OARS California Rafting

I've done a couple trips with OARS now: two on the South Fork of the American River and a 2 day trip on the Tuolumne. OARS does not disappoint! From incredibly attentive and knowledgeable guides to luxurious camping accommodations, they take care of you. All you have to do is show up and paddle. Maybe you don't even have to paddle if you're sitting in the gear boat.The American River trips are an easy day trip from Sacramento or the Bay Area. If you're looking for a little more adventure, a multi-day guided whitewater trip is so fun, with lots of downtime to swim, look at the stars, play games, and eat yummy food. There's no freeze dried camp meals here. Everything is boated in and prepped on the beach for you. So good. All around, so good.

We had a fantastic time on the 1 Day Tuolumne rafting trip! Our guide Dana was fun and informative and we felt very safe the whole way, even going through the Class IV rapids. Lunch was delicious. The tow-out was slow but only because the jet ski that towed us wasn't working properly. Definitely recommend this experience!

I worked for this rafting company back in the day.... They definitely have a plentiful variety of rivers to choose from. All different levels with family friendly options available. They raft CA, ID, UT, WY, OR, the Grand Canyon and much more. I recommend this company!

We rode the rafting trip on the Merced River below Yosemite National Park. Our guide, Mark, steered us through some incredible Class III and IV rapids with a wild ride. We had a midday lunch break along the river, with sandwiches, chips, fruit and cookies. All along the way, Mark explained the different rapids, what to watch for, and other interesting anecdotes. If you have an extra day in a Yosemite trip, this is definitely worthwhile!

I've been on a lot of white water rafting and this was hands down -- the BEST! Our guide Matz on the Merced was very professional and made us feel very safe with just the right amount of humor. What a great guide! The company, OARS had great communication and we felt Covid safe as all of our concerns were listened to and addressed. I highly recommend this company.

Trip was very well organized, and the staff was amazing. Our raft guide, Adam, was fantastic. Safety was paramount and a good deal of time was spent discussing that which made our group feel much better as we were facing some class 4 rapids. Lunch was super and I cannot say enough good things about Oars.

Our family had the GREATEST, DARING, AND ADVENTUROUS RAFTING EXPERIENCE. All the gratitude goes to our AMAZING, BRILLIANT, AND CHARMING GUIDE ARI! We did the South Fork American River. This rafting adventure wouldn't have been the same without Ari. I will be requesting her as our tour guide on our next rafting trip!

We had an AMAZING day on the Mighty Merced River with the OARS team! Gabby was a wonderful host, and Mark was a spectacular guide! We had a ton of fun in the rapids getting drenched by the cold water, but we felt absolutely safe the entire time. Our children, ages 12 and 13, had the time of their lives! This company provided the best equipment, the most scrumptious lunch, and tons of laughs and memories we will cherish forever. Thank you OARS for such a fabulously fun day!

Our guides were great. We had high waters on our trip which were unexpected but the staff was highly prepared and knew what to do in any situation in order to keep us all safe. They took good care of us and we would book again with them!

Great river trips. Beautiful scenery.Guides that know the river and Melones dam very well.