North Fork American River: Chamberlain Falls

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.

• Everyone is given paddles and asked to participate.
• Everyone should be in good physical shape.
• No experience necessary; however recommended for Class IV Adventures.
• Learn about the river classifications and differences between Class I through Class VI at this link FAQS

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.

13’ and 14’ self-bailing river rafts are used

• On the North Fork of the American River, our rafts can take up to 6 guests + a guide.
• River flows on the North Fork American River fluctuate daily during the spring melt. On the higher flows we will take 14’ rafts which add stability in the large waves and hydraulic features. As the water drop and the rapids become tighter and more technical we will switch over to our smaller raft sizes to fit and be more agile.

• Full-Day Rafting Experience
• 13 River Miles
• Roughly 4 hours of river rafting
• Roughly 6 hours total time commitment from arrival to our meeting location to saying farewell at end of the trip.

Trip Timeline:

Arrival at the meeting location, transportation to the river 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.

Monday through Thursday Arrival Time– Check in for the trip between 8:15 am- 8:30 am
Friday, Saturday, Sunday Arrival Time– Check in for trip TBD

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.

On the weekends we are given a specific put-in start time due to weekends being much busier than any other day. The specific meet time allows all the rafting companies to efficiently use the access locations without feeling cluttered. Please refer to weekend calendar dates for specific meeting time.

Make sure before leaving home to double check drive time and directions to ensure arrival on time. Road construction and slow traffic are common in Lake Tahoe 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 North 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:

• 40 minutes from Sacramento
• 2hrs from San Francisco
• 1hr 30 minutes from Tahoe City
• 2 hrs from Reno, NV
• 2 hrs from South Lake Tahoe

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.

• Once a reservation is made, you will receive a confirmation email sent to you for your reservation. Details of your group size, date, river, section, meeting time, and location will be a part of your confirmation email. If any changes or adjustments are needed to be made to your reservation, refer to your confirmation email, date, and name made with the reservation.
• Online waivers will be available to sign and share with other group members from the confirmation email. We ask guests to fill out online ahead of time prior to arrival.
• A “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 so dress in clothing that you’d be comfortable swimming.

Quick List:

• Bathing Suit or shorts
• Sun shirt or layer to protect from the sun
• Baseball hat
• Sunglasses (retention strap if expensive)
• Sunscreen
• reusable water bottle with a hard point for connecting to the raft
• Most Important 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 type shoes are discouraged and not allowed for rafting. The reason being if you go for an unintentional swim you will loose 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, has the possibility to 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 location 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:

• Helmets
• PFDs (personal flotation devices), also known as life jackets
• Paddle

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

• Wetsuits
• Fleece base layers
• Splash Jackets

• For river rafting the North Fork of the American River section, we will meet in the Rear The parking lot of the Raleys shopping complex. Drive around to the back and find a parking spot.
• Find our whitewater river rafting van and yellow river rafts, your river guides for the day will check your group in at our rafting vehicle.
• There is ample parking for vehicles here for the day.
• This location is a parking area, and we will leave your personal vehicles here for the day.
• From here we board our rafting bus for a 25 minute drive to the river. This same van will bring you back to your vehicles at the completion of the tour. Feel free to bring and leave personal items that can be stored in our vehicles throughout the day. Wallets, Cell phones, Car Keys can be stored in our vehicle while out on the rafting tour and will be waiting in your seat at the finish.

Arriving at the river:

• Restrooms are also available at the river put-in location.
• PFDs, paddles, helmets, and, when appropriate, wetsuits, splash jackets, and fleece will be passed out and appropriately fitted.
• The river guides will give a quick river orientation safety talk and paddle talk to inform you about river hazards, do’s and don’ts, and instructions in paddling will be given prior to setting off on the trip.
• We push off and enjoy a beautiful day river rafting the North Fork of the American River.

We begin our whitewater day just outside of Colfax, CA, where we drive down to the North Fork American River- Chamberlain Falls Run. The North Fork of the American River drops steeply out of the High Sierra Nevada Mountains and is known by many to be a true classic California river trip. The exciting Chamberlain Falls section of whitewater is a classic, for it flows through a steep, luscious canyon providing Incredible scenery above and beautiful granite river banks below. The river excitingly flows through house-sized granite boulders, narrow chutes, and steep, fun, technical rapids. The river cuts through one of the most scenic canyons in the American River drainage, so be ready for an extraordinary experience. Class IV rapids begin immediately downstream from our launch point with the fun rapids such as “Slaughters

Sluice”, “Chamberlain Falls”, “Zig Zag,” and many more! Rapids continue one after another. around each bend, challenging the best whitewater boaters. Be ready to paddle as your guides navigate through the turbulent waters, culminating at the most challenging rapid of the day, the challenging Class IV+ “Bogus Thunder”. Once successfully through, A break for lunch gives you the opportunity to relax and enjoy the beauty of this naturally flowing river, for the North Fork American River is uninhibited by upstream dams, creating a wild river experience. Since there are no upstream dams, this run is only available during spring snowmelt and high water seasons, so it’s important to plan ahead. Come join us on an adrenaline-filled day. This trip will sure to give you an amazing experience not available elsewhere.

Every day during peak run-off (usually April to June)

The North Fork of the American River Chamberlain Falls section is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The North Fork American River is uninhibited by upstream dams, creating a wild river experience. Since there are no upstream dams, this run is only available during spring snowmelt and high water seasons, so it’s important to plan ahead. Come join us on an adrenaline-filled day. This trip will sure to give you an amazing experience not available elsewhere.

We operate one trip a day, usually in April, May, and June. River flows will drop below runnable levels after peak snowmelt and the mid-summer months arrive.

Water that feeds the North Fork American River originates from the Sierra Crest located near Truckee, California. The headwaters of the North Fork American River can be found from various peaks between Sugar Bowl Ski Resort and Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort (formerly Squaw Valley). As little streams converge and drop steeply, impressive canyons are formed. The North Fork cuts steeply, forming canyons such as the “Royal Gorge”, “Generation Gap,” and “ Giant Gap,” collecting tributaries as the river works its way towards the Sacramento Valley.

The North Fork of the American River is a naturally flowing river with no dams or obstructions up steam from the commercial rafting section. Rain events and atmospheric river-type storms can easily raise the river to 10x its normal flow in impressive flood events. Because of these events, the rocks are polished and gorgeous along the river’s edge. Water Quality is amongst the cleanest and clearest on all of the American Rivers since it is all snowmelt from the previous day

Don’t miss out on a Spring rafting adventure on the North Fork of the American River as it is a true treat!

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.