River Drifters

My husband and I did the 2-​night, 3-​day trip on the Deschutes and we had an absolutely amazing time. I expected to have fun, but never in a million years did I expect to be moved by the experience and for that I credit the guides we had: Kim, Matt, Ben, and Jo Jo. The river dog, Nessa, also provided plenty of laughs and doggy cuteness along the way. Their experience, service, graciousness, and professionalism were top-​notch, and this truly was one of the funnest vacations I’ve ever had. For every baby boomer or Generation X-​er that wants to bag the Millenials, come spend a few days with these exceptional young men and women and then let’s talk. The food was delicious, the conversations entertaining (their pop culture knowledge met my exacting standards, and a special shout out to Matt for excellence in Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones knowledge), and the rafting was a blast. I’m likely now permanently lured away from Zoller’s due to this experience, and they’re usually pretty hard to beat. If you’ve never done an overnight raft trip but have always wanted to, use River Drifters.

We just returned from a 2-​night, 3-​day trip on the Deschutes that included our 8 and 7-​year old daughters. This trip was so great to disconnect from electronics and reconnect with nature. I can’t say enough good things about our guides; Kim, Jo Jo, Matt (Davidhoff) and Ben were amazing! Jo Jo particularly was great with our girls.
The rapids were a blast and all of the guides were careful and made sure to explain everything, they were super knowledgable about the area. In total our group had 7 people and River Drifters was able to keep us all in the same boat. The food was great and the guides took care of everything! All we had to do was set up and tear down our tents.
If you’re considering spending thousands of dollars going to Disneyland, thinking that consumerism and standing in line is a great family vacation, please consider River Drifters and their unbeatable venue.

We had the PERFECT trip! Our guide Kim felt like one of us! It was such a relaxing and yet thrilling trip! We are already planning a 3 day trip next June! The equipment, service, and experience was TOP NOTCH! It was also VERY reasonably priced for 6 hours on the river, equipment, guide, AND full catered lunch!!! Can’t wait to go again!

Great rifer rafting company! I did the full day Deschutes trip and had a blast! Our guide Kim was super knowledgeable about the area and knew every question we asked her. River Drifters is THE place to go for a rafting trip hands down!!!

Rafting with River Drifters was the icing on the cake for our Portland Trip.
Our guide Danno, was funny, informative, mischievous, and experienced. We felt really safe with him as our guide… until he tricked us into flipping our raft over twice. haha But it added a little bit more excitement to our beginning/​medium level half day course on Deschutes. He also knew what he was doing so gave us a bit of a challenge by flipping us over, but it was quite strategic… I think haha.
I was pretty scared during the times that we did flip, but with the help of my friends and Danno, we all managed to get back on the raft every time. If you’re considering rafting, I want to encourage you to JUST DO IT! I’m not the type to do anything super adventurous, but I’m really glad that I challenged myself to go on this rafting trip. Pay once, and gain memories for a life time!
Note: Remember to bring cash to tip your guide! Also, they have a wet bag on the raft so you can store water bottles in it. You’ll get thirsty especially if you’re out in the heat.

Last summer a group of five of my female relatives went on a three day overnight rafting trip on the Deschutes. Matt was our guide and Shion manned the gear boat. We went in July, the weather was beautiful and the entire experience was fantastic.
Never having camped before I was nervous, but these guys have it all figured out. All your gear goes into spacious drybags that are carried on a different raft. There was lots of water, big lunches and tasty dinners ready for us each time we pulled off the river. On the water Matt taught us to play games, talked with us and was generally an amazing host. And, of course, skillfully navigated us over lots of fun rapids, took us adventuring upstream to some sandy slides, let us cliff jump and more! When we set up camp in the afternoons we hiked, swam, kayaked or napped in hammocks.
Our experience was so enjoyable and we made such good friends with the father and son that shared our raft, that we all reunited this week for a one day trip down the Clackamas! Of course we requested Matt and were so excited to get to raft with him again. How awesome is it to talk about how the Game of Thrones show deviated from the book while navigating whitewater?
River Drifters is a fantastic outfit and Matt might be the best guide they have (although our friends rafted with Caleb and he was a good time, too!) Rafting is just such a cool experience — you never know what’s going to happen. We saw wild horses, otters, osprey, caught crawfish, stargazed and made friends for life! We are definitely making this an annual trip. Can’t recommend enough.

Overall, this is a well run rafting outfit. We had 15 people in our group including two 5 yr old kids. Everyone had a great time. I really appreciate the extra effort that the guides make to make this a full day run including a side trip to a «natural water slide». The midday meal was plenty. I would definitely choose this company again. I think the only potential disadvantage is that there are all levels of experience with the guides and I am sure we had a better experience with our guide than others had. Our guide was willing to take us over a large rapid (after putting the kiddos Ina different boat). Depending on your level of prior rafting experience, this may play a role. If you are a newbie, you will have fun regardless.

Out of this world trip! I grew up rafting the Deschutes as a local, and I have never had as fun of a trip as I did with River Drifters. We were a group of 25 with 3 guides, and they took amazing care of us. They Fed us, made us laugh out loud, and most importantly, guided us down the river. They took us to a location even I hadn’t seen on the river before. Plan to do this every year! Booking a trip for a big group was so easy, and all of the staff is very helpful.

My wolf pack and I decided we were gonna go river rafting at the last minute and I’m so glad we did! They were so accommodating in every essence. We, as a group of 5 ladies ran late… they waited. When we got there no attitude were given. The entire staff was super sweet! We were quite nervous since it was our first time but our awesome guide Brian put us at ease. We knew he was going to mesh well with us girls… All I can say is what was said and happened on the raft stays on the raft! Pretty sure we left him with great stories to tell his co-​workers ;-) Brian you are such an amazing person and great at what you do! I’m sure the other guides are great as well but you were put with us for a reason. The river and view was equally beautiful! I HIGHLY recommend this company and Brian as ya’lls guide! Don’t let his good looks fool ya… he’s great at what he does! Thanks for the 5 dao (5 star) service! Until next time. .5 Dao out!!!

I recently did a day float (6 hrs) with these guys and it was great! our guides were professional and made it a fun experience. I have been on this river lots of times since I was a kid, so I wanted to hit the river again with friends. My friends were on a raft as a paddle team with the guide, but they let me rent an individual kayak to take down the river at no extra cost. I wanted to hit all the good holes at box car and oak springs!
And i did, and I flipped and it was awesome!
They even took us to a place I had never been to before where there was natural river slides. So cool. And when we got to the lunch place at maupin, it was ready! and it was amazing food. I felt bad for some of the other guided companies because their lunch was not ready when they arrived and i think they saw the professionalism that our group displayed and may have been a little jealous.
all in all, go with these guys. they were great. no attitude, no spin. And i saw not one cell phone all day!!!
Tyler J of Santa Monica, CA

Great day, white water rafting. Deschutes River was a blast. River Drifters offered a fun experience. Shout out to our excellent guide Kelsie. River Drifters team helpful and friendly. Hilarious stories.

Scheduled a trip that I unfortunately had to cancel. Make sure you realize when booking and paying a 5.00 per person fee that you will be charged an additional 15.00 per person if you cancel the reservation and they will charge you even if you cancel well in advance (I gave them two weeks notice). It is their policy and I accept it. What I didn’t expect was a rude phone call reminding me that I will be charged for cancelling! I would have been fine with «Sorry you had to cancel. Might you be interested in rescheduling? There is a 15.00 per person charge if you cancel.» Instead I was rudely informed that my credit card would be charged. I would have appreciated a more professional response. Hope they’re more positive and welcoming when on a raft. I am no longer interested in finding out.

We adventured down the Deschutes River with River Drifters for a 3 day/​2 night trip. Our guide was Brian and our Gear Boat Master was Shion and his pup Sato. Being a first time rafter, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I honestly feel like this company brought their A-​game and really made this experience exciting, entertaining, and thrilling.
Our guide Brian was awesome, totally down to earth and very personable. He made the small talk on the boat interesting, had plenty of jokes, and also knew the river like the back of his hand. He weaved our boat through the rapids, making sure we all got some splash time, taught us how to «surf waves», and kept our spirits up even when the weather turned a little chilly. On our second day, he led a hike up the Deschutes canyon where we got a chance to put our experience in perspective as we watched the river meandered through the hills. He built our confidence in our paddling skills and took us through some exciting rapids while keeping us all in the boat.
Our gear boat guide Shion was a master as he raced down the river and secured our group the best campsites along the river. He was so fast and efficient that he even had food cooked and ready for us as we reached the site. He was so accommodating when it came to food preparation and was an awesome cook as well.
Overall, from the reservation process to the actual rafting, River Drifters was beyond professional and really put together a fun time. I would recommend them to any and all family and friends.

I’ve been on a lot of rafting trips and these guys are for sure one of the top companies. Their gear is in good condition, the guide we had (Ryan) was laid and knew his stuff. I didn’t feel like I was getting yelled at to paddle, it was more of a feeling of being part of a real crew. Will definitely go with these guys again.

I booked a half-​day of rafting down the Deschutes with another friend on a Wednesday morning at the end of August. The local fishermen called it «splash and giggle”– and boy, were they right!
Since we were the only people doing the half day that day, my friend and I had our awesome guide Kris to ourselves! Kris was exceptionally professional, keeping us in the raft and under control the entire time (and somehow, he managed to stay dry for most of the trip, too! ha!). I felt I was in very safe hands, even when confronting some OMG rapids. At one point, my friend and I were a little worried about going through one section of the rapids with just two people in the boat, so Kris pulled us to the side and let us get out to scout the drop and show us where we planned to aim the boat. And we made it through beautifully!
Kris was also very knowledgeable about a range of topics, making sure we never got bored. In the slow moments, he kept up a steady stream of conversation, educating us on the area history, hydrology and how to correctly navigate the rapids, local wildlife, and other topics. He was just plain nice and fun, a really great guy to spend 2 – 3 hours with. He also recommended some great places nearby for lunch.
The canyon itself is picturesque and interesting. There are lots of ospreys and geese swimming or flying by, and fish in the river. We had time to jump out and take a quick swim later on, but– my goodness! It’s mighty cold water, even in late August.
I’d advise wearing shoes you don’t mind getting soaking wet — Tevas or the like are ideal. Flip flops and bottles of water can be wedged into the boat– we didn’t lose any of those. Anything you’re wearing on your face that is not tied on (like sunglasses) will likely get lost in the splashes. And bring something to change back into at the end (keep in your car). I had a very wet ride back to our hotel. :)
The RD store has some sunblock and smaller sized water shoes you can buy. However, I’d recommend a trip to the convenience or hardware store nearby, which might have more reasonable prices for sunblock.
At the end of the trip, you can walk to a nearby store and check out heroic/​embarrassing pictures of yourself. It’s great.
The only not great part was the attitude of the two dudes who checked us in – a tall blond guy and an Asian guy. They were completely unhelpful and kinda rude. That had me worried, but thankfully, we didn’t have them on our trip. (hooray!)
I would recommend this company to everyone! This experience really made our trip to Oregon memorable!

Greetings!
So this was my first return to white water rafting after being away for 15 years. Friends arranged the trip, there were six of us total, plus the guide, so we all got our own raft. I will begin by telling you — this trip was a blast! The guide, Shion, had all sorts of stories to relate and rafting techniques that kept the entire day interesting and entertaining. The trip included some swimming, rock sliding and jumping into the water from sundry large rocks in the river. Lunch was provided half way through the trip. This is the part that could be improved — they ran out of chicken parts. and the extras were a little sparse. This part of the trip can be engineered such that you always have the right amount (or more) of food and variety of edible elements. The dessert elements were in a bucket or some such, under the table. In short, if you can get the Lunch part of this Fun Day improved, then we’re looking at Five Stars. I would certainly recommend River Drifters — and take the Whole day, not just a half day… too much fun to encompass into a short time. PLUS — if you can find the guide named Shion, he is the tops — really knows how to command a river raft. Be good to yourself and your friends — arrange a rafting trip with River Drifters next summer/​fall 2013.
Cheers!

I went on the Full-​Day Deschutes River for the first time with a group of co-​workers (12 people) and we had a blast! Our guides (Joe & Dick) from RiverDrifters were very professional and made the trip extremely safe and fun. We will definitely return next year with RiverDrifters!

We had a BLAST! Neither my husband nor I had ever gone white water rafting before and after an afternoon out on the river, we are both hooked and can’t wait to go again! Jackson was our guide and was very informative and made sure we had so much fun. Look out though, he does have ninja skills and can pull you out of the boat and into the water before you know it! When we go again, we’ll be sure to request him.

We had so much fun on our trip w/​Shion from River Drifters yesterday! My best advice is, don’t sell yourself short. Plan to get wet, plan to go in the water and participate! Our guide was AWESOME, we did cool tricks & he played tricks on us that landed our whole crew in the water laughing and having a great time. When we looked at other groups around us, they were just WAY TOO dry!!! The guides are great, they’ll take you to the line, like having everyone stand up on the sides of the raft and hold hands to balance. At all times though, they are focused on safety. So they allow you to be a little daring without risking injury or harm by being in the wrong place a the wrong time. At one point i got tossed out of the raft in a pretty scary rapid. Shion was a pro and had me back in the boat w/​in seconds. Have fun, get into it, you’ll have the ride of your life.

When I called to book a reservation for a full-​day trip on the Deschutes with River Drifters for my scout troop’s High Adventure trip, the owner, Tim, answered the phone. He was super helpful, gave us a great discount for our huge group (17 total) and made it very easy for us. I promptly received an email confirmation that included PDFs of instructions/​directions, plus waivers so we could fill them out before we got there.
The day of the trip was fantastic. We were in two boats, and our guides (Erin and Joy) were absolutely amazing. Even the bus rides to and from the river were a lot of fun; it’s clear the staff really enjoys their jobs.
My boat’s guide, Joy, was from South Africa and we loved hearing her stories as we made our way down the river. I’ve been rafting on the Deschutes several times and this was by far the most fun I’ve ever had. Joy made sure we all had a good time, even promising one of our scouts (who was «riding the bull» at the front of the boat at the time) a «Class V» rapid experience. Then, when he was in place, she walked up to the front of the boat, exclaiming, «CLASS FIVE!!!» and pushed him out!!! It was hilarious!
Joy also helped us do some really cool tricks on the river, including a pirouette, wherein everyone in the boat goes to the back, which makes the bow of the boat go very high up into the air. A rope tied to the bow is then used to make the entire raft twirl around like a ballerina spinning on her toes. Very cool! Later, she had everyone weigh down the back of the boat while our lightest passenger «rode the bull.» This sent him so high up into the air as we crashed through the rapids… all we could see was blue sky in front of him. It was a lot of fun doing these tricks, and would have been impossible without Joy’s experience.
After about 2 hours of rafting, we stopped for the provided lunch at a park in Maupin. There was a BBQ picnic all ready for us, with burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, grilled chicken, potato salad, chips, salsa, etc. The food was delicious and really hit the spot. Such a great value!
I would highly recommend River Drifters to anyone wanting a fun adventure on the Deschutes River. I’m excited to try some of their other river runs in the future. If you have a church or Boy Scout group (or any large group), be sure to tell them when you book your trip, as they are not shy about giving good deals to large groups. River Drifters is a great rafting outfit and I hope they’re around for a VERY long time!