What American Whitewater Expeditions Rafters Say…
Dear AWE,
I’ve been rafting with your company on the American River since 1996 and have always enjoyed it very much. The guides, the location, the facilities, and food have always combined to make the trip a lot of fun. This year my son Erik and I had the best trip we’ve ever taken. Our guide Ana is the best guide we’ve ever had and she made the trip a lot of fun. I will definitely request her next year when we’re planning to do both the Middle and South Forks. I hope you continue to employ people with her qualities. Thanks very much, and we’ll see you next year.
Our best, JB, Cameron Park, CA
Your rafting guides were top-notch and it showed. This was everyone’s first time down any whitewater and no one fell off the rafts. Your guides gave us the confidence and the required skills to paddle down the river like a pro! Not to mention they were called to help out other river guides, apparently from another company with a less-skilled staff. One of the guides from another company had gotten themselves stuck in a corner of a rapid and wasn’t able to get out. Our guide, Roger, had everyone file out of the boat and went on a rescue mission to push the other guide out the corner he was stuck in. Our guide did it with real skill and finesse. It was amazing to watch. Coincidentally, when we were deciding on going down the river, we had narrowed it down to you guys and that other company. Boy, we were really glad we came down the river with you guys! This was especially meaningful to us since this was a trip for two of our good friends who had lost both their parents recently. It really put an “up” back in their lives. Thanks again.
The food was delicious both on the river and in the camp and there was a lot of it. You guys really made it easy to go camping and whitewater rafting. Your campground facilities were great! It really did feel like camping in luxury.
Thank you for the wonderful trip. Everyone felt like they participated in something that was really fun and special and they all want to do it again. In fact, everyone that went is still talking about it almost eight months after!
Regards, HK
Hello Everybody!
This is the best vacation I ever had!!! I would like to thank you all for making this possible. I have been telling all my friends to go out and raft with AWE. Your guides are awesome. They made an excellent hearty lunch, brought us the greatest adventure ever and worked on the 4th of July. Our guide- Kaitlin is the best. She is very professional, skillful and cool. Everybody in the boat is a beginner but yet she made us feel confident in ourselves. I am so confident in her that I told my friends to request for her when they go up there. Hope to raft with you guys soon. Once again thanks for a memorable adventure. Your staff is top notch and you are lucky to have them.
Regards, FD
Hi Guys, I want to take a moment and ask that you recognize your outstanding staff. I was there in June and, because of them, had a BLAST and came back in August with two additional family members.
Wonderful Stacey picked us up at the airport (Lucky Us)! She is a hard worker and yet she remains cheerful, helpful and keeps us laughing.
Peter? What can I say? And our rafting guide, Patrick, is an amazing guy. Both my girls have crushes on him and he really kept us safe and sound.
This staff has to put up with folks from all walks of life, feeding them and seeing them through the night as well as on the river. People expect to be catered to when on vacation and they can be unreasonably demanding. You’ve chosen your staff well and they are well-suited to their tasks.
I’ve run an office, a law firm, as well as other businesses (other than my own) and I hope you truly appreciate these folks: Stacey, Peter, Patrick, Tania and everyone you have at American Whitewater. Give them all a Bonus! See you next year!
Regards, LB
I called earlier today to let you know what a success our trip was. My family and I had a GREAT time this past Saturday, as did the rest of the Nortel Networks’ group. My group had Robbie as our raft guide and all of us could tell right away that he was quite competent, plus he knew nearly all of the other raft guides on the whole river – great personality! He’s a real asset to your company. Our other two raft guides were John and Eddie – they too were awesome. Also, the office staff that answers phones displayed much patience and were very thorough in their answers. You’re fortunate to have such great employees!
My only regret is that I didn’t try rafting 30 years ago!! I’m planning my second trip for sometime in the next two weeks.
Hoping to be back soon, L. D., Nortel Networks
Just a quick note to say THANK YOU! for being part of a great family vacation we had this week. My family was with you on Tuesday and Wednesday for a two day rafting trip and it was everything we were hoping for! Jeff was the perfect guide and is to be complemented for his ability to keep us all entertained and safe. With our two children (ages 7 and 10) we were concerned that they might be intimidated by the river and Jeff kept them entertained and interested the entire trip. He is a credit to your organization. Thank you again for everything. We will be sure to recommend you to anyone who wants a terrific family vacation!
L. O. Thousand Oaks, CA
Hello,
Just wanted to let you know what a fabulous weekend we enjoyed with American Whitewater Expeditions. The campsite was tranquil and it was just a short, yet invigorating walk to the beautiful American River. Angelo provided us with an awesome trip down the Middle & South Forks. In addition, we’re grateful to Trish, who deliciously prepared all of our meals and to Carly, for her phenomenal customer service. Thanks again to Jen, whose coordinating efforts made the trip a wonderful reality. God bless all of you as you continue your excellent work!
Sincearly, VP
Hi Arnie,
We all had a BLAST last weekend on the American River. The trip was a total success. Everyone enjoyed their weekend adventure from start to finish. Our bus driver, was such a joy. Everyone loved her. Two Thumbs up for her.
Two Thumbs up for our river guides too. They are so kind, courteous, fun and, most of all, safety conscious.
Everyone is excited about doing the trip again next year. Hopefully, the good word about our wonderful experience will spread so we can fill the bus again next year.
Until next year, Raft safe, be well, Sincerely, L. V.
Dear AWE staff,
Our group had a wonderful time on the Middle Fork American River trip today through American Whitewater Expeditions.. It was absolutely fantastic. The trip exceeded our expectations — can’t ask for any more than that. Our family of four loved it. And the experience was made all the better by the courteous, professional, and fun staff, from the driver Chip to the guides, Dan and Taylor. We had Taylor and he was awesome! You’ve got a good one there — super knowledgable and fun. He made sure we had a great time — thank you! Great pictures, too!.
Good job AWE! We will definitely recommend you guys (and especially Taylor) to our friends.
Regards, PS
Arnie
We just returned yesterday from the Coloma area after spending Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at your facility and rafting and Wednesday hanging out around the area. I want you to know that we had a fantastic time as we made the right choice in our selection of outfitters. AWE is AWEsome. The camp ground, the food, the service and hospitality were what we expected it to be. The river guides (ours was Patrick) were exceptional in their care, skills and public relations. I could not have in better hands. Thank you to all that provided such a memorable time for my family and to all the guides that gave us a thrilling and safe experience on these fantastically beautiful rivers. I look forward to seeing you all next year.
Regards, Matt P
Hi Jon, We just wanted to let you know how impressed we were with our trip with American Whitewater this past weekend (we were part of a larger group). Our group included 4 young children and all of them absolutely LOVED it. The food, campsite and the all the staff were awesome!
We’re from Orange County California and even though the drive up there was long, your guides/staff definitely made up for it. We will definitely be back every year. But we will make our trip longer, at least two days… one day of rafting is not enough!
We especially LOVED our guide, Shawn, so please give him an extra thanks and pat on the back from us. He is an EXCELLENT guide and we ask that as long as he is with you, we get Shawn as our guide (even if he doesn’t have fun with us, he he).
Thanks again and we’ll see you guys again next year (or sooner)!
Regards, A.& M. J.
I wanted to let you know just how much my family and I appreciated our experience on the South Fork last week.
Given the large amount of snow melt, and all the press it had generated, we had some reservations about taking 3 children, ages 8 – 14, and a blind man on the river. When we arrived at your site and saw the river up close, we really questioned our sanity. Peter got together with us and, although he made no guarantees, he convinced us that the risk was minimal, and that if we followed our guide’s leads, we would indeed have a safe experience down the river.
Our guide, Grant (pronounced Gront), was fabulous. This guy is a class act; skilled in rafting and as personable as it gets. Peter knew exactly what he was doing when he put the 7 of us in Grant’s capable hands. When we got off the river and back to the camp site, the staff was friendly and made all of us feel as if we were part of their family. Even the trainees did their part to make us feel at home.
Because I coordinated this trip for my brother and sister-in-law and their 3 children, I really wanted to do something special and make it a memorable part of their trip to California. The 2 days spent with your group exceeded our expectations in so many ways, and I can’t thank you enough! We can’t wait to get back on the river.
See you soon… Thanks again! D.N.
I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful time our group had with you this past weekend! For many of us it was our first time rafting. We had a great experience from the moment we arrived at camp on Friday night to the time we departed on Sunday afternoon.
Your guides were excellent. I know 2 of the guides were Scott and Jen. I think the other one might have been Taylor, but I’m not too sure. Anyway, everyone had a very pleasant experience and felt very comfortable with their guides! The food was AWESOME! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much and it was all so good.
We have already decided that we will make this an annual event with our group and hopefully make our group larger each year. Rest assured I will be contacting you later this year to make the arrangements for Memorial Weekend!
Thanks again, C. M.
P.S. However, I don’t know if I can wait until next year to raft again I had so much fun.
Hi Arnie,
We took a rafting trip down the Middle Fork American River with you in August of last year. I know it’s been almost a year since we last came for a trip down the river, but I just wanted to write and thank you for the wonderful time we had with your company.
Your river rafting guides are top notch (and it showed). This was everyone’s first time down any whitewater and no one fell off a raft. Your guides gave us the confidence and required skills to paddle down the river like a pro! Not to mention they were called to help out other river guides from another company with less-skilled guides. One of the guides from the other company had gotten themselves stuck in a corner of a rapid and wasn’t able to get out. Our guide had everyone file out of the raft then went on a rescue mission to push the other guide’s boat out of the corner he was stuck in. Our guide did it with real skill and finesse. It was amazing to watch. Coincidentally, when we were deciding on going down a river, we had narrowed it down to you and that other company. Boy, we were really glad we came down the river with you guys!
The food was delicious both on the river and in camp (and there was a lot of it). You guys really made it easy to go camping and whitewater rafting. Your campground facilities were great! It really did feel like luxury camping.
Thank you for the wonderful trip! Everyone felt like they participated in something that was really special and fun (and they all want to do it again). In fact, everyone that went is still talking about it months later. This was especially meaningful to us since this was a trip for two of our good friends who had lost their parents recently. It really put an “UP” back in their lives. Thanks Again!
Sincerely, HK
Hello AWE!
My friends and I have been rafting with your company twice now and we absolutely LOVE it! We were in a very precarious situation on the Middle Fork last season in September, but our guide, Jeff, was able to get us safely down the river. There are a number of ways that situation could have ended, but Jeff was able to keep us all calm and was very reassuring in his rescue methods. He was so reassuring that we all decided to come back this year. We were the first group of campers for the season and they were understandably unprepared due to the fact that the campsites had been moved. Despite this, all AWE employees were as friendly and helpful as ever and we didn’t even notice that the site wasn’t quite ready yet. Chris was extremely accommodating and upbeat and the guys in our group were thoroughly satisfied with his guiding skills. The girls in our group went with Stacy. Most of us had been rafting before, so the smaller rapids of the South Fork weren’t quite as challenging as the ones we had faced on the Middle Fork and Stacy did a good job of keeping us entertained by playing raft games with us. The food was great and the atmosphere was laid back, just how you want a fun weekend vacation to be. Overall, our experiences with AWE have been phenomenal, we love rafting with your company, and we cannot wait to come back again this summer!
Regards, HK
Thank you so much for such an awesome experience! We had the most amazing two days on the combo trip and came away yesterday feeling like new people! We had the time of our lives! You have a great setup at the campsite and we were made to feel totally welcome by Kerry from the moment we arrived. We couldn’t fault a thing! As first time rafters, we were a little trepidatious about what the experience would be like. Our trip leader Kirk was really quick to put us at ease and he explained everything to us as we went along. Once there, our rafting guide, Antz was absolutely fantastic company. He really made our day! We were really lucky to have met such an easygoing, funny guide and we loved every minute of the day. Nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff- they even helped us book our next hotel and gave us recommendations of where to go and things to do! The food was great, too! Jodie prepared some excellent meals and in fact, they were some of the best meals we have had on our vacation! Trevor was our guide for the second morning on the south fork and he too was very knowledgeable and gave us such a fun experience on the river. Please pass on our thanks to all of the staff who made the trip possible. We will totally recommend AWE to all our friends and family in the UK. it was honestly one of the best experiences we have ever had and we will surely be back some day.
With thanks from Great Britain CN
I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how much fun we had at your welcoming camp and throughout the unforgettable rafting. You staff was very attentive, friendly, and caring. My boys, my wife and I felt safe and comfortable in their hands. We enjoyed every minute of our stay and are looking forward to doing it again.
Much obliged,
LV
Please feel free to use my e-mail on your website. My words were true and sincere!
Cheers, Lev
Hi Arnie, Thank you so much for a fantastic weekend! Our guide in the raft was Patrick. He was amazing. Our leader of the group was Tom, he was amazing too. We thought everything was great and we plan to come back again! Great work!
Thank you , NP
We just returned from our grand kids “Christmas Adventure” at American Whitewater Expeditions. On behalf of Scott and Kathy Boyle and myself, we want to thank you all for making this the best adventure yet. Your entire staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating. The food was fabulous and plentiful. The rafting guides made the trip educational, fun, and of course, thrilling. We are all ready to do it again.
Thanks for the memories! Scott and Kathy
Jody did a great job with the food. She is an amazing griller and the girls really enjoyed the last night of spaghetti. I would like to recommend for Celiacs (gluten free) that there are many great things she can do. Last year when I went, the “chef” whipped up amazing buckwheat pancakes and had gluten free cookies for lunch. I missed those this year. There are also really good gluten free pastas which can go with a basic pasta sauce. The sauteed vegies were great! I am sure you will be having other Celiacs attend the rafting, and Jody was such a good cook for everyone, I am sure she can take good care of the gluten free’s as well. It’s kind of difficult for us, sometimes we feel a little “deprived” when everyone is getting such great cooking.
Anyway, no problem with the first night. I just couldn’t remember what I had done about meals, so we ended up at the Chinese restaurant right off the freeway. You can definitely recommend the little place to folks. Very good food and very reasonable. Mountain Mikes pizza closed up.
Thanks again, CR
Hi Arnie, My group of middle school campers and I had a great time at the river last Thursday thru Friday. Your facilities were just what we needed! Everything was clean and easily-accessible, the staff were helpful and friendly, and having the tents already set up and dinner right there allowed us to spend more time doing the things we came to do! We all had a fabulous time riding the river and exploring the area.
Thanks again. I will definitely recommend AWE to anyone who’s looking for a place to ride a raft!
Sincerely, VS
We had such an amazing time yesterday! The guides were great, I can’t think of one complaint. Jon- the middle fork was definitely the best fit for our group- a few nerve wracking rapids but definitely a great fit for our rowdy bunch. Thank you again for a great time!
Kind Regards, JB
AWE Staff, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your team for the great experience we had last week. We rafted 3 days on the river and camped at your campground. Everything about our trip exceeded our expectations. We were greeted by your staff who showed us our campsite. The tents were all set up and clean. I can not say enough about the two guides we had Tom and Chaundra. They learned everyone’s names right off the bat, visited us in camp, ate meals with us but more importantly guided us in a safe professional and fun way on some of the most exciting Whitewater I have been on. They taught us rafting skills and made the trip fun for all 14 members of our group. The food was good with lot’s of variety. Plenty of choices for picky eaters. The restrooms and showers were clean, small but clean. I overheard one woman saying that this was her first ever experience “camping” and that it was so nice to have the tents set up and meals prepared. Look forward to coming back to visit again soon.
Sincerely, MO Scoutmaster
We just returned yesterday from the Coloma area after spending Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at your facility rafting and spending Wednesday touring the area. I want you to know that we had a fantastic time as we made the right choice in our selection of outfitters. AWE is AWEsome. The camp ground, the food, the service and hospitality were what we expected it to be. The river guides (ours was Patrick) were exceptional in their care, skills and public relations. My family could not have been in better hands. Thank you to all that provided such a memorable time for my family and to all the guides that gave us and our rafting companions a thrilling and safe experience on these fantastically beautiful rivers.
I look forward to seeing you all next year, MP
Hi there! We had such a good time rafting with AWE! Gordy and Chafic are awesome guides. We’ll be back next year to shoot down the South and Middle Forks again for sure. Is there any chance your chef would share that yummy cookie recipe that we snacked on at lunch? I am a 4th grade teacher and we have strict nutritional parameters that this cookie might meet. I’d love to whip up a batch for the first day of school!
Thanks again for everything, EB
Hello. I just wanted to say thanks to you and your staff for a awesome experience at your facility. It was our first time rafting for my son and I and it was a blast. All together we had a group of 10 and we could not stop talking about the trip. What made it special was the staff … Shafeek* aka.. shafreak ,Kirk aka.. Captain Kirk…. Gordy the Kiwi…and most of all and last but not least Jodi the cook. Jodi was kind and the food was 5 star quality.
Thanks again, GB
I would like to thank your staff for their outstanding service , I couldn’t ask for a better time. Everyone was so helpful in making my stay with my daughter so great.
Thanks, SF
Just wanted to let you know what a great time our school had on the rafting trip. Arnie and the staff did a great job of taking care of us. I would imagine you will have the group back next year. Let me know if we are settled up on the charges.
Thanks again, MS
I wanted to thank you for a fabulous trip. This was our third year with your company. We have been bringing our girl scout troop up there every summer and even though it is a seven hour trip for us, everyone has a fabulous time. The guides are great with the girls and this year I must say that it was really nice to meet your cook, Esther…..she even sent me home with recipes for some of her appetizers. This year we also allowed our husbands to get in on the fun. Thank you…. we will see you next summer.
KM, Assistant Leader, Girl Scout Troop, Ridgecrest, California
We had the time of our life!!!!! Have not seen my kids have that much fun or smile so much in years. My Pa (Marion) said it was the best time he had in 30 years! The guys were great and the pictures were priceless! I was never so petrified in my entire life or so exhausted since giving birth without an epidural.
Thanks for the wonderful experience, CG
WOW!!!!! We just spent 2 days rafting with Chris and AWE – What an amazing experience! We really appreciated Chris’ professional manner, expertise with calls in tight spots in the rapids and his general amazing character. We were totally comfortable and enjoyed our time with our granddaughter (12) and your organization. As usual, we were the oldest participants – my husband is 62 and I am 59. I’m sure we aren’t the oldest participants you have had, but we were the oldest on this trip. THANK YOU. We will bring our family back next year for another amazing adventure. My husband almost went swimming while cresting a big rapid (Chris pulled him back on-board) and in the process Rick smacked me in the head with his paddle – didn’t hurt at all…. thanks to your helmet requirements. I don’t think he did it on purpose – but then after 28 years together, it’s hard to tell sometime.
Aloha!, JH & RH Kaneohe, HI
Michaela and I got back a bit late. we had an absolutely wonderful time. Dave was a great guide. He showed us how to play all sorts of games on the raft. He had just the right combination of “Let them play” vs. “Hey, we’ve got to get paddling here.” He helped make the experience a very good time. I hope to get up there again this year.
We’ll see you soon, MB
Hi AWE, I wanted to send you an email to let you know what a great time we had on our trip. You have made a lot of great improvement to your facilities since our trip last year. I would say this was a perfect trip, not that the prior 2 trips weren’t. The facility, food and hospitality were all wonderful and we can’t wait until next year. Thank you again and please pass along to your staff that they are the best!
MC
American Whitewater Thank you for a great trip! It was my daughter’s first river trip and it was fantastic! I was very appreciative of Jen’s skills in getting us down the river safely plus having some fun along the way. This is my second year of rafting on the South and Middle Forks and Jen showed some excellent qualities today in the handling of the boat.
Thanks, J.T.
Just wanted to let you know that my family had a wonderful time at your campground and rafting trip this past weekend. The staff, food, and our guide, Jen, were wonderful. We had never gone on a rafting trip and it was more than we ever expected. My son was a little skeptical at first but, thanks to our guide, he enjoyed himself. We are very much looking forward to gathering more family and seeing you next year. We also plan on telling everyone about our adventures with American Whitewater Expeditions.
Sincerely, The S. Family
Five girlfriends of mine and I went on a rafting trip at the beginning of June. Although the water was high and a little scary, I have to say that we had the best time ever! One of the reasons we enjoyed our trip so much was because of our guides, Rob and Robin. They were absolutely the best. They conformed to our crazy personalities and really put so much effort into us having a great time. When they weren’t on the river with us, we also noticed that they were working hard every minute back at camp, preparing our food, cleaning up, and even taking the time to come visit with us at the picnic tables. Please convey our gratitude to them once again and know that you have two of the best guides you can get. Thanks for a great time at your place.
We hope to visit with you again! A.W.
Thank you for such a great trip down the Middle Fork on July 28. Our group really enjoyed Grant, our guide. His skills were very impressive and I admire the fact that he does what he loves to do. What makes him stand out is the way he relates to his customers and his great personality. And we liked his jokes. Keep up the good work and tell Grant to never stop enjoying what he does. I’m jealous! We will be back for the camping and rafting.
Regards, S.D.
I wanted to let you know just how much my family and I appreciated our experience on the South Fork last week. Given the large amount of snow melt and all the press it had generated, we had some reservations about taking 3 children, ages 8 – 14, and a blind man on the river. When we arrived to your site, and saw the river up close, we really questioned our sanity. Peter got together with us and, although he made no guarantees, he convinced us that the risk was minimal, and that if we followed our guide’s leads, we would indeed have a safe experience down the river. Our guide, Grant (pronounced Gront), was fabulous. This guy is a class act; skilled in rafting and as personable as it gets. Peter knew exactly what he was doing when he put the 7 of us in Grant’s capable hands. When we got off the river and back to the camp site, the staff was friendly and made all of us feel as if we were part of their family. Even the trainees did their part to make us feel at home. Because I coordinated this trip for my brother and sister-in-law and their 3 children, I really wanted to do something special and make it a memorable part of their trip to California. The 2 days spent with your group exceeded our expectations in so many ways, and I can’t thank you enough! We can’t wait to get back on the river.
See you soon! D.N.
Your rafting guides were top-notch and it showed. This was everyone’s first time down any whitewater and no one fell off the rafts. Your guides gave us the confidence and the required skills to paddle down the river like a pro! Not to mention they were called to help out other river guides, apparently from another company with a less-skilled staff. One of the guides from another company had gotten themselves stuck in a corner of a rapid and wasn’t able to get out. Our guide, Roger, had everyone file out of the boat and went on a rescue mission to push the other guide out the corner he was stuck in. Our guide did it with real skill and finesse. It was amazing to watch. Coincidentally, when we were deciding on going down the river, we had narrowed it down to you guys and that other company. Boy, we were really glad we came down the river with you guys! The food was delicious both on the river and in the camp and there was a lot of it. You guys really made it easy to go camping and whitewater rafting. Your campground facilities were great! It really did feel like camping in luxury. Thank you for the wonderful trip. Everyone felt like they participated in something that was really fun and special and they all want to do it again. In fact, everyone that went is still talking about it almost eight months after! This was especially meaningful to us since this was a trip for two of our good friends who had lost both their parents recently. It really put an “up” back in their lives.
Thanks again, H.K.
Our Girl Scout Troop’s summer trip whitewater rafting with American Whitewater was wonderful. You and your people are friendly, knowledgeable, and very, very capable on the river. Peter took very good care of us off the river and he was always available to answer any questions we might have. This year we did the Middle Fork on the first day followed by the all-day version of the South Fork on the second day. Grant, Roger, and Rob were our guides for the Middle, and Robin, Stacey, and Tyler were our guides for the South. I would recommend all of them without reservations. My raft had Grant and Robin as its guides and both were excellent on the river and helped make our adventure fun and memorable. Each of your six guides represented AW in a very positive manner. The improvements you made to the camp look great. The new split-rail fence is a nice replacement for the old woven fence and the new bridge to the large camping area is nicely done. Quality and class will always win out. The girls in our Girl Scout Troop have come to think of AW as an important part of their scouting experience. They would be very disappointed if our annual whitewater rafting summer trip with you was not to take place. My daughter is co-leader of a senior Girl Scout Troop and next year she hopes to bring them to AW, either with my troop or separately, so they can also share in the exhilaration of whitewater rafting. Thanks again for another wonderful experience for my troop, my family, and me and please share our thanks with your staff.
Thanks, C.T. Girl Scout Troop Leader
I just wanted to write you and tell you how wonderful our trip experience was. We recently rafted (for the very first time!) two days on the South Fork and can’t wait to come back to try the Middle and North Fork. The service both before and during our trip was outstanding. Our raft guide (Cristy) was top-notch, she was outstanding and deserves a BIG raise. 🙂 In fact all of the guides and employees were so friendly and wonderful. The food was superb! I can’t say enough good things; we will definitely return and will raft with you all again.
Thanks for such an amazing experience!!! -CK