California Rafting Trips Are Good for the Family

Summer is synonymous with vacation, and planning can be a breeze for your family’s summer getaway! Merely a couple hours from the San Francisco Bay Area, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada are a playground of possibilities – and no flights are necessary for this escape. Let All-Outdoors handle the details by taking your family on an all-inclusive rafting vacation on the California River Riviera.

We are so lucky to have whitewater rafting opportunities for adventurers of all ages – from the Class II Tom Sawyer Float trip to Class V Cherry Creek challenge. The rivers of California offer any type of family rafting trip you’re looking for. Express Trips (without lunch), 1-Day, and Multi-Day trips – the variety of rivers and itineraries has something for every generation and every schedule. (How to Choose the Best California Rafting Trip for Your Family)

Disconnect to reconnect

Each river escape is an opportunity to log out and get away from the screens to focus on charging through the next wave with your crew. An active vacation makes for the most entertaining memories…like when your youngest cousin got absolutely drenched by a surprise wave that didn’t touch anyone else, or how your mom charged the hardest while paddling into a standing wave to “surf” the raft. These are the stories that’ll come up around the dinner table year after year.

Better yet, it can become a tradition from year to year! The Armstrong family, founders and owners of AO, have been bonding with one another on the rivers since the beginnings of the sport 60 years ago, and continue to reunite for our annual family rafting trip. From ages 5 to 95, all of us look forward to our yearly South Fork American trip.

Meaningful and memory-making

Without life’s usual distractions, the river is the perfect place to reconnect with nature and your family. It takes teamwork to navigate the boat through the rapids, and the slow stretches are the best for good old-fashioned conversation. The best family vacation memories are made of nights under the stars on a sandy riverside beach, hikes to remote swimming holes, and a bocce ball battle royale.

Planning a rafting trip with AO is a breeze, so you’ll just need to get the fam to the river Meet Place, lace up your old sneakers, and slap on some sunscreen…then kick back and enjoy the river experience with your favorite crew (…but we’ll still need you to paddle!).