Express Yourself! Choose from two different Rafting trips.
Hey there Friends! While you stay at Camp Lotus, enjoy an adventure down the famous South Fork of the American River. We will be rafting both sections of the river again:
- Saturday's trip is the South Fork Gorge Express. It is 12 miles of beautiful scenery and exciting rapids.
- Sunday's trip is the South Fork Chili Bar Express. It is 9 miles of class II/III fun, and it is suitable for just about everyone.
- Please pay close attention to the details below so that you sign up for the right day and time.
Saturday May 31, 2025 - 11:30 AM SF Gorge Express
Our South Fork Gorge Express trip is a class II-III rafting experience that accommodates tighter timelines than our full-day trip. If you want to get up later or just don't want to rush to meet us, this trip is for you.
This magical day begins gently and ends with a bang on class III rapids. Our guides will give you time to relax and experience the excitement of rafting the South Fork of the American while staying on track.
While the Gorge Express trip is an abbreviated version of our premium full day trip, we still try to give you a taste of the “extra” river activities that are unique to River Runners such as rock jumping, swimming, and nature exploration.
South Fork Express Gorge Itinerary
Meet at the River Runners base camp in Camp Lotus promptly at 11:30 AM for check-in and a safety briefing. Your guides will provide you with safety equipment and instructions before launching your trip.
Lunch is not included in your reservation, so we recommend eating a hearty meal before arrival. All of our boats are equipped with mesh bags that can hold extra snacks as well to tide you over.
After your guides prepare you for the river, the South Fork Express Gorge adventure begins with a fun class II stretch, giving you some time to play and swim before the class III “Gorge” section kicks in.
The Gorge is an exciting and beautiful place where the river has carved through rock deep below the chaparral-covered hillsides, forming incredibly fun rapids. If you are lucky, you may see a great blue heron, a bald eagle, a deer and sometimes even a mink, beaver or river otter.
After experiencing the joy of exciting whitewater on the South Fork Gorge Express trip, you will arrive at the take-out area in Folsom Reservoir where a bus or van will be waiting to take you back to our camp. There your adventure with us ends.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Class II-III
- Minimum Age: 6-years-old
- Season: April - September
- River Miles/Distance: 12 miles
- Trip Duration: Approximately 6 hours, start to finish
- Check In: 11:30 AM at Camp Lotus
- Check Out: Approximately 5:30 PM at Camp Lotus
- Trip Cost: $130 per person
- Lunch is not included
- Taxes and fees are included
- Guide gratuity is not included
Sunday June 1, 2025 - 8:30 AM SF Chili Bar Express
This magical day begins with an exciting class III section and ends in a leisurely float through II rapids in the Coloma Valley. While the South Fork Express Chili Bar trip is an abbreviated version of our premium full day trip, we still try to give you a taste of the “extra” river activities that are unique to River Runners such as rock jumping, swimming, and nature exploration.
Our guides give you time to relax and experience the excitement of rafting the South Fork of the American all in one day.
South Fork Express Chili Bar Itinerary
We meet you at your group campsite at Camp Lotus at 8:30 AM for check-in.
After check-in, you’ll have time to get into your wetsuits or rafting clothes. Then you will board our transportation and head upstream to Chili Bar, where your boats and guides will be waiting. You will receive a safety briefing and equipment, and then it’s time to get on the river!
The adventure begins with an exciting class III stretch of rapids, including Meatgrinder, Racehorse Bend, and Troublemaker rapids. After experiencing the joy of exciting whitewater on the class III section of your trip, you will find yourself floating through the beautiful and historic Coloma Valley, the site of the original gold discovery in California in 1848.
Your South Fork Express Chili Bar trip ends back at our campsite at Camp Lotus with plenty of time left in your afternoon to get where you need to go.
Lunch is not included in your reservation, but snacks are provided to tide you over. All of our boats are equipped with mesh bags that can hold extra snacks as well if you would like to bring extra.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Class II-III
- Minimum Age: 6-years-old
- Season: April - September
- River Miles/Distance: 9 miles
- Trip Duration: Approximately 5 hours, start to finish
- Check In: 8:30 AM at Camp Lotus
- Check Out: Approximately 1:30 PM at Camp Lotus
- Trip Cost: $110 per person
- Lunch is not included
- Taxes and fees are included
- Guide gratuity is not included