Middle Fork American River: Tunnel Chute

Type of Trip: Intermediate/ Advanced Whitewater

This section is Class IV+ Meaning Intermediate/ Advanced Rapids, Big Drops, Fast Currents, and Lots of Class II and Class III rapids with intermittent Class IV+ whitewater action. Perfect for river rafters looking for a memorable day with exciting moments.

We recommend for all of our Class IV whitewater rafting trips that guests have been rafting before, know how to swim, and are above age 13.

Guided Whitewater Rafting Tour

All of our tours are guided by a river guide in the back of the raft, who will guide you and your group throughout the day. The guide will show you how to sit in the raft, hold the paddle, and teach you proper paddling techniques. The guide will give paddling commands and interact with paddle strokes while navigating the raft through the river and turbulent sections.

Our goal is to have professional and customer-oriented guides trained to give you a wonderful river experience.

If you guide did a wonderful job and you had a fun experience tipping gratuities are an acceptable form of showing appreciation to your guide at the end of the tour.

14’ self-bailing river rafts are used

Trip Timeline:

Arrival at the meeting location, Transportation to the river put-in site, Gear ourselves up with rafting gear, Safety talk/ river instruction, Hop into rafts for the day, Stop along river shoreline for lunch, Load back into vehicles, Drive back to the meeting location. Say farewell.

Arrival Time– Check in for the trip between 8:15 am- 8:30 am

We ask ours guest be available to check in for the tour between the above time frames. It is important to arrive on time as our tours need to follow a strict time frame. The bus will leave the meeting location roughly 15 minutes after check in time for specific trip to keep the days schedule.

Make sure before leaving home to double check drive time and directions to ensure arrival on time. Road construction during the summer months and can affect road conditions.

Notify the office if you believe you are behind schedule for the trip.

13384 Lincoln Way Auburn, CA 94603.

Our Middle Fork American River trip meets in the back parking lot behind the Raleys Grocery Store at above address. There is a very large parking area which is a common meeting location for whitewater rafting trips.

There is plenty of parking available in this lot for everyone’s vehicle. If needing any last-minute items, the Raleys grocery store will have many of the following items: sunscreen, water shoes, hats, and much more. This is the perfect place to start your adventure.

Rough Drive Times to meeting location:

13 years old

Due to the nature of a class IV+ section of river we ask that kids are age 13 years old or above. Advanced Class IV whitewater has higher consequences and possibilities of unintentional swims than lower class sections of whitewater. It is important that all guests are able to be aware of their surroundings and be able to listen to directions in case swims and river rescues need to take place. Whitewater rafting, like any outdoor adventure activity, has inherent risks involved. Unintentional swimming can be common in any type of rafting experience. We ask that all participants be able to listen and understand instructions and directions given by river guides and staff. For this reason we have our minimum age for Class IV whitewater is 13.

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• “Trip Details PDF” will be attached to the confirmation email, which contains driving directions, pack list, itinerary as well as other pertinent information for your tour. Reference the Trip Details PDF for information on getting ready for your river rafting day with us.

What to wear

Getting ready for a whitewater rafting trip is similar to getting ready for a day at the beach.

Everything that goes on the river will get wet some so dress in clothing that you’d be comfortable swimming.

Quick List:

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• Shoes are required that will not come off, such as strap-on sandals, water shoes, booties, and old tennis shoes.

Flip-flops or slip-on shoes are discouraged and not allowed for rafting. If you go for an unintentional swim, you will lose your flip-flops immediately. If you end up on shore or in a random place, you need to have good footwear to get back to the rafts or to be able to walk along the shoreline.

For a more detailed packing list of items to consider wearing and packing for the trip, Click here for our Trip Details PDF, which includes a detailed packing list.

Things to Leave at Home:

While on the river, everything gets wet and can fall out of pockets and be lost in the river. We ask everyone to leave cellphones, wallets, Car keys, and valuables home, at our office, or locked away.

Gear and Equipment we provide

On every one of our whitewater rafting adventures, we pass out the following equipment to each guest:

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  During spring and cold weather trips, we also provide at no additional cost:

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Arriving to the river:

This Intermediate/ Advanced whitewater river rafting trip is suitable for adventure seekers looking for a classic California Whitewater trip. We begin the river trip portion just below the Oxbow dam and powerhouse. This dam allows consistent summer flows all summer long. From here, we set out for an incredible day on the river as this wilderness 17-mile run offers some of the best summer-long advanced whitewater in the state. Rapids start out from the get-go with a fast, splashy rapid called “Good Morning”. Rapids continue as the boats soar over the beautifully lined river bed filled with white quartz veins slicing through grey granite and dark limestone. Within the first mile and a half of the trip, you’ll run one of the biggest rapids of the day, the legendary Class IV+ “Tunnel Chute”. In 1889 gold miners blasted out this chute and tunnel in order to mine the pre-existing river bed. By changing the river, the miners created a wild whitewater rush for boaters to enjoy over a century later. This man-made rapid makes this advanced run a trip you’ll never forget. Halfway through the trip, the river slows down, creating perfect opportunities to swim, play games, and absorb the warm summer sun, as well as beautiful beaches for your guides to fix a gourmet lunch. If time permits, lush creeks and side canyons offer a perfect side hike, transforming your surroundings into a cool, lush Eden. The trip ends with more high adventure rapids as the river gradient steepens for an exciting finish. Steep drops await, and technical boat maneuvering is a must as you and your crew jet through the rapids. This high adventure trip is catered to guests looking for a little more action. Due to the nature of the trip, children must be 13 years old and strong swimmers to participate. Don’t hesitate to come on this classic California whitewater adventure. You’ll be glad you did.

Monday through Friday (Usually May to September) Saturday and Sunday Random offerings

The Middle Fork of the American River Tunnel Chute section is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We operate 1 trip a day usually May through September.

Our Permit allows unrestricted access to this river Monday through Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, we have limited use based on the river use permits we are issued. Call our office to check availability for river rafting on the weekends

Water that feeds the Middle Fork American River originates from the high Sierra Crest located between Alpine Meadows Ski Resort and the high peaks of the West shore of Lake Tahoe. The headwaters of the Middle Fork American River can be found from various peaks and collect from a large webs of rivers and creeks as the water flows towards the Callifornia foothills. Multiple smaller rivers and reservoirs collect and release water into the eventual Oxbow reservoir, the location of the starting point for our rafting adventure.

Oxbow Reservoir allows regular scheduled releases throughout the summer. Due to these scheduled releases whitewater rafting is available well into September.

Water is released daily; we call it “the bubble.” To conserve water throughout the summer, we must ride the daily release before the dam shuts down in the afternoon.

Our River Guides

Our guides are the best in the business, focusing on safety and guest service as a top priority. All are extremely knowledgeable about the area’s geology, ecology, and history and just love being on the river. Many with experience on rivers all over the country and across the globe, we’ll know you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do and each will certainly help to make your day on the river the best possible.

Tahoe Whitewater river guides are committed to showing the our guests the wildest ride available on the North Fork of the American River. So be ready to get wet! This High Adventure Trips require a team effort; guests will be expected to exert high physical energy. If you are afraid to get wet, this is not the adventure for you.