friendly, chill, professional, great guides, convenient, excellent lunch. wonderful hands on owner

My party of four signed up to raft the full day south fork July 31, 2025. Three of us had at least some rafting experience prior to this "beginner" course. We were assigned a guide who, once we were in the raft and on the river, announced that he had limited white water experience and was mostly familiar with float trips. This raised some red flags but we brushed it off thinking Sierra would never put someone ill equipped in a raft, alone with guests. Wrong. We made it through the first few rapids mostly unscathed. We did end up running into other rafts accidentally (the guide admitted to this). He also inadvertently took us through rapids at the same time as other rafts; this happened twice. He also mentioned that he got the raft stuck on a rock the day prior and it took multiple guides and thirty minutes to free it. About an hour in we went through a rapid that all the other rafts traversed with no issue. We slammed into a rock and I went flying out of the raft a slammed into a rock, tumbling down the rapid and hitting multiple rocks along the way. I was able to grab my paddle AND the guide's paddle and swam my way back to the raft. I had multiple scrapes on my left leg and moderate pain in my right lower leg. The guide apologized and said he "forgot there was a rock there." We made it to camp about half an hour later for lunch. I could barely put any pressure on my right leg. I hobbled to a picnic table, hoping a brief rest period would stop the pain. Wrong again. The guide alerted Sierra leadership, who was present at camp, about the incident. NOT A SINGLE REPRESENTATIVE CAME BY TO ASK HOW I WAS FEELING. I could not continue with the trip and had to use a lawn chair found at camp as a make shift walker to get back to the parking lot. Once again, no assistance was offered from Sierra. I picked up a pair of crutches in Sacramento. After flying home and visiting the orthopedist, I was scheduled for surgery a week later because it turned out that the collision with the rock fractured my tibia. I was on crutches for three months, out of work for 7 weeks, and out thousands of dollars. At this point, about four months later, I can barely walk any sort of distance and still have to attend physical therapy. We called Sierra to let them now what happened. They offered to refund my trip but did not follow through until we called back a week later. I trusted Sierra to provide us a good experience with a qualified guide. Could this have happened even with a qualified guide? Yes, but not likely especially on this beginner course. No one else on the trip even fell out of a raft. No one from Sierra ever asked how I was or if I needed assistance. In fact, one gal was rude and indifferent when my husband told her I was injured. If you choose to raft with Sierra make sure you proactively request a seasoned guide. Ask the guide about their credentials BEFORE you get on the river. Do not accept someone with limited experience! It is dangerous and you could end up with a broken leg or worse... To add insult to injury, the lunch sucked. read more

Sierra Whitewater - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

Always a great whitewater rafting experience with this crew! Highly recommend! We will be coming back every year!

What a great experience! From start to finish, our group enjoyed every moment. The rapids did not disappoint nor did our guide. Lunch was also delicious & helped keep energy levels up as we rafted the river. Highly recommend. read more

This was my first time river rafting. We went in the beginner 1/2 day trip. Our guides were Chris and Zach. Adults with Chris. Kids with Zach and both guides were friendly, professional, fun and engaging. It was an adventurous day. The scheduled time, food service, system and transition from parking to instructions, to riding the river to getting back to base camp was efficient and no downtime! I highly recommend this company! read more

Absolutely awesome experience from start to finish. I called ahead to make sure I was doing the right trip for my 5.5yo. We planned on the family float, but were advised if my daughter liked any excitement whatsoever, do "the gorge," clas 2 and 3...very doable...and it was. Great trip from her and she wanted to go back the next day. Granted, she also was cliff jumping at a stopping point .. definitely had a blast. Lunch was good...booking was easy...rafting was incredible with our awesome guide, Romi! We'll be back...many times. read more

We had such a blast with our guide Chloe. The entire trip felt safe and fun. We did the Gorge and it was a great introduction to water rafting. Will definitely come back for the next level!! read more

Sierra Whitewater - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

May 3, 2024, our family went on our first annual family rafting trip with Sierra Whitewater--and it could not have been better. Hands down the best rafting company on the river. Our guide, Tucker, was incredibly skilled, fun, and confident, which made us first-time whitewater rafters feel safe right from the start. He did an amazing job teaching us how to work together as a team while navigating Class III rapids, all while keeping the experience exciting and memorable. 10/10 would highly recommend Sierra Whitewater and absolutely request Tucker as your guide! read more

Sierra Whitewater - White water. Wild laughs. And core memories made ! Can't wait to book my next adventure with Tucker ! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

Amazing experience. Zack (the young dude) was an excellent guide. Very funny and personable. Our group had never done it before and half our group could not swim but this was not a problem even for the Lower South Fork which was "Intermediate". Would recommend. read more

Sierra Whitewater - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

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Monday on the river, it's doesn't get much better! Becca was our guide and she's the bomb! Chill, knows what she's doing and makes sure we had a good time! Book today for an amazing adventure! read more

Sierra Whitewater - The Gorge on the South Fork of the American River. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

I have taken 4 different river trips with Sierra Whitewater. It is an excellent company! They are responsive, reasonable and have stellar customer service. We just the Middle Fork on Saturday a Spencer was our guide. He was AWESOME!! Our group had a blast and will definitely be coming back next year and asking for Spencer! Thank you Sierra Whitewater for such a fabulous adventure! Carolyn read more

Sierra Whitewater - Middle Fork - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

All of the staff was great! They build the trust factor leading up to the experience. We were lucky to have Spencer as our guide for our trip. Thank you, Sierra Whitewater! We will be back with the entire family. Leon and Rachel honeymooners! read more

We love the river and any trip on it but for our review of Sierra - there are definitely opportunities for improvement... - Very basic, but Sierra NEEDS to invest in different sizes of PFDS. The other river outfitters have variable sized PFDS, and for some reason Sierra had just one size: adult "universal". That means youth and small children are stuck paddling snd swimming in very loose and VERY uncomfortable (not to mention unsafe) PFDs. it also means the larger sized adults have to deal with poorly fitted PFDs. - Also very basic: Sierra provides the cheapest helmets possible (super flimsy and cheap, many busted up and missing buckles and inner band adjustment snaps). The size? Also "one size". This means children wear loose/unsafe helmets and larger headed folks have to wear painfully misfitted helmets. Other companies on the river provide well padded, multi-sized helmet options. - Sierra has a lot of broken paddles, which just looks janky and does not exude a professionalism from an outfitter. They are so busted that many have large jagged chunks missing from them... and guides jokingly call them "shark bite" injuries. Why not , um... replace them? - Guides are also very casually and brazenly talking smack about participants/paying customers (who are either unable to or do not paddle well for whatever reason), and guides were referring to those boats with less capable paddlers as "bad boats" and commenting on how much they suck. This is SO unprofessional and jusgmental and definitely does not make us want to rent with Sierra again. - Lastly, without naming the individual, a guide who seemed inexperienced and new, spent a lot of time voluntarily discussing their errors and oopsies and many cautionary tales of flipping boats and dumping participant... it goes without saying that participants do NOT want to hear about or be made aware that the guide of ones' boat is an inexperienced novice... read more

We just completed a half day trip on the lower South fork and it was a blast! We brought our two kids (10 and 8), and it was our 8 year olds first time rafting. Zach was our guide and kept us safe and entertained the whole time. My 8 year old loved it proclaiming "this is the best day ever!!!" After going through Satan's Cesspool. We loved everything about our trip. Kudos to the staff who also dealt with us being 20 mins late due to some crazy traffic. Would highly recommend. read more

this is a great experience. if you have never done rafting before or want to have a good time. this is a great place to start. i will definitely be visiting with my son again. the lunch provided was also great. the captain, i think it was john was great. read more

We did the whole day with lunch. It was a wonderful experience for our whole family (ages 9-45). It was our first time white water rafting. We were anxious at first but our guide Jeff was very skilled and put us at ease quickly. We learned a lot about the river and had a terrific time rafting. Lunch was great, very hearty and delicious. We can't wait to go again we are hooked! read more

Sierra Whitewater - Our favorite moment of the day! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

These guys run an amazing operation. We brought our family of seven for a rafting trip which included our youngest of five kids who is only 7 years old. Our guide Zack was tremendous and made the trip thoroughly enjoyable, safe, and educational. The kids loved him and his genuine interest in each of them. read more

We went as a class camping trip with our 7th grade daughters. It was an excellent adventure for the novice as well as some who had done before. The staff was incredibly friendly and made it simple for our group who stayed over night. r Romi happened to be our specific lead for the raft (we had about 6-8 rafts) and she was great. I recommend for a family or group outing. A lot of fun and great scenery. read more

Highly recommend Sierra Whitewater! Zach was our raft guide & was absolutely amazing. It was our sons' first time rafting and he made the experience an amazing one for them. They had a blast & we super appreciated all he did to ensure they both had so much fun. Definitely worth it and absolutely recommend! read more

Sierra Whitewater - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

My family of four was extremely fortunate enough to go on Sierra Whitewater's second trip of the season this beginning April. The company ensured we had a memorable and safe trip with their friendly and experienced staff. We chose the afternoon "Gorge" trip as an introduction to river rafting for our two boys (8 and 10 years old). It started off with a yummy BBQ lunch prepared by Deric and Maddie followed by wetsuits/dry jackets and safety instruction. Everyone had a blast! Our guide Noah was an excellent instructor and the kids loved asking him about the river. Spencer was also a good sport and kept them entertained as an additional person in our raft. One of the highlights included a bit of rock jumping before the big rapids. Once the rapids hit, the kids couldn't get enough. Paddling through rapids together was a fantastic family bonding experience. The kids could have kept on going and thoroughly enjoyed the snacks at the end. Zach even had some great suggestions for new spots to try additional river rafting. We'll definitely be back and can't wait to do the full river that includes both Chili Bar and Gorge! I think we may have found our new Spring Break activity! read more

We loved our rafting trip with Noah! We were greeted by friendly staff and given a nice lunch of a tasty burger and salad. Noah was a very experienced guide he made us feel very comfortable out on the river, at times it could be dicey but his experience guided us safely through. I would book with them again, we are looking forward to booking the chili bar with Noah next year! read more

Great company, staff was great Spencer was awesome and made everyone feel so at ease Will definitely be back. read more

We did the lower fork half day trip. It started off with lunch. They provided hamburgers and sides. It was really very good! Good facility for a relaxed lunch by the river and then we launched directly from the campsite. We never needed to haul the boats either at the start or at the end. Our guide Lawson was very good and made the experience fun for the kids. I would definitely recommend Sierra Whitewater. It was our second trip with them.. We went on a Saturday in July and there was a huge crowd on the river, but they did a good job of spreading people out to keep it from feeling too crowded. read more

The whole trip was fantastic. We did the Middle Fork in my birthday, June 12 the. Brought the whole family back July 2nd. 6 of us. Great guides, great river knowledge and a perfect day, BOTH times. Thanks Noah and Spencer ! read more

This was a surprisingly awesome experience. Romi was a fantastic guide. The trip was booked for my grandson's birthday, and the photographer caught the absolute joy on his face. We will definitely be doing this again. read more

We had an amazing experience doing the all day trip with Sierra Whitewater! Tucker was such an awesome guide on our raft. Myself, my son and daughter all would love to go again! read more

Sierra Whitewater - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lotus, California

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It was our first time whitewater rafting, and we had a blast! Went as a celebration for my husband's 72nd birthday, and I was a little nervous about being physically able to negotiate the rafting. I need not have worried! Even though it was just the two of us and our guide, we had no problems paddling when we needed to. We did the afternoon trip and were a little tired after, but that was to be expected after 3 hours on the water. We were lucky, weatherwise. The day was perfect --- warm, but not hot, slight cloud cover. The river was running nicely --- a decent current to carry us between rapids. Our guide, Jeff, was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Made sure we didn't have to paddle too much and also assured that we were comfortable. I highly recommend Sierra Whitewater. We camped by the river the night of our trip. Delicious lunch with more than enough food and everyone was friendly and helpful. It was an amazing first rafting trip and can't wait to return and do it again! read more

Sierra Whitewater Rafting was an absolute blast! Our guide, Noah, was badass--super knowledgeable, fun, and made sure the trip was customized to keep the thrill level high while keeping us safe the whole time. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. I'll definitely be back and will 100% be asking for Noah again! read more

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We went on the middle fork trip on Wednesday August 27th. Our rafting guide was Spencer. He is a real pro! We hit every rapid perfect and the whole trip was a total blast. It was my first time rafting on that part of the river and the canyon is really beautiful. My only regret is that I have not done this sooner. If you live anywhere near this area DO IT! Thanks for the great day! Steve read more

Well, it was my first time doing the white water rafting. Everybody was fabulous very safe and friendly yet I did fall out and Noah rescued me quick as I fell out. I was back in the raf can't beat the food and the price very good relaxing time but yet in the adrenaline rush, highly recommend. read more

What I wanted was an experience that was concentrated on "rafting". No thinking about long lines, disorganized operations, rude guides, etc. Sierra provided a memorable and exciting experience for me and my son(first timer). It was all I hoped it would be . Expectations were exceeded. Thanks read more

Yes, it was lots of fun. Great way to spend time with family. Our guide, Romi was very professional and friendly.

We did a trip on the Middle Fork of the American on one day and a full day trip on the South Fork the next day. I have been with Sierra Whitewater before and they have always done a fantastic job. This time did not disappoint! All the guides were excellent, but Noah was AWESOME! The rivers were fantastic and so was the food. We'll definitely be back! read more

It was my very first time white water rafting. Ashton our guide was AHmazing...we were safe ad he was a wealth of knowledge. Im so glad we went. read more

We had a marvelous day! The lunch burger was delicious with condiments, salad, chips, Oreos and water or lemonade. Our guide was Owen - a very fine guide. We took the half day trip and enjoyed it immensely. The only downside was the parking lots were quite crowded. Thank you Owen and Sierra Whitewater for a lovely time. read more

What a blast! The day started with a delicious BBQ, unexpected and great! The owner was there, welcoming us and he was so kind. Our guide Zach was so fun and funny and professional. He made us feel safe and competent the whole time! The rapids were a thrill, the raft was nice and the views were unbeatable! We did the South Fork "Gorge" half day, it was perfect and I can't wait to go again! read more

Knowledgable guides created an such a fun experience. Loved that the company provided lunch, too.

I came here with some friends for a birthday and we had such a blast!! The guides that checked us in at the beginning were kind and informative and got everyone on the shuttle bus right on time. They also were able to tell us some history about the area (the first piece of gold to be found in California that started the Gold Rush in Lotus, the first post office in California) and also kept our car keys safe all day. Once we got to our starting point, we geared up and our guide Sean gave us all the basics. SEAN WAS SO INCREDIBLE THE WHOLE DAY. He was guiding seven women (for some of us, it was our first time) for eight hours and handled it like a champ!! He was incredibly experienced on the American River and told us some really awesome stories about the river & the area. Sean kept us safe while still giving us a thrilling ride down the river. We did the entire upper and lower south fork which took from about 9am until about 3:30 with a quick stop for a small lunch. There were tons of rafts on the water that day but it made no difference to us. My best advice to anyone looking to book is: 1) BOOK WITH SEAN! He was so kind and skilled, and made sure we all felt safe and had a great time. 2) Bring sunscreen AND water. You aren't allowed to bring anything else on the bus but don't forget sunscreen & water. 3) Check the water levels before you book, they can completely change the rapids. 4) Switch sides after lunch! It can be tiring to paddle on the same side all day. 10/10 would recommend Sierra Whitewater, specifically SEAN!, for your rafting delights! read more

We booked through Sierra Whitewater for my bachelor party and had an awesome experience. We did the North Fork of the American River with 12 people and couldn't ask for a more fun time. All of the guides were very professional with Safety and very knowledgeable with white water rafting along with being fun/entertaining making it a very enjoyable day. Shoutout to our guides Zack, Noah, and Blake for being great guides. Would definitely request them again. The owner Deric was involved the entire time which is always great to see. We look forward to booking another trip in the future and would recommend Sierra Whitewater to anyone looking to go white water rafting. Thanks for the unforgettable time. read more

Sierra Whitewater has great staff and great rafting guides and they together provide a great experience overall.