Lotus Whitewater Rafting Adventure: South Fork

Need a quick adventure fix? This classic California whitewater rafting trip on the upper 8-mile Chili Bar stretch of the South Fork of the American River offers several hours of rafting for novice and experienced rafters alike. You’ll maneuver through boulder gardens, dodge sneaky holes, and drop into exciting Class III rapids like Meatgrinder, Triple Threat, and Troublemaker (which definitely has the potential to live up to its name). In the calmer stretches, simply bask in the beauty of the scenic Sierra Foothills, or take the opportunity to hop off of the raft and feel the rush of swimming a “swimmer’s rapid.”
About an hour from Sacramento, and just an hour and a half from Lake Tahoe, this quick getaway has you rafting on the American River in the morning and back in time for lunch and plenty of time to venture on to your next destination.

Meeting Point

7330 River Park Dr

7330 River Park Dr, Lotus, CA 95651, USA

Our entrance is adjacent to where Hwy 49 crosses the river and the River Park shopping center. Roads around here are winding, so please be sure to allow for plenty of travel time.

What's included:

• Skilled, professional guide service
• High-quality river equipment including paddle, helmet, personal flotation device, and wetsuits and splash tops (included on early and late season trips, cold weather trips, and by advance request)
• Transfer to the river put-in from our campground

What to expect:

Duration: 4 hours

South Fork of the American River

Highway 49, Coloma, California

You’ll meet at the OARS American River Outpost on the morning of your trip. After an orientation and safety talk, we’ll take a 25-minute drive to the Chili Bar put-in.
Meatgrinder Rapid is the exciting start to the splashy, big-water fun on the upper section of the South Fork. As beautiful river scenes stretch out around us, rapids like Racehorse Bend, Maya, and Triple Threat await us further downstream.

After a short section of Class I-II whitewater, we find ourselves at the notorious Troublemaker Rapid. This Class III rapid packs an exhilarating ride and can offer plenty of surprises. As we float by the historic town of Coloma and the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, the trip begins to wind down—but not without a few more stories from your personable and knowledgeable guide.

Once we return to the Outpost, we encourage you to explore our nature trails, play campground games, or just savor your time along the river.

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included