California Whitewater River Trips near
Yosemite and Kings Canyon
Zephyr Whitewater specializes in California whitewater river rafting trips, and we have done so since 1973. We run four rivers and are confident that you will not find a finer rafting trip experience anywhere. Our guides, our food, our equipment, and our desire to give our clients the best trip possible is unsurpassed! Zephyr is the largest whitewater rafting outfitter in the Yosemite area of California (Tuolumne and Merced rivers), and our Kings river trips near Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park just keep getting more popular each season.
Use the map below to locate your river of choice, and click on that river's name to go to that page. For each river that we run, we have a Trip Details page, which tells you where to meet, what to bring, recommended places to stay the night before and/or after your trip, and other valuable bits of information. You may print out any of this information, including the map and driving directions.
- Kings River — The largest river in the Sierra Nevada's of California. Big water fun, great for families, near Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park.
- Tuolumne River — Our most advanced, wildest, and remote river. Adventurous first timers welcome.
- Merced River — near Yosemite, and a fun filled rocking ride through some of the best whitewater in California. Great for a combined Yosemite visit!
- American RIver — great summer family fun. Sorry, our Stanislaus River trips are not available at this time due to unreliable dam releases.
See our 2009 Trip Start Dates page for starting dates for each river that we run.
| Scale of River Difficulty | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy | Waves small; passages clear; no serious obstacles. |
| 2 | Medium | Rapids of moderate difficulty with passages clear. |
| 3 | Difficult | Waves numerous, high, irregular; rocks; eddies; rapids with passages clear through narrow chutes requiring expertise in maneuvering. |
| 4 | Very Difficult | Long rapids; waves powerful, irregular; dangerous rocks; boiling eddies; powerful and precise maneuvering required. |
| 5 | Extremely Difficult | Exceedingly difficult; long and violent rapids, following each other almost without interruption; riverbed extremely obstructed; big drops, violent current and very steep gradient. Dangerous. |
| 6 | Unrunnable | Don't even think about it! |
