Overall, this is a well run rafting outfit. We had 15 people in our group including two 5 yr old kids. Everyone had a great time. I really appreciate the extra effort that the guides make to make this a full day run including a side trip to a "natural water slide". The midday meal was plenty. I would definitely choose this company again. I think the only potential disadvantage is that there are all levels of experience with the guides and I am sure we had a better experience with our guide than others had. Our guide was willing to take us over a large rapid (after putting the kiddos Ina different boat). Depending on your level of prior rafting experience, this may play a role. If you are a newbie, you will have fun regardless. read more

What a great white water rafting experience! We chose the Deschutes River run (out of Maupin), which has Class II and III+ rapids. This level proved to be a nice balance for our kids (first time rafters) providing enough excitement and rest periods to get ready for the next bump or drop. We went in August so the air was about 100 degrees and water in the high 50s/low 60s (very refreshing and will wake you up instantly). We dried off quickly in the hot, dry summer air. Plenty of wild life to be seen on the way - osprey, otter, mule deer, duck, squirrels, and fish. We were able to hold a on the river blackberry u-pick session from the raft as there are many blackberry bushes growing in the riverbank. Sweetest I've ever tasted. This company is well established and professional. Our guide, Ty, is a 7 year rafting veteran where runs this river as a guide and personally often, so was a wealth of knowledge and stories (you'll have to discern whether the stories are fiction or non-fiction, but entertaining nonetheless :). Great family adventure and would highly recommend this business. read more

We went on Wednesday--avoided the crowds. Garrett was a great guide--helpful and entertaining! River was relatively calm with moments of WHEE! Good for the first time, I would like more rapids next time. Raft behind us had two little girls (6 and 8?) who were bow riding in the calmer areas. We did the PM half day--just enough. read more

I went on the Full-Day Deschutes River for the first time with a group of co-workers (12 people) and we had a blast! Our guides (Joe & Dick) from RiverDrifters were very professional and made the trip extremely safe and fun. We will definitely return next year with RiverDrifters! read more

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When I called to book a reservation for a full-day trip on the Deschutes with River Drifters for my scout troop's High Adventure trip, the owner, Tim, answered the phone. He was super helpful, gave us a great discount for our huge group (17 total) and made it very easy for us. I promptly received an email confirmation that included PDFs of instructions/directions, plus waivers so we could fill them out before we got there. The day of the trip was fantastic. We were in two boats, and our guides (Erin and Joy) were absolutely amazing. Even the bus rides to and from the river were a lot of fun; it's clear the staff really enjoys their jobs. My boat's guide, Joy, was from South Africa and we loved hearing her stories as we made our way down the river. I've been rafting on the Deschutes several times and this was by far the most fun I've ever had. Joy made sure we all had a good time, even promising one of our scouts (who was "riding the bull" at the front of the boat at the time) a "Class V" rapid experience. Then, when he was in place, she walked up to the front of the boat, exclaiming, "CLASS FIVE!!!" and pushed him out!!! It was hilarious!! Joy also helped us do some really cool tricks on the river, including a pirouette, wherein everyone in the boat goes to the back, which makes the bow of the boat go very high up into the air. A rope tied to the bow is then used to make the entire raft twirl around like a ballerina spinning on her toes. Very cool! Later, she had everyone weigh down the back of the boat while our lightest passenger "rode the bull." This sent him so high up into the air as we crashed through the rapids... all we could see was blue sky in front of him. It was a lot of fun doing these tricks, and would have been impossible without Joy's experience. After about 2 hours of rafting, we stopped for the provided lunch at a park in Maupin. There was a BBQ picnic all ready for us, with burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, grilled chicken, potato salad, chips, salsa, etc. The food was delicious and really hit the spot. Such a great value! I would highly recommend River Drifters to anyone wanting a fun adventure on the Deschutes River. I'm excited to try some of their other river runs in the future. If you have a church or Boy Scout group (or any large group), be sure to tell them when you book your trip, as they are not shy about giving good deals to large groups. River Drifters is a great rafting outfit and I hope they're around for a VERY long time! read more

I booked a half-day of rafting down the Deschutes with another friend on a Wednesday morning at the end of August. The local fishermen called it "splash and giggle"-- and boy, were they right! Since we were the only people doing the half day that day, my friend and I had our awesome guide Kris to ourselves! Kris was exceptionally professional, keeping us in the raft and under control the entire time (and somehow, he managed to stay dry for most of the trip, too! ha!). I felt I was in very safe hands, even when confronting some OMG rapids. At one point, my friend and I were a little worried about going through one section of the rapids with just two people in the boat, so Kris pulled us to the side and let us get out to scout the drop and show us where we planned to aim the boat. And we made it through beautifully! Kris was also very knowledgeable about a range of topics, making sure we never got bored. In the slow moments, he kept up a steady stream of conversation, educating us on the area history, hydrology and how to correctly navigate the rapids, local wildlife, and other topics. He was just plain nice and fun, a really great guy to spend 2-3 hours with. He also recommended some great places nearby for lunch. The canyon itself is picturesque and interesting. There are lots of ospreys and geese swimming or flying by, and fish in the river. We had time to jump out and take a quick swim later on, but-- my goodness! It's mighty cold water, even in late August. I'd advise wearing shoes you don't mind getting soaking wet -- Tevas or the like are ideal. Flip flops and bottles of water can be wedged into the boat-- we didn't lose any of those. Anything you're wearing on your face that is not tied on (like sunglasses) will likely get lost in the splashes. And bring something to change back into at the end (keep in your car). I had a very wet ride back to our hotel. :) The RD store has some sunblock and smaller sized water shoes you can buy. However, I'd recommend a trip to the convenience or hardware store nearby, which might have more reasonable prices for sunblock. At the end of the trip, you can walk to a nearby store and check out heroic/embarrassing pictures of yourself. It's great. The only not great part was the attitude of the two dudes who checked us in -- a tall blond guy and an Asian guy. They were completely unhelpful and kinda rude. That had me worried, but thankfully, we didn't have them on our trip. (hooray!) I would recommend this company to everyone! This experience really made our trip to Oregon memorable!! read more

We just returned from a 2-night, 3-day trip on the Deschutes that included our 8 and 7-year old daughters. This trip was so great to disconnect from electronics and reconnect with nature. I can't say enough good things about our guides; Kim, Jo Jo, Matt(Davidhoff) and Ben were amazing! Jo Jo particularly was great with our girls. The rapids were a blast and all of the guides were careful and made sure to explain everything, they were super knowledgable about the area. In total our group had 7 people and River Drifters was able to keep us all in the same boat. The food was great and the guides took care of everything! All we had to do was set up and tear down our tents. If you're considering spending thousands of dollars going to Disneyland, thinking that consumerism and standing in line is a great family vacation, please consider River Drifters and their unbeatable venue. read more

Second time out with River Drifters and I can't imagine a better way to ride the river. Well organized. They always find a way to group people into rafts so everybody gets the experience they want- be it mellow, or not so much. Shion has now been our guide twice and made the experience perfect. Can't recommend them highly enough. Thanks for a rad day on the river! read more

River Drifters - Best guide in the business. Great new friends! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Maupin, Oregon

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We had Matt as a guide and he was outstanding. Very professional, obviously knew what he was doing, and hit every rapid great. On certain rapids we were even able to circle back and hit it again! I've never had a guide get as much out of the Deschutes as he was able to. Overall, they were well organized and everything ran smoothly and on time. I'd highly recommend them. read more

Took family (wife, 13 year old son and 9 year old daughter) for their first raft adventure and I can say that we could NOT have had a more adventurous and great day. We did the half day Clackamas river tour, which is about 2 1/2 hour and it was perfect. Weather was great, had some really great rapids and our guide, Kyle, was great. He was easy going and made it a great time for all of us. He took the time to show us the natural beauty of Oregon and set the pace to what we wanted and even allowed us to take a dip in the awesome Clackamas river. Overall the family loved it and the kids had a great time. I would definitely go with and recommend River Drifters again if we are ever in Oregon again. read more

Rafting with River Drifters was the icing on the cake for our Portland Trip. Our guide Danno, was funny, informative, mischievous, and experienced. We felt really safe with him as our guide...until he tricked us into flipping our raft over twice. haha But it added a little bit more excitement to our beginning/medium level half day course on Deschutes. He also knew what he was doing so gave us a bit of a challenge by flipping us over, but it was quite strategic...I think haha. I was pretty scared during the times that we did flip, but with the help of my friends and Danno, we all managed to get back on the raft every time. If you're considering rafting, I want to encourage you to JUST DO IT! I'm not the type to do anything super adventurous, but I'm really glad that I challenged myself to go on this rafting trip. Pay once, and gain memories for a life time! Note: Remember to bring cash to tip your guide! Also, they have a wet bag on the raft so you can store water bottles in it. You'll get thirsty especially if you're out in the heat. read more

Great adventure our guide, KC was awesome, funny stories and provided insight to other floats in the area. The instruction was great and equipment was in good shape. Food was awesome and am looking to schedule another float either later in the summer or next summer at another river. read more

Amazing Rafting, Definitely Recommend - we're beginners who were looking to try rafting on the Deschutes River. Could not have been happier with River Drifters. Excellent equipment, knowledgeable staff, attentive guides and lots of fun. They took the utmost care to make sure we had an awesome time, were very focused on safety, and truly seemed to enjoy what they were doing. Would highly highly recommend them. read more

Took the full day Deschutes trip today with my 3 teenage kids. Our guide, Brian, was absolutely awesome. We were a handful, but Brian took it all in stride, had everyone laughing all day, giving everyone multiple chances to "ride the bull" (sit on the front of the boat), plenty of opportunities for swimming, and keeping it light while reminding my sometimes lazy teens to paddle. We had an amazing time and everyone is exhausted! Happy Mom!! read more

This was my very first experience river rafting and the staff there is so reassuring and is so good at teaching you everything you need to know to be confident on the river. I was in a boat with Noah, one of the instructors there, and he was absolutely phenomenal! such a cool guy and was so patient with all of us in the raft, super kind and a really good leader and he communicated extremely well to us. Overall the entire experience was outstanding, the moss was healthy and i didn't get diarrhea or fall out of the raft, i Wish there were more stars I could give past five. thanks Guys! read more

I did the rafting today with my husband and two of my kids,6.5 years old and 9 years old, Paris was a great guide and also amazing rafter. We enjoyed so much with her!!! read more

Larry was our guide down the Clackamas River in Oregon. We had a great day! He is the safety king, before we went in the water he throughly went over all the scenarios of being on the river so we felt extremely prepared for rafting. He's sweet, funny, fun and full of facts about he area. He taught us about birds and animals living on the banks. He is one with the river ! Happy artichokes! read more

This was the first white water rafting for 3 out of 6 of our group. Fergus was our guide and was absolutely awesome. He was knowledgeable, friendly and funny. He made this trip great. I would recommend him to anyone considering going rafting. We had such a great time we are already planning our trip back next year but this time bringing more family and planning a 2-3 day trip. So instead of 6 of us, there could be up to 20 of us! Watch out River Drifters. Can't wait to see you again next year. read more

Although the rafting trip was a blast and we loved our tour guide, the owners don't have the best customer service. Because we brought a large group for my sister's bachelorette party (which should have been more money for them) they wanted to charge us TWICE the amount for pictures ($120!!!). When we called in to say it didn't seem right to be upcharged on an optional purchase for being in a large group that had to be split into two rafts (doesn't that usually come with a discount?) we were told they could give us some discount, but could not match the photo price of a smaller group. They then called back and RAISED the price the manager told us it would cost by $10. There are other groups that use the same exact river. We'll be trying them next time around to see if they're more reasonable. This was the third time someone from our family had rafted with their company and we won't be back. Wet Planet Rafting and Kayaking is right next door and has equivalent reviews. I'd recommend trying them if you're in a large group. read more

Great family friendly experience. Garrett was a great guide and showed us a lot of cool spots, hanging out and showing the kids how to negotiate rapids while swimming and sliding down natural water slides. Highly recommended! read more

Amazing experience! We drove 3.5 hours only to find out we were a day early. They happily fit us into a raft. Devon was our guide and he was extremely knowledgeable and helped ease my anxiety about rafting to where I felt pretty comfortable early on and was able to relax and enjoy the scenery. Everyone there was friendly, fun and professional. read more

I've been on a lot of rafting trips and these guys are for sure one of the top companies. Their gear is in good condition, the guide we had (Ryan) was laid and knew his stuff. I didn't feel like I was getting yelled at to paddle, it was more of a feeling of being part of a real crew. Will definitely go with these guys again. read more

This was our first time on the Deschutes with River Drifters, and I can't say enough good things about our experience. Our guide, Tristan, was top notch - he taught us about the river and pointed out features along the way. We felt totally safe while still having an exciting trip. The entire day exceeded our expectations, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. read more

My wolf pack and I decided we were gonna go river rafting at the last minute and I'm so glad we did! They were so accommodating in every essence. We, as a group of 5 ladies ran late...they waited. When we got there no attitude were given. The entire staff was super sweet! We were quite nervous since it was our first time but our awesome guide Brian put us at ease. We knew he was going to mesh well with us girls...All I can say is what was said and happened on the raft stays on the raft! Pretty sure we left him with great stories to tell his co-workers ;-) Brian you are such an amazing person and great at what you do! I'm sure the other guides are great as well but you were put with us for a reason. The river and view was equally beautiful! I HIGHLY recommend this company and Brian as ya'lls guide! Don't let his good looks fool ya...he's great at what he does! Thanks for the 5 dao (5 star) service! Until next time. ..5 Dao out!!! read more

River Drifters - 5 dao - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Maupin, Oregon

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We were a group of 3, we booked the trip the day before I called and they were really nice about explaining the different types of rivers , we did the Deschutes river half day the scenery was pretty nice and the rapids were enough excitement for us we came during the morning time so the water was really cold he gave us time to swim but not many of us did we came at the end of July water was in the 50s , Keith was our guide he was funny and knowledgeable about the river and gave us info about nearby restaurants and close by waterfalls to check out , this was a lot of fun for our first trip in Oregon!! read more

I just went on a half-day trip on the Clackamas River with these guys and it was a really good time. I was concerned about being cold in the water, because it was unusually cool and rainy already, but River Drifters provided good wetsuits and booties. I even jumped in toward the end of the trip and only my hands were cold. Early season is cooler, but the bigger water made it even more fun. I went on a Deschutes trip last year with another rafting company, and I would go with River Drifters in the future, on either river. The guides seem very experienced, professional, and fun. If you go down the Clackamas, the brewery in Estacada is worth a stop for a good beer on the way home. read more

Greetings! So this was my first return to white water rafting after being away for 15 years. Friends arranged the trip, there were six of us total, plus the guide, so we all got our own raft. I will begin by telling you -- this trip was a blast! The guide, Shion, had all sorts of stories to relate and rafting techniques that kept the entire day interesting and entertaining. The trip included some swimming, rock sliding and jumping into the water from sundry large rocks in the river. Lunch was provided half way through the trip. This is the part that could be improved -- they ran out of chicken parts.. and the extras were a little sparse. This part of the trip can be engineered such that you always have the right amount (or more) of food and variety of edible elements. The dessert elements were in a bucket or some such, under the table. In short, if you can get the Lunch part of this Fun Day improved, then we're looking at Five Stars. I would certainly recommend River Drifters - and take the Whole day, not just a half day... too much fun to encompass into a short time. PLUS -- if you can find the guide named Shion, he is the tops -- really knows how to command a river raft. Be good to yourself and your friends -- arrange a rafting trip with River Drifters next summer/fall 2013. Cheers! read more

Great day on the river with friends from AZ!! Mike was an awesome guide!! Very knowledgeable and had great stories.

Five star experience with River Drifters and our guide, Clint. The run down the Deschutes river was just what we were looking for with our adult [20s] children. Paced perfectly with Clint reading the group perfectly and providing us with stories, local lore, and the exciting moments in the rapides. Thank you ,we will be back. read more

What a fantastic outfit this is. We based our selection by the comments written on Yelp and we are so glad we did. The guides comment on how their company has top of the line rafts and how some of the things they do other companies can't because they don't have as nice equipment. The guides were great, our's had his family visiting so it was like being on a family rafting trip. We lucked out because it was a mid week trip so nothing was crowded. Of all the companies to choose from, this is one to choose, you will not be sorry. We will certainly use this company again when in the area. read more

Great day, white water rafting. Deschutes River was a blast. River Drifters offered a fun experience. Shout out to our excellent guide Kelsie. River Drifters team helpful and friendly. Hilarious stories. read more

River Drifters - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Maupin, Oregon

Had a great time rafting the river! Great for beginners and kids. Rapids don't get too crazy. Clean and great quality equipment.

We had so much fun on our trip w/ Shion from River Drifters yesterday! My best advice is, don't sell yourself short. Plan to get wet, plan to go in the water and participate! Our guide was AWESOME, we did cool tricks & he played tricks on us that landed our whole crew in the water laughing and having a great time. When we looked at other groups around us, they were just WAY TOO dry!!! The guides are great, they'll take you to the line, like having everyone stand up on the sides of the raft and hold hands to balance. At all times though, they are focused on safety. So they allow you to be a little daring without risking injury or harm by being in the wrong place a the wrong time. At one point i got tossed out of the raft in a pretty scary rapid. Shion was a pro and had me back in the boat w/in seconds. Have fun, get into it, you'll have the ride of your life. read more

I had the most amazing experience with River Drifters today! I participated in a company team building event and we did the morning start half day trip. All of the guides were extremely knowledgeable, caring, and entertaining. Brody guided my raft and commanded the river with total expertise. He knows the river extremely well and kept us engaged by sharing historical information about Maupin and The Deschutes. He also shared some really fun jokes during the slow times. It was my first raft trip and I was nervous but Brody's expertise put me at ease and our team conquered the most difficult rapids without flipping. One of my best adventures ever. read more

River drifters was an awesome last minute find. We went on 7/29 had a blast with my 3 kids did the full day. Christian was are guide. Awesome with the kids. We loved it so much and our experience witn river drifters was so awesome, we came back today august 1 with our friends. Christian was again our guide. 2 mommies and 6 kids ages 4 to 11 poor christian. Christian was great with all of them. Thank you christian for the fun and patience. Fron the rapids, to the swimming hole, not to mention I loved swimming the rapid. River drifters was the cheapest in price but the experience was priceless. Thank you thank you. read more

This was our first family river rafting trip and it was amazing! We did the full day on the Deschutes. Our guide Derek was great and made us feel safe but was adventurous too! We will definitely be doing the three day trip next year! read more

Had a wonderful full day float on the White Salmon River with guide Eric and Ninja Safety Kayaker James! Eric was knowledgeable about the river and offered a great mix of thrills and river education during our float. With the larger rapids on this trip we appreciated his emphasis on safety instructions. All the equipment was in very good shape. I would highly recommend this company! read more

We had the PERFECT trip! Our guide Kim felt like one of us! It was such a relaxing and yet thrilling trip! We are already planning a 3 day trip next June! The equipment, service, and experience was TOP NOTCH! It was also VERY reasonably priced for 6 hours on the river, equipment, guide, AND full catered lunch!!!! Can't wait to go again! read more

My dad and i went on on a 1/2 day trip, we had the best time!! I visit Oregon once a year and will be sure to make River Drifters a staple in each trip. Sophie and Kat were our guides, Sophie did a great job guiding us through the tricky spots and in the calm between the storm Kat would crack jokes!!! Kat's got Jokes!! Just got the pictures in the mail today, super fun action shots, great times!!! Thanks. read more

OOOOH BABY! This company is so fantastic. I highly recommend the day rafting trip. The guides are friendly and make the experience fun, and you are able to stop at many locations along the river. For example, jumping off rocks, going to a natural water slide, and riding through the rapids without a raft! Great experience! read more