Whitewater Rafting
Tours in California.

Kern River Outfitters guides whitewater raft trips on the Kern River near Kernville in the southern Sierra Nevada, operating on one of California's most storied commercial whitewater corridors where the Kern descends steeply from its headwaters near Mount Whitney before cutting through the Kern Canyon to Isabella Reservoir. The Lower Kern offers sustained class III–IV rapids—Ewing's, Powerful Petite, and Surprise—through a deep granite canyon lined with cottonwood, willow, and canyon live oak, while the Upper Kern above Kernville delivers class V technical whitewater accessible only to experienced paddlers with the right skill set. The Kern's Mediterranean climate means an extended season running from April through August, with peak flows driven by Sierra snowmelt in May and June producing the fastest and most dramatic conditions. Kern River Outfitters holds a Sequoia National Forest special use permit and operates family-friendly half-day trips alongside full-day canyon floats, providing all equipment including wetsuits, helmets, and shuttle transportation from Bakersfield. The Kernville area also offers access to Lake Isabella paddling, mountain biking on the Kern Plateau, and hiking into the Golden Trout Wilderness.

Tahoe Whitewater Tours guides raft trips on the American River from their base in Coloma—the Gold Rush site where James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848—putting participants on the most commercially rafted river in California with access to both the family-friendly South Fork and the expert-level North Fork. The South Fork of the American between Coloma and Folsom Lake delivers 21 miles of class III whitewater through the American River Canyon, with rapids like Troublemaker, Satan's Cesspool, and Hospital Bar threading through a canyon of blue oak, gray pine, and manzanita on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The North Fork above Colfax drops over 1,000 feet in 16 miles with sustained class IV–V rapids including the infamous Giant Gap run, accessible only to expert paddlers with self-rescue skills. Tahoe Whitewater Tours runs South Fork day trips year-round during snowmelt season from March through October, while spring flows from Sierra snowpack create the biggest and fastest conditions in April and May. The outfitter operates under an Auburn State Recreation Area permit and provides all equipment, wetsuit gear for cold-water spring trips, and post-float BBQ at their Coloma basecamp along the historic Gold Discovery Trail.