American Whitewater Expeditions — Attraction in Placerville

This year was our second year rafting trip with American Whitewater Expeditions. It's become a tradition for us, but they unfortunately dropped the ball this year.

I'll start out by saying their employees that assist you over email are always prompt with responses, kind and helpful. Their guides are always fantastic, know what they're doing and easy to conversate with. Our guide this year was from Brazil. I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember his name, but he was fantastic! He and our transport driver, Chib, from the 6/24 middle fork trip gave so much history on the area during the trip on the water and the drive over. Really enjoyed that!

Last year, we did the South Fork and found ourselves wanting some more excitement, so we opted for the Middle Fork trip this go around. It was a blast. The rapids came almost immediately after getting in the water, and tunnel chute was quite the experience!

Unfortunately, this is where the company really fell short. On their site as a part of the Middle Fork trip, they list: "Trip Photography Package Option – Share your Adventure

Photos are taken at Tunnel Chute Rapid and are available online after your trip."

Imagine what an absolute disappointment it was when we realized at the end of trip that they never mentioned the pictures. When we did the South Fork, they had their own photographer on a kayak that took pictures and you purchased them afterward. This go around there was no photographer with the group. There was a drone when we put in at the river, so it initially seemed that may be the means of photos. When I reached out to AWE via email at the end of trip, I was told the company hotshot imaging takes the pictures and was given a link. There were no pictures for that day when I went to their site. As advised by AWE when I noticed this, I reached out to Hot Shot Imaging who later confirmed they didn't shoot any pictures of the Middle Fork that day.

What an absolute disappointment! AWE should have coordinated this service with Hot Shot Imaging. The fact that I had to reach out to AWE regarding where to get pictures was a red flag, this information should have been given at the end of our trip or emailed, and then for there to be no pictures at all despite them providing a link...such a let down.

The experience of rafting with AWE has always been a pleasure, but I don't think we can return after the ball was dropped with pictures. They advertised it as part of the trip and didn't provide it. The pictures are such a big part of the fun.

Another let down was the bbq dinner this year. Last year it was fantastic, this year they skimped on portion size and the beer and wine options were not as great as the previous year. For $30 per person, we definitely expected more than one slice of beef.

The dinner was something we could overlook for all fun we had, but can't overlook the pictures not...

My girlfriend and I were on a trip with you down the South Fork River on April 4th and were extremely disappointed with our experience. We’ve been on six previous whitewater rafting trips, including some in cold weather, and our experience has never been this poor. This trip was classed as beginner/intermediate, and had children along, but was one of the more dangerous trips I’ve taken due solely to temperature.

I’m concerned that the trip was allowed to continue in the first place, as there were near freezing air temperatures and the water was much colder. Obviously Yosemite Valley does not warm up as quickly as the rest of the state, but our expectation was that we would be provided with appropriate layers. This has always been our experience in the past when going on cold weather trips, and is also stated on your website as something we would be provided during High Water Trips. The entire trip we were shivering, to the point that it was physically painful. The provided windbreakers to help keep us dry were ineffective. We were not provided any warm clothing, and only one of us was offered gloves. The windbreaker style jacket that we were offered did nothing to keep us warm, nor did it dry quickly enough to keep us from getting wet and lowering our body temperature. We were absolutely not provided with enough layers to protect us. The entire party contracted hypothermia as a result.

Previous trips in cold weather we have been provided with wool clothes to keep our body temperatures up, but that was not the case with this trip. We were also not offered any clean, dry clothing on our return, leading to us having to strip off wet clothes with no replacements. I personally had to drive the group back to our rental with no pants or underwear.

This was absolutely not the guides’ fault, and our guide was good despite the adverse conditions. The other raft with us, however, the guide was a little rude, especially to the children aboard, telling them they weren’t allowed to cry even though they were also not provided protective layers or other warmth, were frightened, and obviously were freezing. We were VERY concerned that the children were allowed to raft at all given the temperature that day.

While we understand that there is obviously risk associated with whitewater rafting, there were no measures taken to mitigate that danger, and as a result our party at the very least was adversely affected, including hypothermia and other health concerns. The remainder of our vacation was spent recovering from this one trip, which we firmly feel was unnecessarily reckless. Again, we understood the risks we take when participating in whitewater rafting, but we also understood that there would be some kind of precaution taken due to the extreme...

We had an absolutely incredible time on our American whitewater expedition, all thanks to our exceptional captain, Rene. Our group consisted of six people, including two adventurous 7-year-old boys.

We opted for the thrilling Gorge Express route, rated at a level 3-4 difficulty. Equipped with life vests, helmets, and paddles, we eagerly prepared for our adventure. Captain Rene advised us to bring water bottles, ensuring we stayed hydrated during the four-hour excursion under the sun. After receiving our instructions, we couldn't wait to jump into the raft.

We did hope that the vests and helmets were properly sanitized for our safety.

As the kids settled in the middle of the raft with their paddles, they soon realized the paddles were too large for them. Captain Rene kindly suggested that they enjoy the ride and not worry about paddling, which disappointed them initially. However, the captain had a brilliant idea. He invited them to sit in the front, granting them a first-class view of the breathtaking scenery. Initially, as we floated through shallow, slow-moving water, they were unaware of the incredible fun that awaited us.

Captain Rene's knowledge and guidance were exceptional. He offered valuable tips on conserving energy while ensuring we had a blast. He even taught us how to safely rejoin the raft if we were to be dislodged in the stream. The kids started to love it as they had the opportunity to practice jumping into the water and returning to the raft.

Our journey was filled with thrilling rapids and provided an awe-inspiring showcase of the classic Sierra foothill scenery, with narrow rocky gorges, peaceful calms, and over 50 Class II & III rapids.

All in all, it was an unbelievably fun experience, and we highly recommend Captain Rene for anyone looking to embark on an unforgettable...