Learn to river guide like a Professional!
This guide school is ideal for those looking to break into the rafting industry and learn how to guide commercial class III rafting trips. No experience necessary.
Maybe you’ve never rafted before, but that's okay. You will still sit at the back of the boat with a paddle in hand screaming commands at the other students. Things will seem crazy. Impossible. Really scary. And then...you will be at the bottom of a class three rapid having successfully guided your way there.
Maybe you already have some boating experience and want to hone your whitewater skills. That is great too! Our instructors recognize that everyone comes to guide school with different levels of experience. We can accommodate the needs of every student.
Potential Employment
Are you ready to join a community of fun-loving professional river guides? River guiding can be an incredibly rewarding job whether you just want summer employment during your college years or you plan to make it your career. We will teach you the fundamentals of guiding and you will be spending the summer on the water in no time.
River Runners is often looking for course graduates to become first-year guides after the school. This does usually requires a period of further training. Please let us know if you are interested in being considered for employment in your application. River Runners’ Guide School is also well respected in the industry and many of our graduates have gone on to have fruitful river guiding careers all over the country and internationally too.
Quick Facts
- Schedule: June 9-15, 2025
- Location: South Fork American River
- 7 days of whitewater rafting instruction
- 7 nights of camping at our site
- Rafting equipment (raft, life jacket, helmet, paddle)
- Min age: 16
- Trip cost: $800 per person
- All taxes and fees are included
Booking Notes
- Arrival: After 4 pm on Sunday June 8, 2025
- Departure: Around 3 pm on Sunday June 15, 2025
- Meals: Lunch is provided on every day of instruction. Students are responsible for their own breakfasts and dinners throughout the course.
- Camping: Please bring your own tent and sleeping gear.
- Campsite provided includes tables, drinking water source, flush toilets and hot showers.
What You Will Learn at our Professional Rafting Guide School
This seven day whitewater guiding course is an introduction to whitewater rafting. During the course you will be given the opportunity to learn the following skills;
- Ability to paddle guide the South Fork of the American River
- Basic swiftwater rescue techniques
- Basic concepts of hydrology
- Basic knowledge of the river environment
- Basics of what it takes to be a professional river guide
- How to adequately prepare equipment for a commercial river trip
- How to manage the basic logistics of a commercial river trip
In general, we keep our instructor to student ratio low. Usually it is one instructor to four students per raft. Often it is less. Your instructors act as personal coaches and whitewater lifeguards. We sit in the passenger seat and let you drive.
Students often excel in some areas and struggle in others but this should not discourage you. This workshop will be taught in an inclusive manner so all students will be encouraged to excel and challenge themselves no matter where they are in their learning process. Whitewater rafting is a challenging activity and requires consistent practice. This course is not the end of learning—it is just the beginning!
All of our guide schools are non-refundable and non-transferrable. Our courses sell out and we don’t want anyone to miss an opportunity to learn with us. If you make the commitment to join a course, please plan on attending.
This course's curriculum is not designed for people who want to run the river on their own without a commercial outfitter. For private boater guide school information, please check out this page here.
Guide School FAQs
Sound right for you?
Please fill out this application and we will get back to you soon. Places are limited to a maximum of 16 students per class.