This entire experience was terrible. I bought a groupon (who actually has great customer service btw) for class 3 and 4 white water rafting. We booked the rafting trip one month in advance through email communication with Captain Dave. The day before our rafting trip, I emailed him to confirm the meeting location. He emailed back saying the trip was cancelled. Well, gee, thanks for telling us before we drove an hour to Index, WA. That should have been a red flag right there that this was not a reliable company. But I really wanted to go white water rafting as I have never been before. So I scheduled out another trip for a date a month in the future. I again emailed the day before to confirm the meeting location. I received an email back saying the meeting location had changed, to a location that was two and a half hours from where I lived. Well, once again, thanks for letting me know in advance! I'm just glad I had the common sense to email and check both times. I should have taken that as the second red flag. But again, I really wanted to go white water rafting. So we get to the meeting site today, and are told that there is no white water left anywhere in the state of Washington. Well, okay. But then five minutes later, another tour guide told us it's because they don't have the permits to go up the river where there might be white water. Why are you running a company for white water rafting if you don't have the right permits?? I was told through email that the trip would be 3-4 hours long, which is good because I had a meeting I had to get back to in Seattle at 3:30pm and the trip should end at 1:30pm at the latest. We ended up floating on a river for 6 hours in the hot sun. I missed my meeting, was starving since no warning was given it would be 6 hours and no food or water was provided, and my boyfriend was very sunburnt since, once again, didn't expect to be floating on a river for 6 hours in direct sunlight. tldr; stay away from this company because they will cancel trips the day before, lie to you because they don't actually have white water rafting when they say they do, and float you an extended amount of time without warning or food or water. The tour guides are really great though and I'm sorry they have to work for this kind of company read more

Peaceful floating down the river. Weather was fine. Little windy on the river. Nice views, saw so.e birds. read more

Had an awful experience "whitewater rafting" while visiting my sister in Washington this past weekend. Here are just a few of the reasons we had a less than ideal time: 1. They called us at 8:30pm the night before to push our time back (by over an hour) and give us a new location. 2. We started an hour later than that. 3. There was zero coordination. There were not enough guides as there were boats (one went completely without a guide) and the ones we had were not experienced! They didn't know answers to simple questions about our itinerary and some did not know how to steer the boats. 4. The captain was verbally aggressive with his employees and short when patrons had questions about the ETA, etc. 5. There was no whitewater. We were literally floating down a lazy river. It was supposed to be a class II or III trip and it was certainly not even a I. 6. Our boat was defective. At the last minute the captain threw a pump in the boat which was a good move-- by the time we hit the first stop our boat had deflated a noticeable amount. My sister and I ended up leaving at the first stop (a winery...? that no one told us were stopping at?) because our guides had disappeared and all of the guests were awkwardly milling about waiting for them to return. We had no idea when we were getting back in the boat. It was a mess. As one of the employees drove me, my sister, our friend, and two other people that thought the experience was bogus back to our cars-- he pointed at the Concrete Swap Meet and said "that would probably be a whole lot more fun than being out on that water today". And he couldn't have been more right. All in all a very bizarre experience. If you're interested in whitewater rafting I would go with another company. read more

Posting here, and on the other Yelp page for this business: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pacific-northwest-float-trips-rockport?sort_by=date_desc We purchased a gift certificate through a charity auction for a Skagit rafting trip for five. My dad tried to contact this business by phone and email to schedule our trip. No response to either. I looked at the business website - which has no information about schedule availability and conflicting information about where to meet for some tours - and tried the Online Booking link. No online booking, just a link to Yelp reviews - most of which are awful. I wish we had looked at Yelp before bidding on the gift certificate. Of the Skagit trips that looked interesting, I could clearly anticipate problems with each one - from lack of safety to a winery posting that it wants nothing to do with this business. Not to mention the repeated stories highlighting what a hassle it was to deal with changes in schedule, being stood up at pick-up locations, or no communication in the first place - which has been our experience. Just for laughs, I tried one more time to email the business for scheduling information. No answer. Not even an "out of office" auto-reply. While it's disappointing not to get a fun rafting trip, I feel as if we dodged a major bullet in not having to deal further with this company. Clearly, they are not worth anyone's time. And I am very glad that our money went to support a good cause, and not to these people. (I will also be writing to the charity organizers to cross this business off their list for their next fundraiser.) On a side note: I'm guessing that the user who posted on 12/7/14 that "Captain Dave was AWESOME!" is either A) a personal friend of the captain, B) paid to write a good review, or C) commenting about a month after their trip - because according to WA Dept of Revenue, UBI 601094312 for Pacific NW Float Trips was closed 11/4/2014, and UBI 603504741 for Pacific NW Float Trips LLC wasn't open until 5/8/2015 (therefore any trip made between 11/4/14 and 5/8/15 would've been done without an active business license). read more

Went yesterday on the Introductory white water rafting trip with my spouse and 2 grown grandchildren, I purchased the tickets from groupon, the trip was advertised with lunch, that was a joke, crackers, cheese, candy, water. When I had called 2 months ago to question the lunch I was assured it offered, fresh fruit, veggies, sandwiches etc.I also fell off the rickety table that had chairs attached to it. the whole table fell with contents on it. I am not overweight so??? the trip itself was lots of fun and the tour guide Donovan was very knowledgeable and pleasant. Malka, Anacortes WA read more

Went on the Fall Colors float trip. Started out with a bus ride from the parking lot at Steelhead park to our launch site 8-10 miles away. Captain Dave was our driver, and is a very nice man but certainly not politically correct in any sense of the word. While he did not appear to offend others in my group or me, he may do so accidentally in the future even though I do not believe that is his intent. There were some comments about women, politics, etc that maybe should have been left unsaid. We arrived at the launch site and split into 4 groups. There were 8 people in my raft with me. For this particular trip, we did not paddle and there were no rapids to speak of. We got EXTREMELY lucky with the weather, partly cloudy and no rain. The trip was beautiful especially since snow had fallen in the mountains the previous night. We saw: bald eagles, american dippers, mergansers, gulls, salmon, ravens, crows, and more. Our guide was knowledgeable about the river, but could be more abreast of wildlife knowledge or at least bow out when he doesn't know the answers. All in all he was kind and a good host for our trip. Trip was slow, not rushed in anyway. We stopped twice to walk around, the first stop they built a little fire for people to warm up in front of and gave some snacks which was nice. The second stop was impromptu since we were so far ahead of other boats, and we saw some eagles close up and giant salmon carcasses as well. Beautiful place, great company. Certainly an experience I will never forget. read more

My mom and I signed up for the Zodiac Adventure. I'm not sure that's what we actually went on, as there were Class II & III rapids and there is no mention of that on the Zodiac Adventure page. There were also no "light snacks" but we had brought some Clif bars, so that was fine. The actual rafting part of this experience was wonderful, as was our guide, Joe. On land, it felt like a fly-by-night operation and I would gladly have passed on the motivational talk/forced introductions with Captain Dave. Despite that, I gave it 4 stars because it was probably the most enjoyable and memorable part of my mom's visit and I'm very glad that we tried it. read more

We used a Groupon to take an eagle viewing float trip. We had a good enough time, though, as Washington hikers and climbers, we really weren't the typical tourists that would normally book this kind of a day. Floating a river is kind of an inert "activity." Our guide was enjoyable enough. I can't give the tour a lot of stars because we saw and heard nothing of the"hot lunch" we were promised. Reading other reviews, I'm not really surprised by that. I wouldn't find this very enjoyable on a rainy day. Fortunately, ours was sunny. read more

Reading the negative reviews made me really anxious before my float trip, especially since my phone call with the owner to schedule my trip was really awkward, and I thought he was a little rude. Let me say that i was more than pleasantly surprised. I'm guessing that the owner has taken the feedback to heart and made great improvements. Well, yes, the truck did smell funny, but considering the type of activity this is, I wouldn't want to roll in a fancy Hummer with leather seats because I would just get the car dirty after the float trip anyway. YOU DON'T GO ON A FLOAT TRIP AND EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE CLEAN PEOPLE! it's like being surprised there are bugs outside when you go camping. Come on - be realistic. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable about the area, which I appreciated. Lunch was homemade, but decent. The winery we went to was small, but the people were friendly, and they did expect us (unlike what one of the other reviews said). In the end, I would definitely go back, but I might try white water rafting next time. read more

Captain Dave was AWESOME! Even though this "company" appears a little rough on the edges, Dave is extremely knowledgeable and personable. We went on a bald eagle rafting trip. Clear, cold day - was so thankful it wasn't raining. DEFINITELY could have used thicker socks and waterproof boots are a must. As are a very warm coat, gloves and hat. Did not end up getting lunch at the end of the trip, but that was fine with us. We probably got to see 75+ eagles. read more

We used a Deal Saver coupon for a Deception Pass Zodiac tour last week when my in-laws were in town. Captain Dave was knowledgeable and fun to talk with, and he was happy to let us linger wherever we wanted, no pressure to stick to a timetable. We saw seals and bald eagles, hiked a small island, stopped at Deception Pass marina for a snack, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and had a great adventure. I'm looking forward to a bald eagle trip this winter! If you are looking for a cushy, cocooned boat trip, then maybe this isn't your thing. Everyone in our group agreed, however, that we loved being so close to everything, and my nephew especially loved the crazy currents at Deception Pass. I'm answering "not sure" to the question whether it's good for kids, simply because it depends on their ages and interests. We had a 10-yr-old and a 14-yr-old and they had fun, but we left my 3-yr-old at home because he doesn't have the attention span to sit still for that long ;) I'm looking forward to a bald eagle float trip this winter, and will definitely try to arrange tours for any future visiting family members! read more

Captain Dave promised us a rafting trip but instead took our money and stood us up. No one in the small town of Marble Mount trusts him and neither should you! read more

We had a great time on the float trip. We saw lots of eagles.

Oh God! Why did I accept my friend's invitation and decided to drive all the way up to Skagit county for this???? I have no clue. My friend got a deal on Groupon for white water rafting level 2 for 4 for a total of 260 ( which is $65 per person). I had no idea what the price range is supposed to be, but let's just say everybody told me I should not have paid more than $30 for this. They don't have any appropriate website where you can check the schedule. We got there and we did not know what we should look for. I wish there was at least one handwritten sign by the side of the road saying "rafting this way"...... There was nothing Anyhow, we managed to find the place, but we were told there is no white water rafting available on this river and there is only normal rafting. The lady who was supposed to take us on the water got even a little bit mad at us and said we were about to see something so beautiful and that this was way better that white water rafting. Well, guess what.... We bought a deal for white water rafting and that was what we wanted!!!!! We even emailed Dave asking about the days we could go on white water rafting and he never mentioned there is NO white water rafting! That is what a conman would do! What were we supposed to do after getting up at 7 AM on a Saturday morning and driving for 1 hour and 40 minutes? Go back????? There was basically no choice! We had to go! Imagine our surprise when we realized everybody else had paid $35 per person for this rafting, not $65!!! That is what it was..... 4 hours of rafting on a calm, unperturbed river.... We asked them we wanted to get out early, so they let us leave earlier that the scheduled time and we headed back home..... Disappointed and sad The group of people who took us on their rafts were a bunch of decent people.... The actual person in charge of this scam is Dave..... Be ware and stay away!!!! read more

I really don't know where to begin. My experience with this company was utter chaos...disorganized owner, rude and unsafe conditions on the rafts. The guides carried no ropes, first aid kits or any method of calling out for help if needed. No radios and there was no cell phone service on the river. I truly do not believe this company could have a license. One of the people in our raft nearly fell overboard, that is how the topic of rescue came up. There was no plan at all in place. The van we drove to the put in site had a door that would not close. The whole experience was just bad. I have floated with a few other Washington companies so I think I know what the "norm" is. This is not it. Avoid this company. read more

Brandon and his team are the best around when it comes to maintenance and repairs of lake boats. He also does storage! If your looking for a one stop shop to keep your boat maintained and working when you need it, this is your guy! read more

Nice knowledgable guy, but his equipment is in sore need of updating. Exhaust smells on the bus and rafts were overwhelming and the resin lawn chair that was seating on the raft should have gone to the landfill years ago Be careful where you sit on the bus. Mine was soaking wet, which then made the raft trip pretty uncomfortable read more

i went on a trip with Pacific NW Float Trips. The trip was nice and our guide was wonderful. but there is only one reason why i would NEVER NEVER go back. Our tour guide was in training and Dave had told him to be the last rafting group. The boat I was on had 7 people in our boat and we had the biggest boat which made ours the heaviest. When you have a heavier and bigger boat and the current takes you down the river quicker then the rest of the boats then you tend to get the landing sooner then others. Our guide was told incorrectly where the landing was. The guide found a landing which was a little ways from where the others landed. Dave then yelled and screamed at our guide in front of all of us who were on the trip. I think that this was inappropriate behavior and i didn't like the way he treated others. i am not going back because i don't want to be treated that way. Also his equipment was in major need of replacement. The raft was filled with duct tape, the handles that you are to use to pick up the raft they were all broke and we had to pick it up by the ropes, the bus was very disgusting and dirty, smelled horrible, and was in major need of repair. The bus is made to look like an Orca Whale and even the fin fell off today. If there was a way to give NO stars, then that is what I would have selected for my review, not because of our Guide though, but for the owner DAVE BUTTON. Definitely I suggest to everyone to use another rafting service in the area. read more

I can see why this place received some low rating, the place is a little disorganized, the bus smells and launch site seems like a random spot they found. Pretty much, this place is a company with no front office. But who cares, once on the water, these guys are pros and we had a blast! Did the class 2-3 Sauk river raft trip with 8 of my friends and it was 3 hours of pure fun filled with a lot of laughter and cold water! The water was definitely cold as it's flowing from the glacier but the hot, blazing sun definitely balanced it out. Lots of rapids which created enormous excitement on our raft and as we weren't the only raft, we somehow also managed to start a water fight war. IMO, we definitely came it the victor. :) We had our own raft and a personal guide named Joe who was very friendly, personable and knowledgeable, guiding us through the rapids of Sauk river. He pointed out plants and wildfire and shared with us any of his adventures which my boyfriend he really enjoyed. And it made me happy that he was having a great time. It was very nice to see a guide who had so much passion and enjoyment from his job and made our trip a lot of fun. This intro class requires no experience at all, just don't freak out when you fall in. We definitely will be back to try another class with Joe at the helm. Ps. Jump into the river during the calm part. Suck it up, yea, it will be cold, but it will be so worth it. read more

Had a great day with a boatload of friends!! The weather was awesome for a simple relaxing float trip down the skagit river. Makes me itchy for whitewater instead, but I was with virgin rafters. Just enjoying he sun, watching eagles and hawks, enjoying the beautiful scenery, listening to Leo explain a few things to those that didn't know that we were amongst the Cascades, pointing out the skagit alligators and the skagit walrus and the participation of all involved - polite and knowledgable. Got some sun, enjoyed the cool water and snack and had a good time. Life is grand!!! read more

Recently took time to go eagle watching on the Skagit River near Rockport, WA. Had a bonus tour with Dave Button of Pacific NW Float Trips on the River for two hours. Dave is a professional with great knowledge and customer service to provide a comprehensive tour and ride for all who attended. It was a memorable experience for us. Definitely a company that separates itself from the others headed up by a life long resident of the area. read more

signed up for two survival courses. I made reservation for 2:00PM at 7:00PM the night before ole Capn Dave left a voice mail after 7:00Pm saying to meet at 10AM at a differrent location. I was working that morning and cant just drop everything and drive from Wenatchee to Darrington at the drop of a hat. A coupel of days later I was emailed from them asking how the trip was. They are not the type of company that I would reccomend to anyone. I then emailed them to ask for a refund and they havnt even replied. Luckly I purchased through Amazon local so they took care of it. Had I read YELP reviews before booking I would not have wasted my time. My reccomendation would be to look elsewhere! I gave one star because there wasnt a negative star value! read more

We used a Groupon for this trip. Signage for parking and where to meet we're non existent. We went on the birding/lunch trip. The "lunch" consisted of 1 chicken leg or thigh...so eat before you go or bring something along! Overall, I enjoyed the birds and relaxation but would not use this company again. read more

We LOVED our float trip! Our guide Donovan was knowledgable, friendly and a great guide. We loved spending our time with him on the water. We were lucky to see otters, 21 Eagles, and many other birds. My daughters 11 and 9 loved it, super mellow and enjoyable. I would go again! read more

This was the most disorganized trip I have ever been on. Were told the bus would leave at 10:00. We were in line (a long line) for the restroom, when we came out, the bus had left us! It was 9:58. There was no last call or warning the bus would be leaving. We caught a ride to where the rafts were staged and the owner was yelling at everyone, it was a disaster. We were bumped from our white water because it was oversold (24 seats and 36 people) and told to go on the float trip and then when we got back, we could do the white water. Unfortunately, we needed to be back in Seattle by 5:30 and never did get the white water rafting. There was more, but check out the other comments on the food, bus, cleanliness and owner demeanor and you will have a good idea of what to expect. I will say the guide was polite and knowledgeable but I don't see how the owner is still in business. read more

Extremely disappointed with this company. My friend and I did a groupon package. Dave Button sent me a confirmation to be at the IGA in Darrington at 9:45. My friend and I waited and waited and I continued to call Dave when nobody met us. When we asked around we were told that Dave had lost his permit and was very sketchy. We were told he regularly ditches people. Finally after almost an hour of calling him he picks up and I'm like where are you we've been here waiting. He says where are you, and I'm like at the IGA where you told us to be. He than says oh you should have called earlier. I'm like um I have been calling you for an hour. He then tells us to drive another 1/2 hour to the Shell in Rockport. So we drive there and nobody is there. When we ask the Shell station attendant about Dave she tells us oh that guy is sketchy. At this point it's 2 hours later and I'm pissed off. About 20 minutes later a piece of crap tiny bus pulls up to pick us up. We drive to some random spot and finally begin our trip. Our guide Joe was very friendly and knowledgable but that's about all I can say that's nice. Lunch consisted of a tiny bag of stale cookies and there were no rapids so basically we floated down a nice quiet river. I will never use this company again. Dave is a very rude and unprofessional person. Wish I had read more reviews before we used this lame company. read more

We went on the Bald Eagle Raft Trip and it was an awesome experience, with great company. From our vantage point on the raft, we were able to spot several bald eagles and were even lucky enough to see a couple of them spread their magnificent wings and glide through the air! We spotted a couple of salmon swimming near our raft and stopped by a huge beaver dam as well! Our guide was Donovan, a very amusing person with a lot of knowledge about the history and geography of the area. Additionally, we were joined on the raft by two other groups - everyone was really friendly and enthusiastic about the trip. The only slight criticism I would make is that I would have expected to learn more about the eagles themselves - given that this was a trip specifically for viewing bald eagles, I was kind of surprised that the guide didn't go into very much detail about eagle habits, lifestyles etc A word of advice : I think this trip is best taken on a non-rainy day and even so, this time of year, its best to be prepared with layers of warm, waterproof clothing - we were surprised at just how cold we got! Waterproof shoes with wool socks are absolutely necessary too as you will need to walk on bank of the river, which is often wet. read more

Got a groupon for the eagle float trip back in Oct. Booked a room at Ovenell's B&B for the night before. The float trip was relaxing, the guide (Lil Dave)was just educational enough to keep it interesting yet quiet enough to let us enjoy the serenity of the river. Saw plenty of eagles to get pics of and stopped to rock hound on a gravel bar just below a perched eagle in a tree. Would recommend bringing your own rain gear for the trip and getting lunch at the friendly little burger stand in concrete. Wasn't sure if I tipped enough($20), but then, what do you tip your river guide. Good hard working people. read more

I took my two daughters (13 & 15) and their friends on the Sauk II-III raft trip. The guides were considerate, good-natured, and capable. We felt safe and entertained. Two thumbs up! read more

We were very excited about my trip, and had my 11 year old son with us. It was disappointing from many levels. Advertised as White Water, yet we found that there is no White Water this time of year. It was really a float trip. That would have been fine, except that we met one place, then part of our group had to be shuttled to another and stood around for 2 hours before ever even touching a raft. This is particularly hard when you have a bored 11 year old. The safety speech was a joke, literally.. no real instruction and done while half of our group was till climbing down a trail to meet us. Then our guide was clearly more interested in getting it over with than anything. He never said a single word to me. I have gone on countless rafting trips over past 30 plus years, usually with River Riders, and the guides have always made a point to make it fun for the group. Even when there was opportunity for us to dig into a little bit of white water we just floated through side ways. We left 2 hours late, and got back on time and took a 45 minute break half way through. It could have been fun despite the low river but my boyfriend and I spent most of it biting our tongues. Even the guides were saying what a disorganized mess it was. Float on your own. read more

I had purchased this deal and convinced six of my friends to do the same as it seemed like a very good deal and a fun excursion. We were very disappointed! When we first arrived at the gas station in Marblemount, we were asked to move our vehicles so we followed Capt. Dave in the Shuttle bus to an alternate parking area off of the river. We then got on the Shuttle (that had broken doors which stayed open the entire time) and rode 2 miles up along the river to start the "white water rafting." When we exited the shuttle and got to the river where we would start rafting, it smelled like someone was smoking marijuana - perhaps one of our River Guides? Before this trip, I had called Capt. Dave several times to confirm details of the trip and to also requested the white water rafting excursion- as I told him we were not at all interested in a river float - we could do that on our own time for free. Noted in the Bellingham dealsaver ad (with lunch and wine tasting - an $80 value that we purchased for $40.) On the ad was the option to do the float or white water rafting (which he said we could do for an additional amount of money for the guides, equipment, etc.) Capt. Dave said the whole trip would take 4 hours (stopping in the middle for lunch.) The trip started around 2 PM and instead of a white water rafting excursion, it was a very, very slow float trip. The guide said there were actually no rapids on this portion of the river. It took us 3 hours to get to a mid-way point of the rafting portion, where we were to have lunch and then continue on down the river. It would have taken us another 2 - 3 hours to actually complete the rafting trip and so we decided to not continue on the latter half of the rafting trip. There were two other couples on the raft with us and they also had decided to depart the rafting trip at mid-point. We were then asked to walk across the street and eat lunch at The Eatery. By this time, it was 5 PM and The Eatery was fine but we were told to "be kind in ordering because typically they only purchase a cup of soup for their customers as part of this deal." So we ordered sandwiches and the food was good - but we also paid for some additional things so as not to feel we were taking advantage of Capt. Dave and his team. We left the Eatery at approximately 5:45 pm to get to Challenger Ridge Winery. We saw Capt. Dave at The Eatery - and he paid our bill and told us the winery was waiting for us. I had done some research before our trip on the winery hours of operation and told Capt. Dave earlier in the day - and on previous phone conversations - my concern the winery would be closed by the time we got there. However, he reassured me in each case and on that day that he was ahead of me and had recently chosen a new winery for this reason (Challenger Ridge.) He assured me he spoke to them and they were going to stay open just for us. Well, that was not the case! By the time we got to the Challenger Ridge Winery, they were putting up their closing sign and the woman, Candace that worked there came out a bit annoyed that we had showed up. I told her that Capt. Dave told us that she would stay open for us, she said that was not true and that "he does this all the time and they can't continue to do this." She then told me we had no more than 20 minutes to come in and wine taste but that was it. By that time, we were all a bit put-off and annoyed at the disorganization of the entire day and decided to go somewhere else on our own dime where we wouldn't be rushed in & out the door or feel unwelcomed. Just so you know, we had driven all the way from Bellingham to Marblemount for this experience (and what we thought was supposed to be an $80 value.) In retrospect, this deal was not even worth the discounted price of $40. The whole experience was actually quite disorganized and confusing, despite my efforts to confirm details of the trip in advance with Capt. Dave himself. Capt. Dave and his team were very kind but I don't know how they stay in business. Also, we later found reviews about Pacific NW Float trips - which all eluded to the same degree - everything we had experienced. We purchased this deal through BellinghamHerald.com/dealsavers and are still trying to get our money refunded. The Herald said they researched the issue and that it appears it was fulfilled. read more

Went on the Skagit River wine tasting trip with lunch. We were supposed to have a knowledgeable guide. We did have a float on the river. The guide had 2 weeks experience. There was no winery tour at Glacier Peak winery. Lunch was snacks on a bus back to our car, which I didn't take because I didn't want to spoil my lunch. When I asked about the winery I was told to go to a winery about 16 miles away and they were expecting us. If I went to Glacier Peak there would be a charge for tasting. When I called to complain I was offered 3 dollars back for my lunch. The only question was who was the guide. I couldn't remember his name. I got a lot of double talk and offers of another trip. I am not sure I would go even if given the trip. The trip was billed as one of the 10 best in the US. I have been on other float trips. This one did not come near a top10 trip. Wish I had read reviews before I bought the trip. The read more

Same thing happened to us yesterday on 8.12. We waited two hours at the meeting place which was mentioned on the email after booking. We left about 6 to 7 messages. Finally I got "The Captain" on the line. He lied to us ,somebody was there to pick us up at 10AM. Were were the only car in the parking lot .We did not miss them ,they never showed up. A zero star for this company.We waisted the day and the gas on nothing. read more

Our appointment was 9 but we started at 11. They rang me but I was not able to answer but they should have texted me or sent me an email. I went on Aug 22nd. I paid $42 for the expensive package but they took us for the package that costs less and when I asked them to refund the difference, the tour guy -I think his name was dave - was getting angry for no reason but since the difference was not that much less( $30), I did not argue too much with him. The river was very calm and not white river. (If I knew, I would have gone to kayak in Lake Washington and saved my day for something else). In addition to all that, we had very unpleasant experience in our float boat because we had some drunk people and they were drinking in the boat and touching us improperly!!. When we stopped to have snacks, the tour guy took one of the drunk guys in our boat to buy drinks !! Overall, I had very bad adventure. I will not ever go there or recommend it to anyone. If you want to go for river rafting, go to portland because it's more fun. read more

I had such a great time on our trip this morning! Captain Dave is hilarious and super interesting. He seemed to really appreciate us and he was clearly passionate. I think a lot of the negative reviews come from people who are a little high maintenance. The tour is for those who are adventurous at heart - no frills here! You are going to get wet, cold and muddu. And like Captain Dave said, that will just make you appreciate the warm when the tour is over! I found his free spirit to be inspirational. It's not for everyone, but come on. Get out there and live a little! read more

On May 31st, 2017, I purchased a Groupon for $95.00. I had 4 gifts. I emailed Capt. Dave that night to schedule a trip for 06/17/17 for my husband's Father's Day gift as I explicitly explained. On June 1st, Dave emailed me back confirming date, time and address for 06/17/17. I called Dave last week to discuss the rapids we could expect. I emailed Dave yesterday to confirm the date, time and location. Dave emailed me back staying he had no time available on 06/17. I emailed back explaining we have a scheduled trip already for 06/17/17 Saturday... Dave emailed me back stating, our trip is canceled he is taking aa boy scout troop out and another guide is sick. I found this to be unprofessional. At what point was he going to contact me. We would have driven all the way there for nothing. He didn't even have the courtesy to contact me. I failed to mention that he stated that I only had 4 people. WOW. Inconsiderate. So his other guide is sick. When did this occur? Did he get sick today l, last night, 2 weeks ago a nd he planned to be sick a day in advance on Saturday??? I don't believe it. I'm asking for a prompt reimbursement. I will never attempt to use him again. It is such short notice that I cannot plan anything else and I budgeted my income to allocate for other things. I have contacted Groupon. Also, it's my Birthday weekend so there were many reasons why I was looking forward to this but mainly for my husband because it is something he really wanted to do and my 70 yo mother was coming to. We were all excited. read more

Horrible!! Owner no-showed after I drove 3 hours and paid for a hotel the night before!! Then tried to blame me - what a complete jerk. Turns out I was lucky to get out of this trip, as those in the industry who know this company and Dave Button informed me that he is very unreliable, has old, unsafe equipment, has run-ins with the local authorities and sometimes "neglects" to pay his guides! Try Triad River Tours instead - you'll be very happy with that choice. read more

I'm not sure what that was, but it was nothing like it was advertized. There was NO Eagles. The "luncheon" was your pick of granola bars out of a dirty backpack. Guides seemed skilled at rafting, but even they did not have anything to talk about or point out on the river. If you have never been on a river, you might enjoy this trip, but they should sell it for what it is. read more

Took the trip with a friend, her family and my husband. Time & location scheduled for was changed. No biggie since we're local. Dressed in jeans & t-shirt since it was overcast & the trip called for little to no actual "action". I asked one of the guides before we left what the chances were that I'd get wet. I wanted to bring my camera. His reply made me confident that unless I fell in I'd be fine. So I brought along my camera, wallet & my key (electronic key fob for the car). The trip started very nice. Our guide was very personable. Chatted with everyone aboard. Appeared very knowledgable about the river and wildlife. I'm not sure how it came about since I was paying little attention to surrounding rafts (more on the scenery), but splashing ensued between rafts. Our raft was "targeted" several times and I know the captain participated at least once since he turned us about to face another raft and began splashing them. I'm not sure who all else participated on our raft, because when the splashing began I turned away hunching, doing my best to put myself between the water and my camera. By the time we stopped for "lunch" I was nearly drenched. My camera and the key stayed relatively dry since I'd hunched over them, but every other piece of my clothing, including my wallet, was wet. it was overcast and cold and I was not enjoying myself. The lunch consisted of snack foods. (Cream filled cupcakes, cookies & chips) On the second part of the trip, though splashing occurred between two other rafts, our raft was not splashed, so I was able to get some very nice photos. On the whole, the trip left me unsatisfied. Though the captain was nice, I wouldn't spend that much money for any such experience through this company again. The two stars is for the photos I did get & the fact that my camera & key were not damaged. Taking it as a learning experience. I generally do a lot of research before dropping more than $100 on recreation, but it was very last minute and I was rushing. Shame on me. If you don't care about unprofessional behavior or practices, though pricey, I'd recommend the trip. If you do & I'd suggest looking elsewhere for your experience. read more

Purchased a deal "Float Trip w/Lunch & Winery Tour" from Travelzoo for a group of us. Planning a day road trip (3 hour drive one way) we were hoping for a great experience. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way. The tour operator, Dave, seemed very unorganized. The bus we took to the raft launch was in need of a major make over and smelled like urine. The weather was rainy, which we can accept living in Western WA, but they did not provide us ponchos we were told we would get. Instead we received umbrellas that were barely staying together by threads, one which looked like a patio table umbrella having a metal pole and no handle. The raft also was in need of some work showing its overuse with duct tape on the side and the guide's chair looked like it would snap any second. On a positive note, the guide was very nice and knowledgeable of the river and it's inhabitants. If I ever want to know where the fishing holes are on the Skagit he is definitely the man to ask. We floated down the river through fog and rain, saw one Osprey, geese and ducks. By the time we reached the end we were soaked and cold. Dave was not there with the bus. We waited 15 minutes to be picked up. We all started to wonder if he forgot where we were, when finally he showed up with a very large cross country tour bus. This was better than the little smelly bus, although the windshield wipers didn't work correctly. We expected to receive lunch on the bus since Dave mentioned we could not stop on the river for lunch due to the rain and that he would have lunch ready on the bus for us. But there wasn't any lunch offered. He drove us back to our vehicles and mentioned the Winery location and assured us we were all set up there for lunch. We arrived at the winery and there wasn't any lunch for us. The winery didn't have any idea what we meant. We were very disappointed. We had to purchase dinner at the winery. I do not recommend this tour company. It is need of better management and upkeep. I would not trust it for a white water trip with safety being an issue. read more