The Tuolumne - The ultimate river wilderness experience!
The Tuolumne is California's Class IV+ premier white water river, rushing through one of the most spectacular canyons in the Sierra! Flowing from the high Sierra, the Tuolumne creates the "Grand Canyon" of Yosemite as it spills into the Hetch Hetchy Valley behind the O'Shaughnessy Dam above our put-in at Meral's Pool.
Between water control projects the Tuolumne races through the deep granite canyons of a "wild an scenic" river section before flowing into the Don Pedro Reservoir below take-out at Ward's Ferry thereby creating some of the most exciting rapids and breath-taking scenery of the entire Sierra!
- Class IV+ Whitewater: Step up to the exciting thrills of a Class IV+ whitewater river! It's a good idea to have rafted a Class III-IV river and be adventuresome and in good condition before moving up to the Tuolumne. The river starts right out with a series of Class IV rapids with chutes, steep drops, holes and reversals to keep us on our toes.
Tight, technical and steep describes rapids like Rock Garden, Sunderland's Chute, and Ram's Head, leading up to one of the biggest drops in the U. S., the Class V Clavey Falls! This dramatic staircase rapid takes us through two big drops and, hopefully, around a boat-eating hole and away from the left wall--enough exciting, adrenaline rush adventure for us all!
The river continues on another 12+ miles through pristine forest/canyon land and many more Class III, IV, and IV+ rapids to our take out at Ward's Ferry.
- Wild and scenic canyon: The isolated Tuolumne is home to abundant wildlife; the river itself offers great fishing for rainbow and brown trout. Eagles and hawks circle overhead; if we're lucky, we might spot a visiting bobcat or raccoon along its banks.
We feel the serenity of the wilderness canyon as well as the excitement of great rapids for a complete whitewater wilderness adventure! You have more time to enjoy swimmable side creeks, historic mining relics, and allow more time to shed the stresses of our modern lifestyles.
By 9 A.M., we will meet you at the Casa Loma Store, just outside of the town of Groveland. You will be met by your Head Guide, who will greet you, answer any questions you may have. Your cars will stay at the Casa Loma Store during your day on the river. We will board our shuttle vehicle and head for the Put-In, a 45-minute drive to the Put-In.
This drive is very interesting as it takes us into an isolated part of the canyon. At the Put-In, you will meet all of your guides. You will then gather for the Trip Orientation, a thorough, 30-minute presentation given by your Head Guide. He/she will go over the safety features of the trip, and demonstrate paddle techniques. Climb into your wetsuit and board the boats.
You will, launch your boats and begin rafting. Right away we enter Rock Garden, our first of many Class IV rapids. This is an indication of the fun and challenges we will have today. Our pace is quick as we have 18 miles to go. Take a look at the “river’s rapids map” at the bottom of this page for an indication of todays fun!
About noon we stop for a hearty and nutritious picnic lunch. We will need this break in which to energize ourselves with an excellent riverside lunch. We also will welcome this break during which we can relax and enjoy the scenery. After lunch, we re-board our boats and continue our trip. Clavey Falls, Class V, is our very biggest rapid of the day! Clavey is considered to be one of the 10 Big Drops in the U.S.
It is usually at Clavey where we overnight. The guides do most of the camp set-up, however, we ask that you help the guides unload the boats and that you set up your own tent. Hors d’oeuvres and dinner will be ready by 5-6 P.M., and the rest of the evening is yours to enjoy. If possible, we will have a campfire, but as the summer proceeds and rain is scare, we need to be careful that we don’t start a fire.
It is possible that we will stay at our campsite an additional night; in which case, you have the entire day to explore the area. Clavey Creek is a fabulous hike. We may decide to board the boats and continue downriver a few miles to a lovely campsite which offers wonderful hiking.
Several of the rapids after Clavey Falls are Son of Clavey Class III+, Gray’s Grindstone Class IV; Thread the Needle Class III+, Cabin Class IV, Hell’s Kitchen Class IV, The Alps Class III, and Pinball Class IV. You wonder where these names come from? Well, ask your guide.
At the Take-Out, we will help our guides take our gear out of the river, grab a cold soda or water, and board the river vehicles for the 30-minute drive back to the Casa Loma Store. You may buy a souvenir t-shirt, and say farewell to the new friends you've made on California’s Tuolumne River rafting trip. You should be ready to depart for your next destination by 5-6 P.M.
- Camping the night prior to your trip: You may camp with us the night prior to your trip and join us for breakfast for an additional charge. Many of our guests who have time for just one day of rafting, take advantage of this opportunity to camp in order to experience the thrill of sleeping out-of-doors.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
- Minimum deposit: $100.00
Price Includes:
- 3 days of rafting
- 7 meals
- a professional guide
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