and past the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, the South Fork of the American River provides a fantastic one or two day escape from urban living.

The river has a lot of fun, invigorating Class II rapids and just enough tricky, exciting Class III’s to keep it interesting. There are 20 miles of river and a lot of options for trips; 2 different one-day, 10 mile trips (the Upper which includes Meatgrinder and Troublemaker and the Lower which includes Satan’s Cesspool and Hospital Bar); a one-day 20 mile trip (all the rapids!), and a great two-day, 20 mile trip with an option to spend the night at a wilderness-style campsite that is accessible only by raft. Our South Fork American whitewater rafting trips take place in a rolling foothill canyon in the Coloma-Lotus Valley halfway between Auburn and Placerville in the heart of the historic Highway 49 Gold Country.

This is the perfect trip for groups of varying experience, ability and thrill thresholds – everyone will have fun – and it is just a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe.