As one of only two outfitters that run Cherry Creek, we get a lot of interest from people who are looking for extreme adventure sports opportunities in California.  Sometimes it’s people who have done a lot of rafting and know they are ready to take on the ultimate challenge.  Other people may not have rafted [...]

With the North Stan, North Fork American, Cal Salmon, Merced, and Kaweah Rivers but a distant memory, what’s a white water enthusiast to do?  Fold your cards, throw in the towel and head to the Lower American River for a boozy and soggy-sandwich filled float that ends with acid-reflux and a sunburn?  Not to bash that dream, but come on, [...]

That’s it!  No more Kaweah, no more Merced.  We’re cleared out of the bug,  said goodbye to Dorletta and her tasty burgers for the year, and put the Merced t-shirts in storage until next year.  If you missed these rivers this year turn your attention to the trifecta of summer-long reliability that are the South and  [...]

Now that the weather has cooperated and it is officially Summer (yay!!!!) you might need a reminder of what to wear for your rafting adventure. So here are the hot weather basics… Sun Hat: big brimmed, little brimmed, visor or bucket hat (for the cool kids.) Just make sure your moneymaker is covered for the [...]

It’s official! Cherry Creek is open for business.  After a series of training trips we had our first commercial trip of the season on Sunday and although I wasn’t there (I am not allowed), I have heard a story or two and it sounds like it was  a day of high adventure, lightning reflexes, and [...]

The end is nigh for the Mighty Merced River this year.  Even this year’s wunderbar snowpack couldn’t hold up forever…. The next two weekends we’ll have fun water on the Merced and then the river will become too low to raft for the rest of the summer.  So, if you were hoping to add a [...]

Alright you gonzo class five freaks–it’s time. The spring Tuolumne watershed is spent and we’re down to summer flows.  For the main Tuolumne, that means good summer flows.  For Cherry Creek, it’s party time. Our first trips are this weekend–get on the horn and on the first trip of the season. Bookmark This!

Just a quick shout out to my lovely ladies Tessa and Brooke for covering my newly-married booty on this here blog while I was busy getting married last weekend!  Yes, this pasty white office chick (see phototographic proof, on the left–no that’s not the Sierra snowpack, those are actually human legs) is officially married to a class [...]

If you have ever been on the river and think the guides are talking in another language… we are.  It’s river talk and here is some vocab. you might hear on your trip with AO…. Put-in: where your river trip will start Take-out: where your river trip will end (NOTE: very different than a put-in [...]

We don’t recommend trying this at home, but it’s pretty fun to watch. Don’t worry, our river trips look nothing like this! It’s strictly for entertainment purposes: Creature Craft in Sunset Falls Bookmark This!

The first half of the 2010 California rafting season has been remarkable for many reasons. For the first time in many years, early spring acted like winter. For eight consecutive weeks from April 1 to May 31, winter hung out in California. At a time when the sun usually begins to melt the white blanket [...]

There’s no better way to celebrate independence, summer vacation, and sunshine than a rafting trip. Big splashy waves and fun rapids are featured on both the South Fork of the American and the Middle Fork of the American Rivers. http://www.aorafting.com/reservations/rapid-deals.htm are available over the 4th of July weekend. And if you’re itching to see an [...]

Backcountry.com and “The Goat” blog are hosting their annual Chaco Tan Line Contest. While there are many river shoes on the market these days, Chaco’s are still a symbol of “cool” in the rafting world. The z-shaped tan line is worn with pride by river guides and rafting enthusiasts worldwide. Submit your photo entries here [...]

It’s a couple weeks old now, but we forgot to let you know (as in, we were on the water, rafting) that All-Outdoors was recently mentioned in the LA Times. The article features our amazing property on the South Fork of the American River and talks about our awesome bachelor party and bachelorette party trips. [...]

The weather the report is looking like it’s going to feel a bit more like summer. California weather finally figured out that the summer solstice was this week and that we’re looking forward to some sunny skies and higher temperatures. Highs this weekend are supposed to get into the 90’s and we’re excited for a [...]

Ok so drinking and boating officially do not mix, but a little beer tasting after a South Fork of the American rafting trip?  That sounds like good times to me. The annual Bell Tower Brewfest is held on Placerville’s Main Street this Saturday, June 26th.  P’ville (as we locals like to call it, I guess we’re [...]

The end is nigh for North Stan rafting trips this year!  Based on the snowpack in the North Stan watershed and the weather forecast we think there are only two more weekends of raftable flows on this outstanding class IV run.  What I’m sayin’ is, it’s time to quit yer hemmin’ and hawin’ and make [...]

For those of you who like to plan ahead ( I myself am none too familiar with this activity, it’s just not my thing) for a little fun (ok , that I do like, and will even begin to work on early)….. The dates for the 2010 American River Music Festival are set!  This is what, [...]

It’s almost here…………AO rafting’s summer guide school 2010……….students are on their way…….information packets are clogging the desks in the office, senior guides are convening from near and far, getting out their teacher costumes and brushing up on rules and regulations…….an inflatable lobster or two may have been dug out

An internal AO rafting document “leaked” (read: cut and pasted from my email….)  to the press indicates that it was one heck of a wild weekend for California rafting! Check out what owner Gregg A reported back to HQ about how the weekend looked and what we can expect for the rest of the spring: “Hi everyone,     [...]