Cache Canyon River Trips

Super awesome! We came here to get rafts for the day, and in the beginning, they check us in and then gave us a brief orientation for the rafting. We then got into two-​person rafts and started down the river! It was a great experience; raft and paddles weren’t the best quality but they were sufficient for what we needed. They also gave us a sandwich, granola bar, and chips for lunch. At $ 120 per raft, it’s not too bad if you share it with someone else, and it’s for the whole day (it took us about 4 hours including lunch to get down the river). Would recommend, it’s loads of fun!

Saturday.
Perfect weather – mid to upper 80s, water not too cold, sun was out.
Newbie rafter paired with a second timer.
Water socks+ board shorts + sunscreen + life jacket. Check.
Tip #1 Listen during orientation
I’m glad I paid attention and TRIED to keep my eyes on feet when I hit the water. I fell 4x!
Tip #2
Practice steering your kayak/​tube before you get to the challenging spots
Tip #3
You will argue with your partner inevitably. Sometimes it’s best to just go with the flow and let the current carry you through.
Tip #4
Take breaks and enjoy mother nature!
Special shout out to one of the guides who work there–
Brian, thank you sooooo much for rescuing me when we fell at the Widow Maker. There should be more angels like you!
While we went home slightly battered and bruised, shorts ripped, knees and shins scraped, it was a fantastic experience and would highly recommend them. Julia and John, you guys do a fantastic job!

A perfect rafting and camping experience. John and Julie run a tight and friendly operation. The staff are very nice ane know what they are doing. The rafting takes about 3 hours, with a few short and thrilling rapids, but nothing dangerous. The countryside is very appealing. The meals are great — pancakes and sausage for breakfast, steak and salad for dinner. They also have bocce ball, volleyball, horseshoes and bean bag toss. It’s a great time.

It was good place before, still is. But greed make it worse.
It’s couple of other companies there, with exactly the same everything for less price.
Before this one was not bad too, now nothing more then other ones. Also they will make a photo for you. 15 $ for one digital copy, so if you have good 10 pictures it will cost you an about a full price of the trip for one person, in·sane. I’m highly disappointed by that and probably will use the other company next year. (Me and my other 3 friends)
In general it’s OK. Like others.

This is a first-​rate weekend on the river. I spent many years as a customer of Whitewater Adventures and there was no comparison between the two experiences other than being in the same rafts on the same river. John and Julie are fantastic hosts who go out of their way to make you feel well cared for and absolutely part of the family. It’s a very relaxed vibe with no early morning wake ups, and being able to camp right next to your vehicle is a huge bonus. The food was excellent, the accommodations very comfortable, and being able to purchase simple things like ice the whole weekend makes for a super easy experience. Sunday winds down in the best possible way with loads of time to get your camp broken down and gear packed. I really can’t say enough good things about their operation and highly recommend anyone choose to let them cater your river adventure.

Just got back from the first day on the river for the 2015 season. I’ve been coming to Cache Creek for some 20 years, and Julie and John run a great operation with Cache Canyon. Love the new changes like the bagged lunches — very convenient! Running the river is a blast and they are a great outfit to go with.

A lot of fun. We go rafting every year and have gone with this company 6 times in the last 8 years. This year they changed the set up (for the better). Now you’ll park your car at the end of the river and get shuttled to the starting point. Much better then waiting and riding the bus wet from the river! I like how they have drinks and snacks waiting for you when you’re done. (I remember the days when it used to be beer. Now it’s lemonade.)
We have never purchased their BBQ lunch because we usually have pretty amazing picnics on our own. We bring our food and drinks and eat at their pull out site where there are picnic tables, toilets, water, and music. Bring a dry bag for your food. Everything gets wet!
You might want to bring a water gun so you are not defenseless on the river when other boaters are splashing at you.
I would definitely go again. Every once in a while we like to change it up and do a different river, but this one is our favorite. The water level varies so that changes it up a bit and keeps it from getting boring. We like to go in August when the weather is hot and the water feels refreshing. We went one year mid May… brrrr! Only August from now on for us.
We haven’t done the 2-​day trip with this company. Maybe next year.
If you haven’t gone river rafting before you should try it. And this is a good place to start.

The owners Julie and John are amazing. They make camp feel like home instead of just a campsite.
The food was very tasty. I miss the coffee all ready. Breakfast: pancakes and sausage. Lunch: hot dogs (one of my favorite foods) potato salad, watermelon, chips. Hor d’oeuvres: meats and cheeses, olives and crackers, chips and dips. Dinner: tasty steak, Cesar salad, garlic bread and yumtastic mushrooms. Late night cookies: Oreos and Vanilla Wafers. We were very well fed. I will now associate cow bells with the serving of food. More Cow Bell! (There are vegetarian options, too.)
The rafting part is self guided but it’s not too complicated, easy peasy to get to the end. (I think it helped that our captain used to row Crew. Being able to steer is key.) Rapids aren’t so bad, not too scary. I don’t swim so that’s saying a lot. We flipped our raft once and came out with only a few bumps and bruises. The majority of the rafting (especially at the end) was calm, floating along and having a good time with your friends and fellow rafters. (Ask for the self-​bailing rafts!)
Port-​o-​potties are port-​o-​potties. They are never awesome. They are cleaned every morning though! Next year there might be showers and bathrooms!
Entertainment! The weekend we came was customer appreciation weekend, that meant extra entertainment. They had a slide show with our photos from rafting and a DJ with cool light twinkly things in the trees. We danced and danced! AWESOME!
All of our neighboring campers were awesome too. Make friends! It makes it even more fun.
This was an amazing trip and a super fun way to close out the summer. Can’t wait to come back.

Cache Canyon River Trips is my favorite place to go water rafting. I have been rafting here for the past 3 years and every time I go I have more and more fun. I highly recommend to go with a group of 8 to 12 athletic people. That way everyone has the opportunity to easily group up by 2. On this specific occasion, it was about 91 degrees so it was great weather for rafting.
The course itself is over 7 miles so make sure that everyone is in shape and can swim because it is a lot of strenuous paddling and there are strong rapids that can knock you into the water. make sure to pack you sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, swim suit, a change of clothes/​shoes, closed toed shoes, tons of water, a lunch, and a positive and adventurous attitude. It seems like a lot of stuff, but you can leave some of the stuff in your car. Trust me, after being on the water for 5 hours, you will definitely want to have a fresh pair of clothes and shoes. No one wants to sit in clothes that smells like the river or is covered in algae and sand. They allow you to bring your own lunch and drinks or a BBQ lunch for $ 10. I would have brought alcohol on this trip, but some of the rapids are quite difficult so I think my group of friends and I would have fell out of our canoes a lot more than we already did.
At the end of the day I walked away sore, bruised, cut up, and sunburned, but I absolutely cannot wait til my next visit.

This was my second experience with river rafting, however it was my first experience on a 2 person raft. It may sound idiotic or brave of me to go river rafting especially when I don’t know how to swim, which ever floats your boat. The experience itself was awesome, especially if you are accompanied by great friends. Be sure to pack tons of sunblock, a hat, lunch, DRANNNNNKS and double sealed ziplock bags for your electronics.
The course itself is quite long, and a lot of physical labor. The first rapid was not too shabby, however the second one was the worst one for me personally. It was the steepest rapid and my raft was lodged onto a giant rock which knocked me out of my raft. it’s obvious to say that i saw my life flash before my eyes (hence not a swimmer) I have major cuts and bruises on my thigh knees and elbows. But ladies, no worries at the second rapid is where the HAWT male workers hang out. They are at the bottom of the rapid ready to swoop any hot girls up if needed. Sorry guys, only ladies will be saved.
The final rapid is the biggest one aka «The Mother» which I personally didn’t find as scary as the second rapid however, the rapids were lot longer. After you pass The Mother, there are a few small rapids, no big deal. Then it is about a 2 – 3 mile smooth sailing, which sounds great after the exhausting rapids. However, I felt that it was too long before reaching the end of the river.
Overall I had fun, but would I do it again? … NO… but I might just be crazy enough to do it again… I said no after the first time, but look at me now. I went rafting for the second time!!! If I were to go rafting again, I’ll be sure to be in the raft with the buff guy, so he can do all the work, and I can sit back and relax ^_​_​^ lol
Always Twerkin for Jesus,
E. Quachie

I highly recommend Cache Canyon River Trips for people of all experience levels. Great for first time rafters seeking new outdoor adventure.
The equipment is well kept and in good shape, the staff is polite and helpful, and you definitely get your money’s worth for all all day activity.
In the morning they provide an orientation, and before you know it you are paddling down Cache Creek. What a thrill!

I did my second trip. We had a great time again! The staff does everything they possibly can to make it a safe and fun adventure.
I come up on Friday and spend the week-​end. We set up camp, there is a fire going which we use to make dinner or for a few bucks more they’ll make dinner for you!
Saturday lunch and dinner are incredible! All you can eat — lunch is Polish dogs and salad watermelon. Dinner is steak and sides (corn on the cob grilled in the husk)
The river is lots of fun. It can be scary at times. I strongly suggest that you follow the instructions which are provided. I think the most important are if you fall out the boat, keep your feet up and in front of you– feet first not head first! The other instruction we found helpful was to practice turning the boat and working together BEFORE we hit the rapids!
We didn’t have it very well together and didn’t bring a few things. They have a little trailer which stocks everything one needs for the trip at reasonable prices. We even rented air mattresses!
Everything runs like clockwork. Guides are along the river at strategic points, buses run frequently between camp and take out/​put in sites.
Cache Creek is a hidden gem less than 2 hours from SF. There are two operators in the river and I’ve used both. The other Whitewater Adventures is more crowded and they don’t allow a Friday night stay over. It doesn’t seem as personal and I didn’t feel as well cared for.

This is a true FAMILY BUSINESS. Julie and John and their family make you feel like friends not customers! As you can see from the other complimentary reviews, they will go above and beyond to make you comfortable, resolve any issues and cater to special requests. They are much more relaxed about their campground, allowing a free stay on Friday night for the 2 day boat trip guests, offering tent pitching services complete with air mattresses, and supplying vegetarian meal options for their non-​meat eating customers. The rafting trip down the river is a blast with enough white-​water sections to make one feel like Captain Kirk trying to navigate out of another intergalactic mess. This company offers an additional mile of river beyond the other rafting company. Once back at camp, there is great mountain trail hiking or running with spectacular views of the valley, and at night a slide show with pictures of YOU chuting down the biggest rapid on the trip, followed by music and karaōke. Or, nearby is a small town with a comfortable restaurant/​bar, Guinda Commons, and a little further down the road is the enormous Cache Creek Casino.
Enjoy!

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A WELL PUT TOGETHER COMPANY THAT WILL ENSURE YOUR SAFETY ON THE RIVER, yet allow the good times to roll… CACHE CANYON RIVER TRIPS is the way to go!!!
Personally, I don’t usually take the time to write reviews but these guys really deserve it! I’ve been rafting with this company for the past 5 summer, and each summer I at least make it up there for 2 trips down the river. Always professional and super friendly customer service. The Journey through the river is sweet too, it’s not super intense where you have to hold on for dear life, and it’s not super calm where you’re spending your whole afternoon paddling.
Also, for some reason the groups that I’ve gone with have always been guided by «SPYDER»…if you’re lucky you’ll have the chance to raft with him, he’s an awesome guide? well he’s more like the group wrangler, he makes sure that everyone gets in safe, keeps all drunks in line, helps you if you lose your ass on the river, and still allows you to have a great time.
I hope this review has been helpful and if you’re debating between the other 2 companies up there running the same gig, I GUARANTEE… cache canyon is the way to go! not to mention, they take pictures for you to remember the good times.

This is a really fun trip. I have gone five years, almost comsecutively. The only reason I didn’t give this five stars is because the food is pretty rough (not really in line with the price). We bring our own food for the most part now (the BBQ lunches are okay).
We have made this into a girls trip and enjoy every minute of it. I like to get in early on Friday so that I can set up camp (and have a margarita).
The river is fun; realy more like tubing than white water rafting.
What else can I say? Great staff, nice gear, well-​organized.
We have already booked the annual girls 2013 trip and can’t wait.

I would like to start by saying that they went above and beyond for us. My story is a little bit different than everyone else.
My buddies and I appeared to the campsite through the wrong road through a trail that is no longer in use, to end up trapped at the other side of the main road with no way to come out. The only way out is to go back through that trail that was extremely dangerous. I don’t know how or why we end up going that way, but the bottom line is that we didn’t follow the directions from the webpage (which were so easy and simple) and we screwed up because one of us put the wrong coordinate in the GPS.
We camped and the next morning Julie and her husband came to meet us and I saw their concern in their eyes, but we just wanted to have fun and we told them not to worry about it and to the river we went.
The experience was amazing, you felt safe because you always had someone from their crew near by. There was no rush or no pressure to finish going through the river and believe me we took our time… a lot of time.
Almost at the end of the first day you hit Mother and that is where the pictures are taken. I don’t know how but these guys manage to get excellent pictures of everybody, it doesn’t matter if you are falling out of the raft but you will still look good. Great photographer!!!
Once the first day is over they pick you up and bring you back to the camp and you are greeted with the most amazing steak that you will ever have, not only that but with a mushroom salad that was perfect. So, so far they are not only great people, but they have a great photographer, great crew in the river and a great chef (which I believe it was Julie’s son). At this point I would like to mention the two daughters that served the food… you guys are truly wonderful people, always with a smile and ready to help, thank you for all the hard work! Now back to the story…
That night we danced, drink, played the guitar and met really nice people. Every once in a while John (Julie’s husband) came to us with his concerned eyes and gave us possible solutions to leave the camp the next day without a problem. In one of those conversations he asked us about our gas situation and we told him that we were almost empty but we were going to have some friends to bring us some gas. He smiled and disappeared… 30 minutes later he came with a 5 gallons tank, which he gave us and didn’t charge us, we tried to paid him but he refused. At that point I was already with the WOW in my mouth. This is a guy that really wants to help and that really is a nice person that is going out of his way to help a bunch of strangers.
The next day, we woke up and decided not to go rafting and try to drive back home. John approached us one more time and he asked us to wait for 30 minutes that he had an idea. Thirty minutes later he came with a flatbed trailer, some 2×4’s and two metal ramps. He was convinced that he could build a ramp to attempt to drive the car over the concrete block to his flatbed trailer. He told me «you only have to have faith,» and to my surprise he was right and we manage (after a really long time, hard work and a lot of motivation) manage to get the car on to the flatbed. It was super dangerous, but the entire family was there to help us out.
I usually don’t write reviews but the entire team of cache canyon river rafting trip were AMAZING and they went above and beyond with kindness and a HUGE smile. I can tell you guys this much… they will make you have fun, they will make you feel safe and they will make you feel special. They deserve to have 6 stars.
I will post some pics of the car situation.

I just returned home from a great trip. The staff is phenomenal! I went a few years back, and let me say. they have come a long way!!! (I believe they are under new management) They now offer a vegetarian meal option. (Score!) It was delish!
The canyon is beautiful, the rapids are mellow, but just big enough to be fun & easy. The campgrounds are nothing to write home about, but you are on the water almost all day.
This is definitely a trip for the younger crowd (18 – 20 something year olds). There were a lot of unruly drunken dudes. I would love to bring my kids when they are old enough to raft (age 12), but would need to make sure it was a more mellow group of people signing up beforehand. I think maybe we just had bad luck in that department this time.
Minus one star for the amount of trash floating down the river. They should
require coolers to be secured & zipped shut at all times to ensure beer cans don’t go overboard when the boat flips in the rapids. I spent a lot of time paddling after floating empty cans. =(Sad to see a beautiful river with litter in it! =(
All in all, a great little trip. They offer one day and two day options, and either boat or kayak options. The first day I went on the boat with my buddy, and the second day we decided to try the Kayak. Very reasonably priced and all around incredible staff.

I have gone on two trips with this company already and I love it! It’s car-​camping and white water rafting in one.
We usually arrived at the site on Friday and camp out the night before the rafting trip. My friend is fairly scared of water because she doesn’t swim very well, so she loves this place because it was enough to be challenging without being overly scary.
This place is extremely organized and well planned. The last time I went, it was an extremely freezing weekend and we even had hails attacking us as we rafted down the river. But before we began, the staff gave us trash bags to wear and insulate our bodies. The trash bags made such a big difference.
You will receive a very quick instruction on Saturday morning and off you go to figure out how to paddle on your own. There will be plenty of people drinking while rafting down the river. My friend likes to bring a floating cooler along with the raft. There will also be plenty of people with water guns who will attack you. It’s all fun. You will flip over at least once. You will get stuck at least once, so learn how to rock that raft.
And of course at night, there’s plenty of good food to eat and enjoy and a little dance music afterward as well.
The trip is very worthwhile. Just bring a large group of people, lots of alcohol and junk food and it will be the best weekend of your life.

Point blank– I’m not a «camper» by any definition. After this weekend –I’M A BIG FAN!!! A group of 8 of us decided to go for the 4^th of July. We all loved it. Again, I’m not a wilderness girl & I’d go back again!
STAFF: Talk about friendly & WELCOMING! I felt like I was camping with family. It was relaxed & casual. But don’t let the casual feel fool you— this operation is ORGANIZED! They were prompt and true to the schedule that is on their website.
RAFTING EXPERIENCE: LOVED THIS! 30 min orientation to the raft. There is adequate staff throughout the weekend where you get equipment, along the river, and at the camp site.
This experience was good for any level. One of my friends doesn’t know how to swim too well and was a bit apprehensive and she was fine. HOWEVER, listen to the advice of what to do when you fall. There are points of the river where its easy to bump out if you are not paying attention (or if you drink too much. mmhmm!) TIP: Feet first, face looking down the river — look at your toes. Don’t panic. As easy as that sounds— if you just float down the river as if it was on purpose — you’ll be all gravy baby. Trust. I fell out. Best thing I did was relax, and let the river bring me out.
FOOD: BOMB. BOMB. BOMB! Plenty & everything just HIT THE SPOT! OK let me tell you one— After the day on the river and in the heat, the fabulous Cache Canyon staff made us a HUGE bone-​in ribeye steak, tasty Caesar salad with croutons, sauteed mushroom caps, green beans with BACON, and bomb-​bomb garlic french bread. Then they brought cookies over. Whhaaatt!!! So yum!
CAMPING EXPERIENCE: It was memorable in a good way. You can find flat areas for your group to set up tents all together & away from the main camp site.
MY ONLY NEGATIVE: (and this has nothing to do with this company) PORTAPOTTIES make me want to DIE!!! Especially when a day goes by and its 100 degrees outside. They do clean it every morning but still. OH man. AND the bathrooms near the rafts/​kayaks, oh– don’t even go there. it smells like 5 years of pee. (gag)
SUGGESTIONS for you when you take this amazing trip: BRING BOTTLED WATER (for drink and to wash your face), CHOOSE THE KAYAK vs the raft (because using the raft means you have to bucket out the water that builds up in the raft or stop on the side after big rapids), BRING AN AIR MATTRESS for your tents (battery operated blow up system would be best), WATER SOCKS are your friend!!! (I got mine at Walmart for $ 6), BUG SPRAY FOR THE NIGHT, BRING A BATTERY OPERATED IPOD DOCK, GET GLOW STICKS (tie them on the tents in your little camp area… so sick! esp because you can’t make individual bonfires. Plus, you’ll end up staying up later and hanging out since youll have more light. Bring alki, sit under the stars, near your glow sticks, and have a goooood night.) BRING WATER GUNS! WEAR FUN HEADGEAR (we wore afros!)

This is my Reckless Seekers Meetup Group’s main event = Two-​Person Self-​Guided River Rafting! It’s a yearly ritual for me to organize this. Around 40 people is the size of my group camp. We love the river! Not to mention all the tequila, vodka, beer, whisky, rum and all the meat to BBQ that comes with it. Whoopsiedoo!
Can’t wait for our 2010 trip… «Mother» rapid here we come!