You’ll meet at the OARS American River Outpost on the morning of your trip. After an orientation and safety talk, we’ll take a 25-minute drive to the Chili Bar put-in. Meatgrinder Rapid is the exciting start to the splashy, big-water fun on the upper section of the South Fork. As beautiful river scenes stretch out around us, rapids like Racehorse Bend, Maya, and Triple Threat await us further downstream. After a short section of Class I-II whitewater, we find ourselves at the notorious Troublemaker Rapid. This Class III rapid packs an exhilarating ride and can offer plenty of surprises. As we float by the historic town of Coloma and the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, the trip begins to wind down—but not without a few more stories from your personable and knowledgeable guide. Once we return to the Outpost, we encourage you to explore our nature trails, play campground games, or just savor your time along the river.