've been here, I notice a lot of folks aren't paying the parking fee and I don't see enforcement of it. Hmm so does increasing the parking fee increase compliance?

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.

This is a great little state park with lots of things to explore. It's the home of Sutter's Mill…read morewhere gold was first discovered, and it's really close to the American River. There are lots of little trails and structures to explore. We hiked up to the John Marshall monument, not too far from the base. We didn't get a chance to see the museum but I'd love to come back again sometime. Definitely worth the $10 state park parking fee.

Great stop! You could spend between 1 hr to days here! A cute museum, across the street is sutters…read moremill, many things to see within 1 mile! Great!!

We had an amazing experience on the south fork of the American river. Our guide was knowledgeable…read moreand friendly, the weather was beautiful, and the river itself is gorgeous. They do a very good job of organizing the day, with a lunch spread that is surprisingly edible. I loved being able to swim a bit in the river, and wish there was more time to do that. The rafting itself was fun, the class 3 rapids were exciting and our group managed to not fall out of the raft due to the expert navigation of our guide. I am looking forward to going back and experiencing some class 4 rapids.

My family of 3 booked a 2-day South Fork trip and it was absolutely fantastic. Alec, our guide, was…read moreinformative, professional, personable, friendly, and lots of fun. He had lots of knowledge about the California gold rush and it was nice to learn about it as an adult who didn't grow up in CA (I'm sure my 12yo loved learning about it too). While we camped at Earthtrek, it was super helpful that our trip included breakfast, 2 lunches (one lunch mid-rafting trip), and dinner. All meals were delicious and it was nice that there were gluten free options. The OARS site is spacious, with clean facilities, and a small shop for items. Now on to the rafting experience! For some background, my husband was the only one who had ever done it so my kiddo and I were newbies. Along with another kiddo and adult, we rafted through class 1-3 rapids and I never felt that we were not safe (despite me being the weakest swimmer in the family). Alec was truly a guide in every sense of the word. He prepped us before taking on the rapids - gave us the route we would take, what to expect in terms of how we were to paddle and what we had to do. We played some fun boat games and spent some time floating in the river which my husband and son loved. Also included were the always fun brain teaser riddles that had all of us entertained during the floating portions of our trip. After completing the class 3 rapids and all staying in the raft, we felt on top of the world and wanted to do more! If you have ever thought about trying white water rafting, do it - you won't regret it! It's truly an experience and a great time in nature with the family. OARS is a professional and inclusive company, with great guides!

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.

A great place for everything from rafting to interactive experiences with gold searching and bead…read morenecklace making with people who know the history! A great place for sure! :)

It was amazing, thrilling, safe, and never a dull moment!! Best experience ever! Micheal was a…read moregreat tour guide and kept us safe the entire time.

Everything went very well and exceeded our expectations!!…read more Early on and well in advance obtaining pertinent information for planning by phone and email, Greg was so detailed and patient answering all the questions. Finalizing our plans we worked with Rebekah and she was very kind and diligent and reassuring. The tent cabin by the river was a beautiful spot and loved waking up hearing the river. It was a very hot day and the it cooled off which was great. Clean bathroom and showers, running hot water a plus. They have volley ball, corn hole, zip line and rock climbing wall. Overall, beautiful campsite and we can't wait to return. Rafting was amazing, Aubrey and Maggie were the guides for our group and they made our experience so fun! We always felt safe and well informed. We all were first time rafters, great experience and soooooo much fun!!! I highly recommend Mother Lode for your one stop shop!!

We did a one day level 2-3 rafting trip with Devin and Shannon who were absolutely fanatic guides!…read more Knowledgeable, skilled and excellent communicators. We felt prepared and safe with timely and precise instructions especially as we neared the rapids. Highly recommend and will definitely be return customers!!! Thank you Devin and Shannon for making this experience so fun and enjoyable!!!

This was an amazing experience! We did the half day south fork part of the river with "meat…read moregrinder" and "trouble maker". My two teenagers and my 8 year old nephew had a wonderful time, and Joey M. was an outstanding guide. This exceeded all our expectations and we will definitely book All Outdoors Whitewater Rafting again. Thanks for making the day one we will forever remember. Chris W.

I recently went white water rafting, and it was honestly one of the most exciting and refreshing…read moreexperiences I've ever had. From the moment we arrived, the staff made us feel welcome and safe, giving clear instructions and making sure everyone was comfortable before heading out. Once we hit the water, the adventure really began. The rapids were the perfect mix of thrilling and fun--enough to get your adrenaline pumping without feeling overwhelming. Our guide was fantastic, keeping the energy high with jokes and encouragement while also navigating us smoothly through every twist and turn. What made the experience even better was the scenery. Being surrounded by nature, with beautiful views of the river and lush landscape, added a peaceful balance to the excitement of the rapids. There were even a few calmer stretches where we could relax, take in the views, and enjoy the moment. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a mix of adventure, teamwork, and natural beauty. I can't wait to go again!

It was a amazing trip. Noelle did an amazing job, keeping everyone organizing and safe. She is an…read moreexcellent guide, knew the Waters really well.

Had so much fun! Our guide Matt was an expert and ensured we were safe and had a blast. It was a…read moreperfect time to go if you want to avoid crowds as there was just one other group and weather was perfect. The bathrooms and changing rooms at the base were very clean. It was very easy to get our pictures from the third party company afterwards! 10/10!!

We had an 18 person group that did a Riverraft trip with Whitewater excitement. We had a fantastic…read moretime. It was by the book, safe, great fun and well organized. We will do this again. Norm, what a fantastic time. You guys are tops!