Crab Apple Whitewater Massachusetts — Hotel in Charlemont

I spent the day with a friend and her daughter having a great girls' day. This trip was planned back in March this year and there was a lot of excitement and anticipation for it. Needless to say, the day didn't disappoint. It took us 1.75 hours to get up to Shelburne Falls. We ate a delicious brunch at Baked then explored the town a little bit before jaunting off to Crab Apple Whitewater. We saw the Flower Bridge from a distance but we were a bit disappointed to see how many few flowers there were on that foot bridge. We saw the Shelburne Falls along with the glacial potholes.

When we arrived at Crab Apple at 1:45pm we were instructed to wait in a common seating area for instructions. We had to wait until the hydroelectric dam did their water release in order to being up the water level of the river. While we waited we watched some videos they had playing on their televisions about the different white water rafting adventures they offer. After waiting about 20 minutes we went to our meeting area and received our rafting instructions since it was a self guided tour, got fitted for helmets and it life vests, and we were properly informed of the dangers of our adventure. Once we got all of that done we all got into a bus and headed 12 miles up the Deerfield River where we were dropped off and in assembly fashion got into our rubberized open, self draining kayaks with paddles and squirt guns then launched off. I immediately got stuck on a rock (usually my luck) but I was able to shake and shimmy and paddle my way off it. There were a few hairy moments with going down the river and slamming into a rock or three but I remembered to lean into it instead of away. My friend and her daughter saw a little girl get pulled under water on the rapid part because her kayak was following way too closely to the larger raft that rammed up against a rock causing the kayak to go right under the raft as its tail end was up in the air and it ended up falling down onto the front end of the kayak forcing the girl under.

There were a ton of people on the river smoking weed and drinking and I kept bumping into people on their inner tubes. Most of the people I encountered were pretty friendly and they were just trying to beat the heat. The river was nice and cold and it felt great every time I got splashed. We all got separated a few times but we weren't that upset over it. We knew we would be. It gave me a chance to take in the scenery of the Berkshires and some of the wildlife flying by. We had planned on getting off at the halfway mark but we didn't see anyone flagging any of us down showing us where to go. We were really hungry and wanted off the ride. It wasn't until much later did we learn that we had long since passed it. I didn't take my phone with me at all because I didn't want to take the chance of tipping over and losing it so I left it in the car. That is why I have zero pics of my experience! All in all I'm glad I did this day. I've been wanting to go white water rafting since I was 14. I'm glad that I went solo first before I take the kids on the next trip just so I know exactly what to expect the next time around.

The little town of Shelburne Falls was mainly an agricultural community but as the Industrial Revolution happened it started manufacturing cutlery then moved on to producing farming implements, small tools, and fabrics. Before all of that, it was an important fishing site for the natives and eventually the colonists. Salmon swam up stream from the Connecticut River. Also, the movie, "The Judge", was...

Our family of 16, with 10 kids (ages 7-18) and 6 adults, had an amazing time whitewater rafting with Frank & Zack on Sunday morning. We were so happy to have enough people two fill two boats & keep it to our private families. We arrived & were fitted quickly for helmets, life vests and paddles. Jumped on a bus ride to the starting point, about 30 min or so. Frank kept us all completely entertained, with his questions, jokes and overall joyful attitude. His instructions were clear & prepared us fully for the experience. This was the first time for 10 of the group members.

I was in Frank's boat & he had great communication the entire way. Each and every turn was explained before we approached, with full instructions, and then guided us loudly and clearly as hit the waves. There are some stressful moments, but we trusted him & did exactly what he said and everyone stayed securely in the boat! We played some fun games in the slow and calm waters & the kids were entertained and having fun! Water was cold, but it was a beautiful sunny day & we warmed up in minutes. The kids loved the water fight between boats, splashing their cousins & aunts & uncles.

After 7 miles, we climbed out easily and hopped back on the bus for a shorter ride, about 15 min. Upon arrival, lunch was prepared and served warm to everyone, sitting by the river and keeping warm in the sun. It was a great day, the photos are amazing!!! and we made some great memories!

We would definitely do it again, and highly recommend Frank & his team. Love this family business and really appreciate their strong focus on safety and fun! Thank you Frank,...

The moment we got there, we was quickly greeted and instructed where to park. Our friendly guide Kevin came to my car and showed us where to go to register our name and sign waivers. The staff inside was super nice and even had a secure place with my name on it for me to leave my car keys. After registering we was allowed to explore the area and play and run around on the nice long stretch of grass by the river. Afterwards we was all fitted with correct life vest and proper helmets and given correct paddles for our size. Then we got on the bus to head up the river. At the top there was a short walk to get to the raft and we was instructed how to sit and where to sit, once properly inside the raft off we go. I won't spoil much of what happens on the river so you can experience the beauty of it yourself. The river ride was just incredible! One of the best times of my life, me and the boys loved every moment of it and didn't want it to end. Our guide Kevin was just the best, he gave us clear instructions and pointed out all the different features of the river and kept on eye out for wild life and alerted us when he saw one. That's all I'll say for the river ride so you can experience the magic of it for yourself when you come. After the ride we took the bus back to the cabin and got dressed in the changing room. After we changed we all sat down outside by the river for lunch, the food and drinks was really good. After lunch we went inside the cabin to...