TUOLUMNE RIVER - California Whitewater Rafting

2 & 3 day trips, Class IV-V, April to October

The Tuolumne River is simply California's finest wilderness whitewater rafting river bar none! Located just outside Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne River years ago was included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system, evidence of its very special qualities. The Tuolumne River (pronounced too-all-o-me) is a magical 18 mile corridor, boasting long, tantalizing class IV rapids, wondrous side creeks and wide, sandy beaches for camping. Unlike most of our other rivers, the Tuolumne River is not accessible by road during the entire trip. Thus, all necessary gear is taken with us on the rafts. Rapids such as Rams Head, Steamboat, Cabin, Hells Kitchen and the granddaddy of them all, Clavey Falls, will stir the blood of any rafter, veteran or novice. Trips range in length from one to three days. All trips cover the full 18 miles of river, but the more time spent in the canyon, the better. Our three-day trips allow time to enjoy two enchanting side creeks (we normally camp at both on the three day trip) where deep pool swimming holes are interconnected with jacuzzi pools. Three-day trips also let you test the extended culinary talents of our guides. All Tuolumne River trips are operated by our associate outfitter, Zephyr River Expeditions.

FOR RESERVATIONS
CALL ZEPHYR RIVER EXPEDITIONS AT 800-431-3636

Tuolumne River Canyon A word about Tuolumne River flows
In years with normal snow-pack, water releases from Hetch Hetchy reservoir near Yosemite typically provide runnable flows seven days per week prior to about July 1, and six days per week (every day but Sunday) after July 1. As a result, trips starting on Sundays after July 1 are 2-1/2 days, meet at 2:00 pm, and, instead of rafting the first day, briefly float to a beautiful river beach/camp, where you can swim, relax, enjoy a great dinner, sleep under the stars, and rise the next morning set for a great day on the water. This also means that on 3 day trips launching on Saturdays after July 1, Sundays are generally layover days... perfect opportunities to unwind, pool-hop and explore the Clavey river, and perhaps hike to abandoned mining sites, fish, read, or just plain relax. Feel free to call our office with any questions about the above special trip scenarios. To insure trip quality on this National Wild and Scenic River, the U.S. Forest Service restricts commercial trip starts to just 2 per day!

TUOLUMNE RIVER 18 miles, minimum age 12 years old
For trips beginning on	Mon - Fri	Sat or Sunday
1 day trips	$215 adult / $195 youth	$225 adult / $205 youth
2 day trips	$415 adult / $375 youth	$415 adult / $375 youth
3 day trips	$525 adult / $475 youth	$525 adult / $475 youth
10% discount for trips in April, May & September FOR RESERVATIONS CALL ZEPHYR RIVER EXPEDITIONS AT 800-431-3636 Departure Dates 2006 April 2, 4, 9, 11, 13, 17, 20, 26, 28 May 2, 4, 8, 10, 13, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 26, 29, 30 June 1, 5, 8, 11, 13, 17, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 30 July 3, 5, 8, 12, 14, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 28, 31 August 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 31 September 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15
Reservations: A $75 per person deposit is required to confirm space. Balance is due 60 days prior to departure.
Cancellations: 1. NO TRANSFER FEES...if you must change the original date of your trip, we will charge no fees to make the change, provided that the trip you are transferring FROM was not full and we had not been turning others away. Had we been turning others away, your transfer would be treated as a cancellation and would fall under our General Cancellation Policy (see below). 2. NO CANCELLATION FEES...no cancellation fees if you cancel provided that you fall within the guidelines of our General Cancellation Policy. 3. GENERAL CANCELLATION POLICY...please understand that when we initially accept your reservations, we MAY BE turning others away from your trip date, and if you cancel from a fully booked trip, the following will apply: If you cancel 60 days or more before your trip, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel 31-59 days before your trip, you will receive a 50% refund, and if either you or we can fill your cancelled spaces, you will receive a 100% refund. If you cancel 30 days or less prior to your trip, no refund will be given unless you or we can refill your cancelled spaces, in which case you will receive a 100% refund. CREDIT CARD CANCELLATIONS will be refunded less a 2.5% fee that is charged to us when we initially ran your card.

FOR RESERVATIONS
CALL ZEPHYR RIVER EXPEDITIONS AT 800-431-3636

Tuolumne River Group Discounts: 1/2 free with every six rafters up to 1 1/2 free with 18 total rafters.

Tuolumne River Map

TUOLUMNE RIVER TRIP INFORMATION

Tuolumne River Meeting Place: Our meeting place is La Casa Loma Store, seven miles East of Groveland. From Groveland, drive East to Ferretti Rd. (Careful! Ferretti Rd. also joins Highway 120 just outside the town of Groveland. Drive the full seven miles from the Groveland city limit to the correct Ferretti Rd. exit). Turn left on Ferretti Rd. and then left again to get to the store. La Casa Loma store can be seen from Highway 120 but is located about 100 yards off the highway. Your car will be parked at the store for the duration of the trip and the river shuttle service will transport you to the river and back to your car at the end of the trip.

Tuolumne River Meeting Time: The meeting time is 9:00 AM on the morning your trip departs.
Please be on time. If delayed, contact our office at (209) 532-6249.

Tuolumne River Driving Instructions: Groveland, the nearest town to our meeting place is on Highway 120. From Sacramento (driving time 3 hours), take Highway 99 South to Manteca. Go East on Highway 120, through Oakdale and Chinese Camp to Groveland.

From Los Angeles (driving time 6 hours), take Highway 99 North to Merced. At the Northern end of Merced, take Highway J59 towards Sonora. Stay on J59 until you reach Highway 132, turn right to Coulterville. At Coulterville, Highway 132 ends at Highway 49. Turn left on Highway 49, 50 yards, then turn right on Highway J20 to Greely Hill. Follow J20 past Greely Hill to Highway 120. Turn right on Highway 120, about 1/2 mile to Ferretti Rd., turn left.

From the San Francisco Bay Area (driving time 3 1/2 hours), take Highway 580 East to 280 East to Manteca. Follow Highway 120 through Oakdale and Chinese Camp to Groveland.

Airports: The closest major airports are San Francisco, Oakland and Stockton. You will need to rent a car and drive approximately 2 1/2 hours to our meeting place. For private planes, Pine Mountain Lake Airport is near our trip meeting place. Airport pickup is available by prior arrangement.

Overnight Accommodations: We recommend arriving in the area the night before your trip.

Berkshire Bed & Breakfast - 19959 Hwy 120, Groveland (209) 962-6744
Evergreen Lodge - Off Hwy 120 on Evergreen Rd., Groveland (209) 379-2606
Groveland Hotel - Downtown Groveland (209) 962-4000
Yosemite Westgate Motel-Buck Meadows 10 minutes from our meeting spot.
Hotel Charlotte B&B - Groveland (209) 962-6455
Pine Mountain Lake (Vacation Rentals) - Groveland (209) 962-7123
Sugar Pine Ranch - Hwy 120, Groveland (209) 962-7823

Additional lodging is available in Sonora, approximately one hour from our meeting spot.

Camping: There are three US Forest Service campgrounds, some group sites available, near La Casa Loma Store. Call the Groveland Ranger District at (209) 962-7825 for information or (209) 379-2402 for group reservations. Another option is Moccasin Point Camp on Hwy 120, about 45 minutes from our meeting spot. Call (209) 852-2396 for information.

Food & Beverage: Breakfast the morning of your trip is your responsibility. We provide all meals on the river, starting with lunch the first day and ending with lunch on the last day. One-day trips (April) serve lunch only. We provide wine with dinner, as well as various juices, coffee, hot chocolate and limited soft drinks and beer. On some trips we can provide extra coolers if you wish to bring along your own extra beer. No alcohol on the river, please.

Wetsuits: As a service to our clients, Zephyr provides wet suits and paddle jackets free of charge. Wetsuits are recommended on all trips through about mid June, depending on previous winter snowpack. The wetsuits are designed for whitewater rafting, and are very comfortable. The suit is a full-length "farmer-john" style, with sleeveless tops. We also provide an optional nylon paddle jacket which can be worn over the suit when necessary. You are welcome to provide your own suit if you wish. You do not need to make any advanced reservations for your suit unless you have special size considerations.

Rentals: Zephyr has a limited supply of sleeping packages available for rent. Each package contains a sleeping bag, sheet liner, therma-rest pad and ground cover. The packages rent for $20 per trip.

River Camp: On the river we camp at unimproved riverside sites. To protect the river environment we carry out all trash and are careful not to pollute the river. Our guides will instruct you on washing and sanitation procedures for using our portable toilet facilities. We ask that you cooperate by following these procedures to minimize our impact on the river and canyon.

Packing for Overnight Trips: When you arrive at La Casa Loma, your head guide will give you waterproof bags for packing your gear. You will have your own waterproof bags for the duration of the trip. Please pack lightly, as you will be packing everything you bring on the river into these waterproof bags. Gear packed in waterproof bags will not be accessible during the day. For small items that you wish to use during the day (sunscreen, lip ointment, cameras, etc.), we suggest putting them in a plastic ziplock bag, which we can place in waterproof day bags.

Cameras: If your camera is small and inexpensive, a large ziplock bag will give sufficient protection. More expensive cameras can be protected by a waterproof "sports pouch" available at sports stores. Camera insurance is recommended.

TUOLUMNE RIVER CHECKLIST OF WHAT TO BRING

On The River
Shorts/swim suit
Tennis Shoes (required in boats)
Sunglasses with tie-on
Camera (see above)
Light Windbreaker
T-shirt or long-sleeve shirt
Wool socks (wool is warm when wet)
Hat/Visor with tie-on
Sunscreen
Wetsuit (we provide them, you may bring your own if you wish)

For Camp
Dry shoes & socks
Sleeping Bag
Flashlight
Towel
Sweater or Jacket
Ground cloth, pad or air mattress
Comfortable clothes for camp
Toiletries & medications

Optional
Clean set of clothes to leave in your car for the drive home
Fishing gear with license
Books, games
Extra beer or soft drinks
Tent
Rain Gear

Cool Weather Items
Polypro or wool long underwear
Wool or pile pants
Tent, Rain Gear
Wool or polypro sweater/jacket
Wool hat & gloves
Wetsuit & booties

Tuolumne River Weather: During the summer months you can expect hot days (often reaching into the 90s) and warm nights (usually in the 60s). Spring and Fall weather is usually excellent (daytime temperatures range from the 60s to 80s). Rain showers can occasionally occur.

South Fork American River | Middle Fork American River | North Fork American River

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EarthTrek Expeditions
P.O. Box 1010
Lotus, CA 95651