River Drifters - Deschutes River Rafting — Local services in Maupin

First things first—our guide’s name is pronounced "Anne-icka", not “On-icka.” Say it wrong and you'll be the first to take an involuntary dip in the refreshing waters of the Deschutes. No really. Annika was the best damn guide ever. I don't care what her co-workers say. ;-) This incredible force to be reckoned with whipped us into shape in no time. Let me tell you, she will only have to remind you once where your hand should be at all times, and if you are the one she has to remind, congratulations. She's going to make sure you never ever forget. This was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. I can't believe at 41 years of age I'm just now trying it for the first time! Annika told us many entertaining stories as we floated down stream, she really went the extra mile too. For example, she tried really hard to sell us on the idea that the adorable baby deer walking along the riverbank was real. Pshh, nice try buddy. But I've been on the jungle cruise - animatronics don't fool me. And those 'osprey' she kept pointing out? Please. We all know those were government drones. It's adorable that she thought that we were that naive. #BirdsArentReal.

All roasting aside, I was super impressed by the entire experience she created for us, and idk how but her skills managed to somehow keep an entire boat full of total newbies from falling out (even on the 4' drop) and we managed to walk out of there and hopped on the bus with all of our fingers and toes. #SUCCESS. Watch out on that bus tho. Would not be the best time to take a lil naperoo. Because just like the sign while you wait in line at Splash Mountain always said "Careful. You may get wet!" Scratch out may and put 'WILL' get wet, because the guides were determined for us to get the 'full experience' one way or another. Thank you Annika for an awesome day! Hope you come to Tigard sometime to Hudson Plaza so you can try out some delicious foods at the food pod. My treat! Thanks to you, I will most definitely be...

GUIDES: Exceptional, Experienced, Knowledgeable, Personable, Hard-Working, Good attention to safety

PRICE: Lower than competitors, Value-Added, Fair charge to shuttle personal vehicle to take-out

EXPERIENCE: FOOD – timely, fresh, tasty, original, abundant (appetizers, snacks, 3 meals) SCENERY – several stages, farmland/rolling hills, basalt, rhyolite, steep canyon walls, wildlife, petroglyphs, hot springs, weeping springs (drinking water), pinnacle rock PERSONAL EFFORT FOR RAPIDS – last trip of season; great combination of splashy fun to a few rapids that required team effort; team assisted more than usual for first windy day RIVER GEAR: Quality of rafts (welded), tents, pads, splash jackets, PFDs was superior.

COMPANY: Could improve training employees to answer questions BEFORE trip. Could improve published literature to increase accuracy. Decision to take-out at Leslie Gulch added a whole new stop, adventure, and scenery and decreased the difficulty of getting out and driving Birch Creek take out. Kudos to management for quickly (

We had an amazing time on our River Drifters white water rafting trip! The rapids were so fun and honestly a bit more intense than I expected at times, but none of us ever felt unsafe. Our guide (Chris) was amazing - super friendly, personable, funny, patient, and knowledgeable. We were lucky to have had the raft to just our group of four people - two female adults and two teenage boys, along with our guide. The trip was the perfect length for us (we did the half day) and the weather was perfect (90+ degree day, but felt nice and cool on the river). The boys loved being able to sit on the front of the raft during some of the big rapids and they even got to stand up on the raft as we went through one of the smaller rapids. The boys also had the opportunity to jump into the water several times along the way. Also, just in case it's helpful - the two female adults in our group are not in tip-top shape (ha!) and we wondered if the rafting trip would be hard for us or if we'd fall out of the raft. It wasn't and we DIDN'T (yay!). Bonus - they had a photographer on land who took a ton of photos of each raft during the trip for purchase after the trip! I highly recommend booking a rafting trip through River Drifters on the Deschutes River. You...