Yuri is best and coolest guide on the river hands down. That said, the other guides like Rasta also seem very competent and they are all really, really fun to be around. Danna and Trevor in the office are just super cool and squared away people. Van driver Gunny is grumpy and a bit ragged around his edges but the company is fantastic and maybe he's part of the charm. Maybe. Trust me when I tell you Yuri is the best guide you will ever have. Super nice guy. Skilled waterman. I can't recommend WWC and Yuri strongly enough. I've rafted with WWC and Yuri twice this year and I want to go again. Thanks Yuri and Team WWC for turning out the great Middle Fork American fun. read more

Everything written in the previous reviews hold true two years later. Our guide was superb in his skill and wit. He handled all participants in our raft which ranged in ages from 10 to 70 with true professionalism. Everything about the day was great from the oasis like camping site to the morning buns at the local bakery which we were directed to when we arrived a bit early, to rafting on by the many other rafts from other companies that were hung up on rocks and feeling confident that our guide, a very experienced Aussie, would never let that happen to us. I felt completely safe and therefore relaxed and laughed and laughed during the thrill of it. Any future rafting I do will be with Whitewater Connections. read more

This was our first time going rafting in several years and we rafted the South fork. We had a group of eight people and the experience was awesome. Our guide was Gunny and he was awesome. We felt confident in his skills the entire time. We got to ride some great rapids. The tents were set up when we got there, no assembly required! In the morning we were greeted with an tasty breakfast of pancakes, sausage and eggs. The lunch was amazing and it was on the boats and didn't even get wet!! Dinner was steak, shrimp, salad, bread. and some delicious brownie dessert. We even were given supplies to make s'mores! The next morning we had tasty breakfast burritos. The facilities were great (showers, bathroom stalls and hot water) It was roughing it with style. All of us did not want to leave. We are planning our next trip next year and we are bringing a bigger group next time and staying longer!!! read more

AMAZING !!! I was recently at WWC for a 2 day rafting trip and was blown away at how friendly, polite and informative the staff there was, not to mention professional. It started with camping on site, a great location near the water, with facilities....Friday night. We woke to a fantastic breakfast, followed by the safety class which is hosted by the river guides. Then, the fun starts and doesn't stop....rafting for the first half day, then we break for lunch....which is prepared by the guides. We return to the raft for the second half day and it is incredible. Once we reached our destination, we load up into the bus, head back to camp for showers and dry clothes, only to be served a 5 course meal of shrimp, tri tip, salads, chicken, veggies, potatoes, beer, wine, soda, water and the best chocolate desert items ever. INDULGE..... The next morning, breakfast is prepared and served for everyone, and we hit the trail in a decked out bus, to start further up river, arriving back at camp for a prepared lunch. Our Professional river guide was JEREMY, affectionately referred to as "KERDERKER" (spelling). He was funny, professional, and worked his tail off to make sure every person (our age range 6yrs old to 50) had a GREAT TIME. Whether its your first time, or you are an expert, you have not experienced the water the way it should be experienced, if you haven't cruised the rapids with JEREMY. If I could rate the place higher than 5 stars, I would. This is a family friendly experience, for all ages and a virtual must see. Many thanks to JEREMY and the folks at WWC for making my experience absolutely fantastic. read more

We spent 2 days rafting the South Fork (better for younger kids) of the American River. Booking was easy, on-line follow up and confirmation for the package agreed to via phone conversation. Guides knowledgeable and able to get along with diverse group of adults and kids (youngest 8 yrs old). Safety information delivered with humor, and they practiced what they preached, which made us parents all feel great. Able to scale the experience up or down to fit "teen/adult" crowd vs. elementary school family group. Lunch that they provided was tasty and filling. Did I mention that it was tons of fun? Definitely would use them again! read more

Our guide was Dave (aka Zonker) and he was the best. He is incredibly funny in the most deadpan way, but all business about safety and making certain you have a great time. We did this in conjuction with the American River Music Festival (Sept 16 thru 18, 2011) and had Jill Knight and her band along on the raft trip. They had their instruments waiting when we came ashore for lunch and played for us. It doesn't get any better on a beautiful summer day than that. We had just the right amount of thrills on the rapids and I can't wait to do it again. No reason to try other companies, Whitewater Connection exceeded my expectations. read more

Fabulous trip. Have been a client for over 25 years of whitewater Connection. Each time everything works out beautifully. Always fantastic guides, facilities and rafts in excellent shape, overall experience can't be beat. Thanks WWC! I will be coming up again soon! read more

We went for the one day trip. It was my family of four and another family of 7. I had a blast and so did all the kids. Both of mine (ages 12 and 18) thought the rafting was the best part of our Tahoe trip. I would highly recommend them. read more

To notch organization. They run a clean, tight ship that makes a day of rafting very fun and safe. We've rafted with them a few times with very large groups, and became clear they are one of the most professional organizations on the American. Can't get a better camp location, on the river with green grass and showers. They'll even set tents up for you with cots and pads if you want them. They do a great job feeding everybody and the foot is tasty. We feel very loyal to this group. read more

This company is the best. They make sure of your safety by providing helmets, clear / direct instructions and experienced guides. Our guide Chris was the best, he had fun with all my children and even at one time got the raft in a position which soaked my wife (she was in back) right after she got done laughing her butt of at us in the front. Our lunch was fantastic and all guides worked hard for our pleasure. After lunch came the most fun we had, rapids were bigger and of corse Chris maneuvered the raft in ways that were not only safe, but fun for the entire raft! We started this trip expecting soon fun and ended up with an experience that none of us haven't stop talking about. We are now working on planning our trip for next year. You will not go wrong with this company! read more

We had a great time rafting with Whitewater Connection! Couldn't have asked for a better trip with my kids. The staff was soooo nice; that means everyone from the store staff to the guides. Brendan was our guide and with 17 years of experience, it was obvious. I felt as though we learned a lot about keeping us safe on the river, yet how to have fun! We're already looking forward to next summer. It's level 4 next time!!! read more

We brought our children, ages 7,9,11,13,and 15 on a great rafting trip on the South Fork. Don bent over backwards to accomodate our schedule. Thanks Don! Pete was our amazing guide and he was THE BEST guide ever. We will definitely be back. Our 9-year old daughter summed it up best when she said, "Next time we are thinking about going to Disneyland, can we just come here instead?" uh, yeah. read more

We took our family on their first rafting trip and Whitewater connections made it a GREAT time. We had a group ranging in ages from 11 up to 47 and they made it fun for all of us. Austin was our guide, and he made sure our youngest son had fun and was not afraid of it. I would recommend Whitewater Connections and especially Austin to ANYONE looking to have fun on the river! read more

These folks are awesome! Professional, caring, skilled and really really fun! Their equipment is clean and well cared for. I've taken my girls, now 9, with the for several years along with other families. We will be doing so again next year! read more

My family "The Ferguson" group just got off the 19th year of river rafting with this company. Its the greatest time, and everyone looks forward to this trip every year. We love the camp, the food and all the guides! This year Paul was our guide and he was so awesome!!! I hope he's there next year! read more

Super trip down the middle fork. Fernando was a great guide, serious when dealing with our safety but he liked to mess with us a little in the calmer waters. My son and I stayed at the campsite which was perfect. On the river with amenities. It was the cleanest and easiest tent camping I have done. There are stores within a half mile and yet you are totally secluded in the woods. Go WWC! read more

Over a span of 20 years, my husband and I have rafted with WWC now for the third time last weekend. Couldn't be happier and our group of 12 (now the 7th trip together) has determined that this was THE BEST trip ever! Fernando and Nick were fantastic guides, fun, friendly, safe and really worked their butts off to ensure that we were well taken care of (don't forget to tip your guides!) WWC is a must - no other company will compare, campground is great, food is delicious and guides are da bomb! Thanks WWC for an AMAZING trip! read more

My 2 best friends and I have been doing different trips every year. The past 2 were skydiving. This year was whitewater rafting and it did not disappoint. We meet up with Jeremy and his Trainee Andrew. Both very nice guys and very knowledgeable. Great personalities, down to earth and most importantly to me, didn't give you the feeling of taking a bunch of people for just another trip down the river. Jeremy was very clear on his communication and just a good person. River was cold and moving fast. (We went 5/21/16 at 11a.m. 4000 CFS.) My friend found this outfit for the trip and there are many to choose from. If you go choose WWC and if your lucky you'll get the crew we had. Epic good times!!! read more

Outstanding weekend !!! Middle fork on Saturday and South fork on Sunday. Experienced guides that were very friendly and fun/funny. Great Food. Even looked out for the vegetarians. I felt lazy this year so I rented camping equipment. It was set up and waiting for me when I arrived at the camp site. I enjoyed watching my friends set up their tents. I loved the fact that there were berry trees at camp. Yummy. I loved that the camp site had hot showers. Thorough safety briefing. It was actually overcast and we got light rain on day one. Chilly, brrr. When does that happen in August? It just added to the memory. We were a group of 23 adults. If I were bringing my kids, I'd invite their friends and other families. It's so much more fun with a large group. Oh yeah, the very clean bus with dvd & monitors picked up from Los Angeles and did and awesome job getting us back safely. I would ride the rapids with Whitewater Connection again, absolutely, positively sure about that. Enjoy your ride ! read more

My sons and I just went with Whitewater Connections down the Kaweah River on June 5th and had an amazing time. What a blast!!!!I've been once before down the Kern (can't remember the company) but this was much better. All of the guides are great (we had Amy) and safety is paramount with Whitewater Connections. I plan on making this a yearly thing now and WC will be the rafting company I go with. read more

You can't go wrong with WWC!!! Between both of us my husband and I have rafted with WWC 6 times and every single time it's been a 5 star adventure. Our latest trip was the two day south fork of the American River package which included two nights camping in their beautiful private campground and all meals. This was our son and daughters first rafting experience and they couldn't wipe the smile from their faces. Our guide, Fernando, was awesome - taking us safely through all the rapids while keeping the excitement level high and going above and beyond in the "slower" parts of the river with some fun raft "maneuvers". The rafting was super fun for the whole family, the campground (including their showers and bathrooms) was clean and well-kept (lush, green and shady too, right next to the river) and all the meals were delicious! Top that off with a group of staff from the guides to the drivers etc. who are knowledgeable, polite, helpful, enthusiastic and not afraid to crack some corny jokes and you have all the makings for a FANTASTIC adventure. Well done WWC - we will see you again! read more

Great Time! I have been wanting to take my family white water rafting for a few years but the rivers closer to us usually close their season by July. I discovered Whitewater Connection through a "Groupon" deal and was glad to see they run at least to September. The river is fed by a dam release and that along with the unusually long rainy season and large snow pack for this year probably helped too. We went at the beginning of August and the weather was nice and warm/hot so the water felt great, not too cold. We were all first-timer rafters (My husband, myself, 4 adult children), WWC had all the safety equipment and explained very well how to use it and what to do in different situations to stay safe. We rafted for 1 day on the South Fork of the American River. It was level 3 and below so it was a nice easy float (very serene) with a few small rapids before lunch and the faster rougher rapids after lunch. We had a great time and want to go back and raft the next level, 3&4. We camped at a nearby campground a few days before and after the rafting trip, but WWC's campground is very nice and next time plan on staying there and taking a 2-day raft trip. You can purchase a CD of photos taken while rafting, it seems a little pricey at $75 but well worth it! The photos are great and you can share it with everyone in your group. Highly recommend Whitewater Connection! read more