When you have a river with whitewater, you’re going to have multiple outfitters in most cases. Drive down a riverside road in a whitewater town, and you’ll see a variety of signs offering river trips. Check online, and you’ll be offered a number of outfitting options.
Again, reading up is a good idea. Phone calls also are helpful. Get a feel for the company and the way they do business. The company can make or break the trip, so select carefully.
Some things to consider:
1. Does the outfitter provide a guide in each boat?
Some “guided tours” include one guide in one boat with other rafts manned by untrained and often inexperienced rafters. While more advanced paddlers may fare fine with little supervision, new white water rafters often end up spinning around and around and bumping into boulders.
2. Are the guides trained?
Most “river rats” (as the guides are dubbed) are college students or young people earning extra summer money. With good training and experience, these young people are loads of fun and help make the trip a real adventure.
3. What types of boats are offered?
Rafts vary in terms of size. Most seat paddlers on each side with a guide or a leader in the back to call out paddling instructions. Small rafts can be handled by a couple of adults and a leader while bigger rafts may be best controlled with three paddlers on each side. In addition, some outfitters offer individual vessels like kayaks or Duckies that can be rented by singles.
4. How old are the rafts?
Newer models are almost all self bailing. Older ones may hold water and require extra work to remove excess water. It’s a lot more fun to paddle and ride the river than to try to shovel water out of a boat.
5. What extras are offered and/or included (and do you need those)?
Some outfitters are bare bones. You show up, rent the raft, take your trip, and leave. Generally, you’re provided access to a bathroom and hopefully a dressing room with showers. If you’re only going for the rafting, this is fine.
Other outfitters offer full vacation packages on-site. You may lodge with the outfitter, take meals both during the rafting trip and back at the center, and a variety of other activities are provided or available. Such all-inclusive deals tend to be expensive, but you’re covered for the entire trip if you go with one of the more upscale outfitters.
Most rafting companies fall between these two extremes, so it’s a good idea to ask what is offered. If you need or want something available with the outfitter, you’ll probably get good information about other local companies providing the needed services. For example, some rafting companies have riverside camping. If not, they will likely know of a number of nearby campgrounds.