If your up for a great adventure this is the place for you. The sceneries are absolutely beautiful. If you're like me and nature is very healing for you, I would suggest it. I want to remind you to wear a life vest... never turn your back on water, it is very unpredictable. read more

Rafting was fun but EXTREMELY unorganized fir beginners. We did check beginner on the box. The staff was very uninformative & didn't give clear directions. Also gave us wrong directions as we tried to get off at the halfway point & the guy told us no to keep going till the next beach area & there was none. So when we got to the next checkpoint the worker told us no we couldn't get off & that he should have let us off but that they were trying to push all the boats thru cause it was a weekday. Then there was an issue with the shuttle so we had to wait about 45 minutes. You're basically on your own trying to figure stuff out. Definitely would but. Do the same company Again as they seemed very young & they didn't seem to care. read more

Girls trip this was our first trip river rafting. There was 8 of us which worked out great to even our raft out! Price for this rafting was very reasonable. This is a basic level 1-2 does not require helmets as River is calm most of the trip. Life jackets are provided, no glass it accepted, no alcohol, but you can bring an ice chest with drinks and snacks that fits great in the raft. They have spot down the River where you can park and jump into the River with a swing or off a rock... it's typically not recommended "swing at your own risk". We did receive a call before our scheduled day letting us know the River water levels are high and we all must be great swimmers or able to swim back to the raft in strong currents if we fall out. We sign waivers upon getting into the raft. They give you instructions very basic!! On how to paddle as a group down the River. They did have some strong currents, super high water levels but nothing a decent swimmer can't do. They had shallow calm areas this rafting can take up to 4-5 hours start to finish. They do have a shuttle at the end of the River taking you back up to the starting point. They also take a professional picture which can be found at the end of your trip on their FB page complimentary! This was awesome! Con: Parking completely sucks! Recommendations: take a lot of drinks to stay hydrated, take a water proof speaker for music, take ice chest, hat, and sunblocks! read more

( everyone's first time) Made reservations for a group of 8 family members, all adults. Young and young at heart. The lady who helped me make the reservations was so sweet and gave me great advice. I had to call back a few time to add people and what not. Never a problem. We arrived at 9am parked in a dirt lot. Checked in, and checked out a yellow dry box for free (worked great and no water ever got in our box) it was advised that we pay our $5 dollars parking fee before we went down to the water. (note: parking kiosk only takes card and I heard ppl who have a chip card had issues using it.) Once we arrived at the river where the boats were located we told them our group name and they advised us on rules and to stay left at the fork in the river yada yada yada... hopped in the boat and took off. (take water guns) or you will get attacked by other boats with water guns. As we passed the rapid we seen the girl taking our photos. around the horseshoe area a member of the company was waiting just in case anyone wanted to exit. it was only 1pm so we decided to continue on. Once we ended the trip Dave the Owner picked us up in a big 14ppl van and was super nice and answered all of our questions about the river and his company. We would definitely use this company again in the future. read more

River Journey Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Oakdale, California

River Journey is great my family and I have been making trips down the river for years and always go back to River Journey. The staff is friendly and comprised of locals that know the river and great spots to stop and enjoy lunch and a few beers. The rafts are topnotch and you wont find alot of self bailing rafts out there which makes it nice because you do not have to stop and empty out the rafts throughout the day. Parking is a breeze which is clearly marked for all rafting customers and is fenced in just above the bridge with a bus to take you to the launch. Ive never had any problems with this company, with parking, which way to go down the river. Everything is there for you the directions are clear and the staff is great. The only way you might run into problems is if you do not pay attention. Cant wait until our end of summer rafting trip!!!!!!!! read more

River Journey Adventures - RiverPalooza - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Oakdale, California

The river is very calm and lazy (not as exciting as their photos depict but it's a nice relaxing time with friends), which makes it great for bringing food/drinks onto the raft! A few too many beers may make one fall off the raft multiple times :) EVERYTHING gets wet on the raft, no matter what you like to think/argue. Every single thing inside our bags got soaked, so good thing we listened to the company when they told us to NOT bring anything electronic/valuable onto the raft. If your car keys are electronic, seal them inside layers of plastic (or something waterproof) and secure them in a backpack/cooler pocket. The staff was really nice and the safety orientation they gave us didn't take very long at all. The "shuttle" that they use to take you from the parking lot looks like a junky old jail bus, but hey! We were happy that we didn't have to walk all the way there. There were plenty of places to stop and picnic. There was a little cliff that people like to jump off, too. There's also a tire swing but I have a feeling that it belongs to a private property along the river, and rafters using it may have prompted what happened in this next paragraph: The only thing I didn't like about this river was that it goes through a lot of private properties (as in you can actually see the houses and their backyard is essentially the river) with trashy people living there who like to harass rafters. On the day that we went, some rafters complained after the trip about some punk ass teenagers who were shooting at them with BB guns from the shore!!! WTF. Dear lord! And apparently this had happened before, according to a staff member on the bus. I hope the staff does something to identify these little f*ckers and set them straight. Also, they were supposed to have a camera to take our pictures on the river while we were rafting but they decided to not do it that weekend that we went because it was their last operating weekend. Lame... they should have specified that on their web site. I'm glad they had a Groupon. read more

Really!! the price isn't worth this trip. $185-225 for a class 1 trip. I've done this trip when it was less than $50. If you pay more then you've been had. Nothings changed..go to Sacramento where the real rafting is. you can get way more for your money.. read more

Oh! Dear God im in love. I love kayaking and I CANNOT believe I didnt know there was kayaking in this area. (slaps forehead) I lovingly forced my boyfriend to come with me. We took a tandem kayak. Its a blowup type, ive never been on one before but i really like it alot and its perfect for the river (nice job!). We had the best time ever! I was referred to this company by a friend of the owners, so I thought sure ill check it out, We will be coming out AT LEAST three more times this summer. We were able to navigate the river just fine, glad we listened to instructions before hand and avoided any stress. Stopped to take photos and eat some snacks we brought. We double bagged everything and used a drybox for the electronics (also bagged). I totally forgot they told us they would take a photo of us until a few days later I decided to look it up and there they were! Amazing and hilarious photos of us! We were so happy and exhausted after we finished. And so grateful for the shuttle back to the car. *We got there way too early and did not know where to find the launch. No worries, we went and had some food came back at the right time and easy peasy, there they were, very easy to find. If only I could go every week! read more

River Journey Adventures - Im so happy they took this photo for us! What a thoughtful thing to do. Now I have a memory of the event! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Oakdale, California

We are literally on our way out of the camp as I write this. We have been evacuated due to a fire coming as I write this review. The staff were all very professional and helpful and kind. Send some prayers their way. The fire was close. The trip was so much fun. We spent one night camping. You camp right on the river. Simple, sweet and magical. They provide gear, instruction, but no guide one the boat with you. You don't need one. So it is really fun to just have your group one the boat. There's a great spot to stop and have lunch. Camp has picnic tables and port-a-potties. None of these details seems so important now, as the families there are struggling to keep their homes and livelihoods. I just wanted to write this review and send them some love and gratitude for by far the most exciting camping trip ever. My deepest gratitude to you for your kindness and efficiency in such a sudden crisis. My prayers are with you. Love, Therese read more

Loved it!!! Parking is super easy. We followed the directions as provided . Checked in with Dave ( I hope that's his name) suggestion bring your release forms much quicker than those that filled them out when they arrived .. yellow bands yellow boats ... Staff were great and explained everything well .. you're done at the bridge .. Staff will be waiting to grab your boat and take you in.. Dave again was there to shuttle us back to our car . Lunch at the 50's Diner Yummy .. great day all around and glad we picked River Journey.. Just one request: PLEASE GET A TIP JAR!!! Placing one in the bus would be great .. We really wanted to tip this great staff but had no way of doing it and not really comfortable with just handing the money to someone .. LOL .. read more

This is our annual trip with friends during the 4th of July weekend! It is such a great time! The employees are awesome and always polite. They offer dry boxes FREE of charge to borrow while you're rafting down the river, which is great if you don't want to lose your keys. They have a security guard in the parking lot, which is a great thing, but we know better than to leave valuables in the car. It was nice to see the owner working the check in booth. It is a very good thing to have an owner be so involved in his business. Thank you for another great trip, I am going to tell our Boy Scouts Troop about the trip and maybe they can raft and camp with you guys next year! read more

River Journey Adventures - Fourth of July Weekend - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Oakdale, California

We have a friends & family annual river rafting trip every year for the past 10 years!!! We always book our trip with River Journey Adventures!!! It is so much fun!!! Dave and his crew are amazing!!! It's always a great experience and everyone looks forward to it every year!!! I totally recommend River Journey Adventures with Dave Voortman for a fun, exciting and memorable experience!!! Can't wait to do it again!!! read more

River Journey Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Oakdale, California

This was by far the easiest way to get cool.... great company... recommended for kids and fun read more

See all

Been rafting with River Journey Adventures on the Stanislaus river since 1988 and these guys are the best! hands down! the campsite is right on the russian rapids! Sweet! Walking distance to downtown Knights Ferry. And if your getting a guide be sure to ask for Nitrofish! You wont be dissapointed. read more

River Journey Adventures - River Rats on the Stanislaus River 2018! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Oakdale, California

WARNING: We took a trip in July 2012; my group had 6 vehicles; which they forced us to park in a parking lot that was not visable to where you check in; after the trip when the bus dropped us off; realizing we were the only group parked in this area, well 3 cars were broken into, thousand of dollars worth of damage and stolen goods. The bus driver would not call policy and once the owner showed up...it still took him time to call the police. Things just didn't seem right after we started thinking about the day. Morning: We were one of the first groups to go out and forced to park in this lot; not one other guest was forced to park in this area, when we returned there were over 60 cars parked where we were told not to park. It seemed as if it was an inside job! I JUST WANTED TO WARN ANYONE WHO DECIDES TO USE THIS COMPANY! THEY KEEP DELETING MY POSTING OF OUR TRIP....WHICH MAKES ME THINK THEY WERE IN ON IT TOGETHER! FILED BBB COMPLAINT! Good luck, but I wouldn't use this company EVER! read more

Had a great time rafting this weekend. And River Journey Adventures made the experience really wonderful. We arrived at 10 am , were given our wristbands and were told to go to the river. We had come prepared knowing that everything would get wet and we'd brought a safety waterproof box for our valuables. It pays to come prepared to these things! Anyways the guy who helped us on the raft gave us some tips and of we went. YES we hit a couple of trees and YES we got stuck since the water's really low, but then isn't that the POINT of an adventure? I thought the whole thing was a blast! we were told that it would take between 3 - 5 hours, but we made it in 2.5 ... we are a competitive family :) . Will do it again when the waters are a bit more rambunctious ... around March - April is what we were told. Overall a FUN way to spend a hot Saturday morning. read more

River Journey Adventures - Rafting down the Stanislaus river :) - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Oakdale, California

2nd year in a row. We are making it a yearly trip. Perfect for people of all ages. Has only a few spots of maybe class 2 Rapids the rest is all smooth sailing. Relaxing with friends and family. Go as fast or slow as you would like. One cooler per raft so plan it out in advance if you have multiple rafts. Bring plenty of sunscreen very little shade. With big groups you get discounts that make it very reasonable prices for a full day of fun. read more

Drive by there all the time and never new that you could go kayaking around here. The river was clean, calm, and very relaxing. We saw a river otter, turtle, huge trouts (they are protected apparently so you can fish but can't keep). The ride to the river and the staff where very friendly. I am thinking of buying my own kayak because this was so much fun. This was a very fun trip and very affordable, would recommend to families or anyone wanting to have a fun and very relaxing afternoon. read more

River Journey Is the best out there! I wouldn't use anyone else! The staff is so knowledgeable with river safety, professional and fun! If you want the best on the river, only River Journey Adventures will do! Can't wait for the next time!! read more

We had a great experience with River Journey Adventures. The trip was so much fun and the tour people setting up did a great job, we're super friendly and efficient. The river water was really low, making the trip a little difficult but overall a great experience. Will definitely do it again. read more

This is very well organized. The staff is very helpful and friendly. It's is a pretty easy float and very kid friendly. Be prepared to get soaked and make sure to come equipped with super soakers. The water was pretty low and not moving very fast when I went so we definitely had to paddle hard! It makes for a decent upper body workout! It's great that they provide transportation back to your vehicle. Overall pretty fun!:) read more

I've used this company a few times and highly recommend them. I've done both Oakdale and Knight's Ferry trips, both rafting and tandem kayak. Really pleasant experience each time. The pricing is reasonable, the trips are organized, and the staff are incredibly friendly and well-trained. While they were waiting for us at the end point, one of the staff members had paddled upstream in a kayak and was picking up litter from the river. Respect! The scenery is gorgeous, really nice oak groves. We saw fish, turtles, tadpoles, lots of birds and a few mink-like creatures. As for activity level, it can be a good work out, or if you are lazier, you can go at a slower pace. You'll definitely have to paddle at times: 1) to navigate and 2) because water is very still in some parts. The water level does get low in some spots (we had to step out and pull the raft a couple times in the whole journey.) It's a drought! It happens... I really can't think of any negatives unless you hate the outdoors, water or physical activity. Otherwise, bring plenty of water, food, and sunblock and it'll be lots of fun...try it! read more

Great fun and definitely not as crowded as the American River in Sacramento so that's a major plus. Check out River Journey for all rentals http://www.riverjourney.com/index.html. It's a very chill river and is a great way to spend about 2-3 hours on a hot day for about $20 and comes with a shuttle ride back to your starting point read more

Wow!!!! What a place... And I mean that in a bad way. When we got there we signed in. After that we got our life vests, got our paddles, and just waited there for about 5-10 minutes until someone came to "try" and inform us. The guide person told us to wear our life vests, where we could eat, always to stay on the left, what to do if someone fell out, and that the river was five times higher than normal. The rafting trail was about 8 miles. My group was the first group to set out on this adventure. The first 5 miles were fun, exciting, and ok, but then we docked on shore to eat lunch. We had a great lunch eating at Horseshoe park; it was easy to find and easy to get to. We had a hard time getting out of the little picnic area until a guide from another raft had to pull us out, then the troubles started. We started hitting trees as the current got faster. A sign pointed to this litte area. The sign said that this was where the raft dropped of was. The sign was so so wrong. It lead to a dead end. So one of the passengers had to jump into the cold cold water and pull us out of the dead end and back to the main channel. THE SIGN MISLEAD US!!!! When he hit a really bigg branch, it knocked down one of our passengers into the water. We had a hard time getting her out. THe raft was really hard to navigate. We finally spotted the actual drop offd zone, yeet we almost got pulled into the river until we had to paddle as hard as we can. They finally got us out from the horrible adventure. In the end we realized that ther people in the beggining they never ask us if we had any questions, how to navigate the boat if we were begginers, and barely any good advice! I do not reccomend this place for anyone!! HOrrible, horrible horrible, HORRIBLE PLACE. DONT GO HERE. read more

For self guided rafting, you won't find a better company, equipment and staff. With high river flows, they actually care about their customers safety. They provide guides, when necessary, and have safety personal at many points along the river. Something the other company does not. For busy Saturdays, when they put in hundreds of rafters, they are very organized. For those than whine about floating the river, bumping into trees and getting having troubles navigating the river, THAT'S YOUR FAULT. How long have you had your drivers license. You actually need to steer the raft! We had a great time. read more

So I've had written a review before this but don't know what happened? WEIRD! I haven't been rafting yet but I feel like I'm a pro of the area and know what to expect. I've been having issues with reservations because of change of plans and I've been going back and forth with a kind young lady by the name of Emily. She has really gone above and beyond with all the questions I needed answered and more than helpful and patient. Sorry for calling multiple times, but it has been a pleasure for providing me with EXCEPTIONAL service. There's no "FEEDBACK" area on the website, so hopefully on here you can be recognized. I appreciate your help Emily! read more

I guess the secret is out and everybody knows that River Journey is the best rafting experience on the Stanislaus River. We have been coming back year after year for over 10 years. Our group ranges from 20 people on up and we always get the best service and experience. The guys are very knowledgeable about the river and if you are a first-time rafter you will receive all the guided information necessary to have a safe and amazing experience. Keep in mind this is a water fight on the river. We would recommend bringing your water cannon not a water pistol. Pack a lunch in a very dry bag and stop along one of the several designated stopping points to enjoy your nourishment and some beverages. The view of lovers leap is incredible. I really just can't say enough about how great our experience is and how terrific the staff is. I definitely give them five stars. They deserve it. read more

Very friendly helpful fun staff - even hunted me down in the parking lot to make sure our cars got to the end point and us shuttled back to the beginning so when we got out of the water at the end of the trip our cars would be right there. Water level & speed is contingent upon dam release - this day was slow, so we got our money's worth with a long lazy day on the river. Weather was perfect - not the weatherman's stated 98 degrees, but cooler with a great breeze the entire time. Monday = less rafts on the river. read more

We went over the Labor Day weekend with a group of 14 people and absolutely loved the customer service and experience River Journey provided to our group. They were able to schedule us a reservation the day before, with no trouble and extremely friendly service throughout the reservation process! I have been coming here for years, and look forward to making more memories thanks to River Journey! read more

This isn't my first experience river rafting.. my first time was actually at American River Raft, I would really like to give this place a 4-5 stars but... - When we first arrived in our party of 90 people everything seemed so unorganized. We didn't know which bus to hop on to get us down to the river. - When we finally arrived to the river it seemed as if everyone was everywhere, there was no organization at all, again it was very unorganized. The employees there finally gathered us together after we all wore our life jacket looking lost. - I knew this was level 2 so it was just a breeze through the river. It got annoying because we kept on hitting trees and leaves which led me to getting all these red bumps and hives on my arms. - We had to remember all the forks or else we would've gotten stuck in bushes and trees like the other 2 rafts did. - It was a struggle to actually pull into the "horse shoe" to have our lunch. - "free photos" WHERE?! totally not on the website. I highly recommend going to the American River Rafting if you're looking for a thrill. I went to level 3 at the end of August for my first time and it was def. worth the money i paid for with my family. There was actually strong currents, excitement, movement, and professional photos which you had to purchase. We had an instructor at the american river raft which caused more fun! and was taught how to actually raft in technique and style. i'll post some photos from Level 3 american river rafting. read more

River Journey Adventures is definitely a company that will meet all your river rafting needs needs. They are professional, organized, friendly and provide excellent customer service. We had a large group and River Journey Adventures provided "top notch" service! The parking was a breeze. The staff were very courteous. If you want to take a trip down that section of the river, I highly recommend contacting River Journey Adventures for your next trip...you won't be disappointed!! read more

Went on a river float today and had a great time. Facility was clean and all of the gear was in good condition. No surprises. Only issue was not knowing when the float would end. Kids got anxious about missing activities. Maybe make a map of the route and possible picnic areas or landmarks? read more

Couldn't be any better. Our guide was incredible. Very informative, helpful and safe. I loved every second of it and can't want to do it again. read more

Had a great time rafting down the Stanislaus River starting in Oakdale. James was our group leader and was very friendly. I even got a free t-shirt as soon as the staff found out it was my birthday...excellent customer service and well deserving of a 5 star review! read more

The nearest place I would go rafting currents are chill for the most part, I usually like the water currents to be a bit more free streaming. They have a great friendly staff, would recommend for family kayak or rafting. read more

We had a wonderful time. Went this September so not a lot of people on the river. Very warm so the cool water of the river was quite welcoming. For most of the group it was our first time rafting and with kids, the level of water and difficulty was just right. Beautiful river and very helpful and cheerful staff. What I would improve a bit though is a little more detailed description of what to expect when you fall in the water, especially for the kids. We had one of our kids fall in and she panicked as she did not expect the pull of the water would be so strong. They did tell us what to do when anyone falls in, but a bit more detail in explaining here would be helpful. Other than that, we loved it and they were very accommodating to some special requests. read more

Took our first rafting excursion this past summer, and at the recommendation of a few friends we booked our trip with River Journey Adventures and had a blast! We had a mixed group of people (teens to seniors and a few of us inbetween) and two boats. As my daughter and her BFF said: Best. Summer. Outing. Ever. We loaded up our lunches, and our super soakers (a must!) and headed down the river. It was great to have both segments where you needed to paddle like a mad man through the fast waters and to keep out of the the trees, and also areas that you could drift at a leisurely pace. We stopped so that some in our party could jump from the cliff into the river, and another area where we played on a rope swing. We spent the entire day on the river, starting at 10 and not getting to the end until 5 pm. The guides gave us some excellent advice on navigating the river, what to do to avoid getting taken out by tree branches, and where to eat lunch. We are planning another trip for 2013, and plan to make it an annual event. Extremely affordable, very entertaining, and a nice way to escape the real world for a day. read more

Fun way to spend a day with family! It was very relaxing to ride a raft! I will make sure to bring water guns for next time!

I am giving this one star because I feel mislead. A$60 Groupon for 6 people for a private, selfguided 4 hr rafting. We were told everything & everybody would get wet so dont bring anything that cant get wet. A quick lesson on what to do if you fall out, hit trees, rocks etc and we were off!! At first we were moving downstream and came accross a little dip, and then a 2nd dip where they took our picture...great! Except that would pretty much be it, the next 4 hrs would be speant paddling and getting out of the raft to push it off the bottom of the river.It was so shallow that not only were we not moving unless WE paddled but we kept getting stuck on simply the bottom of the lake. HAD we expected this to be a floating/paddling trip it would have been fine, but when you are expecting class 2 whitewater it is disappointing. The staff was pleasant and on time with drop in and shuttle but I would not do it again and would only recommend it to those who want a day of paddling. read more

River journey is absolutely the company to take when rafting the Stanislaus. The river is a class 2 so no crazy rapids but moves fast enough that you don't have to paddle the whole time. The scenery is beautiful and the lunch stops equally nice. No trash on the ground and plenty of space. The photos are super entertaining an a great thing to remember the trip by. The only thing I would change about this experience is the service. The boys (clearly they were young and inexperienced) that run it were making crude jokes and weren't nearly as accommodating as I had hoped from a tourist based business. Despite that I highly recommend going rafting with river journey. I had a BLAST! read more