Vermillion River Rafting

Oh man. Where to start. When you get there you will pay in cash. No debit or credit cards accepted. Closest ATM is 15 minutes away, so bring cash. When you go get your raft you are talked to for 5 minutes. Now if this were my company I would extend this talk to about 10 minutes. The extra 5 just to let you know HOW SERIOUS the drops are. Yes they tell you to stay right, not left, we did though and the current took us anyways. We flipped over down the drop that felt much much steeper than 4 feet. We were all taken under the drop in the current and came up for breath finally but got taken under again. Major panic when the river kept pulling us. We held onto rocks till we got help. Empty rafts were floating away but we eventually got them. It was so scary when we came up to the next drop (the dam where people have ACTUALLY died) and thankfully were able to stop a foot away from the drop and go around it. When we saw what we were about to go over we freaked out bad and all jumped out onto land. Do NOT do this as you will probably die going over the drop, on accident, without a raft. After that second scare we were ready to leave the river. We couldn’t though because we had another hot hour of paddling through dead water. It’s very beautiful and I don’t mind the company at all. I just think they need to provide either 1. Mini business cards with directions on what to do with each drop (telling us go right then left then right at the other drop then left doesn’t help because who can remember all of that?) 2. Put a water proof sticker on the raft with the directions — even just to remind people 3. Have 3 sections not just a beginning and an end. 1 section that you can exit off of after an hour, a second area where people can leave after 2 hours and then the end where you can go after 3 hours. You kinda get the point after an hour the rest is honestly just scary and tiresome. I wouldn’t go back unless there was a rep with us and I most defiantly would not bring any children under 16. My brothers are 16 and were asking when it was over after the first hour and after the second drop. They actually hid in the raft they were so scared of hitting another. Thanks but noooooo thanks!!!

This review is for the BEGINNER — novice, never white water rafted before, and looking for a fun experience. This is NOT a review for the experienced white water rafter. The website points out (1) there is a total lack of development along its banks, (2) there are 14 sets of rapids, most are class 1’s and 2’s, if the river water is up over 4 foot, you will get class 3’s; and most importantly (3) it’s a good beginner river, and (4) they «only cancel if the water is too low or too high». For the record, the water was too high the day we went. The FAQs point out that you do not get a guide, you go out on your own, and includes the question: «How many people to a raft? Answer: We put 4 people in our 4-​man rafts and 5 people in our 6-​man rafts.» If you are a group of two, do NOT make the mistake and assume that you will be put in a raft with another group of 2 or 3. You won’t. They provide each rafter with a vest and an oar, and raft (s) for your group. Definitely ask for a helmet, they don’t offer them unless you are under a certain age, but they have them. Before you go, it’s a good idea to google «white water rafting tips for beginners»; you’ll get a lot of useful information that you will not get from anyone here. (Note, we didn’t do that and, after the fact, wished we had. The website FAQs say they give you instructions on what to do.) They say it’s a good beginner river, but the instructions you get are no different than any other group — even if you point out to every VRR employee that you encounter that you are a beginner, have never done this before. (When I told one of the VRR employees this, I was told, this was PERFECT for beginners, you WANT the water to be high.) (Note, the FAQs say it is a good idea to know how to paddle and have been canoeing before. For the record, we know how to paddle and we have been canoeing before.) The safety instructions are basic and mainly for two rapids — Wildcat Falls and Lone Star Dam. We went on Sunday, June 28, 2015. The level had more than doubled from Friday to Sunday making it dangerous definitely for beginners. (We found this out later when they closed the river to all recreational boating — it was too dangerous for boaters as well as rescuers trying to get to the stranded and injured. There were at least 14 people stranded — including my niece and me — and one was injured. It was reopened on Friday, July 3, 2015.) Our raft flipped early on in the swift strong current. We heard the rush of water up ahead, rounded the corner, and navigated our raft to the right and in a matter of seconds, the raft turned, dipped and out we went. (I’m sure the experienced rafter would have been able to right the raft and navigate through it.) We lost our raft, oars, and cooler which had my car keys in the storage space on top. (Take note, find a way to keep your car keys on you so if everything else is lost and/​or separated from you, you still have your car keys.) There is no safety plan in place if you get stranded. There are no spotters along the way. You have to rely on yourselves and other rafters. We were flipped in the absolute worst spot — there was no dry land to reach and still be seen and rescued. It was thick, thorny brush and trees, and so many downed trees. We still had my iPhone in a water-​proof pouch, but we had no signal to make a call or send a text for help. We spent over 1−½ hours hanging onto tree branches waiting to be rescued. I was with my niece. Each time we thought it was a good time to try and move forward, the current picked up and was so strong — it was all we could do to hang on — and the water seemed to be rising. There were a few groups that attempted to rescue us, but the current was too strong and they could not stop or slow their rafts to get to us, other rafts were full. We were told by later rafters they knew about us back at the launch and help was on the way — and one even had a cell signal and was calling 911. We were finally rescued by a group in a raft that was full but had an experienced white water rafter in the group. She had received training on how to rescue people. We learned a lot from her about navigating the rapids. In the end, we didn’t have the experience we had hoped for, but we met some nice people, and we had a story to tell. We ran into several groups who were relieved to see that we had been rescued and had made it out safely, and one group happy to see us who told us that they couldn’t rescue us or our raft, but they rescued our cooler and my car keys. Other reviews say that this is like a lazy river with two rapids and that it’s so easy to navigate, a guide is not necessary. For a river that is «perfect» for beginners, that is the experience we wanted, but did not get.

Before I get started, I have a beef with some paddlers that went out Memorial Day weekend. They claim in their reviews that they were not provided safety gear, but the outfitters provide you with a helmet, life vest, paddle, and raft or funyak (I prefer the funyak). They also provide every single boat with clear instructions on what to do at both of three rapids (there are only two), so PAY ATTENTION. The girls in question did not know how to paddle, and admit that none of them had even been canoeing in their life. I think to blame the river, the baby rapids, or the people they rented a boat from for their incompetence is idiotic and irresponsible. And with that, I can start my actual review.
I LOVE this place! It’s very mild white water rafting, but still white water, so you should definitely know how to paddle and what to do if you flip your boat. It might be good to also know how to spot an eddie so you don’t get stuck. Be sure to listen to the instructions that your given. There are only two rapids on the river, Wild Cats being the tricky one. I’ve never had a problem with it, but my boyfriend has flipped the first time we went, and got trapped in an eddie the most recent time. I stuck myself into an eddie on accident trying to wait for him while he went «surfing». Getting stuck is a huge work out! It can also be a little scary.
I LOVE this river because there’s virtually no signs of people anywhere. Coming from Chicago where there’s virtually no signs of nature, this is a real treat for my psyche, which needs nature! When I lived in Florida I was kayaking Rock Springs every weekend, and I miss that up here in Chicago.
Because the river is so easy, you don’t get a guide, which, in my opinion makes it even better. Last time we went out there, about two weeks ago, there were three other families running the river, all the boats went out with kids, two parents and one elderly person (i love seeing family outings). I say that to illustrate how easy the river is. I’ve done HUGE rapids on the Ocoee River in Tennessee, and that was fun but non-​stop stress for me (I wasn’t able to swim back then but have since started learning), but I prefer Vermillion River because it’s relaxing.
The boat rental people are great, they are very knowledgeable. Be sure to ask about the water levels so you can have a good idea of what to expect at Wild Cats. Higher water levels mean an easier time (and faster trip overall), lower levels mean a bigger drop at Wild Cats, and a slower (longer) time down the river.
Oh! One other thing, there’s a lot of Asian Carp out there, there seemed to be more this year than last year, it’s pretty exciting when they jump out next to your boat when your going through a rapid. It’s sad though because they’re an invasive species.

I have just started picking up rafting as a hobby after going in Colorado. Of course this was nothing like Colorado, but I didn’t put my expectations to high! The staff gets you all set up, tells you where you should and shouldn’t go.
The experience is what you make of it. We had a great time, I’d do it again.

My husband and I did the rafting trip recently with our 7 year old and two 10 year olds. Kids are required to wear helmets. On Wildcat, 3 of us slipped out of the raft but grabbed on and were able to get back in without too much fuss. Just about everyone that day either flipped completely or had a person or two slip out. That’s what made the trip fun. Be prepared to paddle as there are a lot of slow patches. And don’t take anything with you that you would not be prepared to lose, or be sure your stuff is stored in a waterproof case and a zipped pocket.

This. Was. Sooooo. Much. FUN!
My boyfriend and I just did the Vermillion River Rafting today and we had an absolute blast. I read all the reviews before going and I have to admit that I was a little nervous… maybe a lot nervous, but it ended up being the favorite thing we did on our camping trip to the Starved Rock area. There are two areas that are like water slides: «wildcat» and the «dam». We followed the instructions and stayed to the right side, paddled through it and crouched low. We did not even come close to falling out! We both commented that we wished we could go back up and do it again! After Wildcat, we did pull onto a rocky patch of shore and emptied the water that got into the raft. We probably didn’t need to but decided to do it while we had a good opportunity.
The remaining 90% of the trip was literally a lazy river with occasional «wavy» areas (small waves). I was able to lay on the raft, close my eyes, and just relax.
We wore watershoes from Walmart ($ 5) and lots of sunscreen. I recommend to bring water bottles with you and you can ask the staff to hold your keys for you if you are worried to lose them. When you arrive, you follow the staff to the endpoint, park your car, and then they drive you in the van back to the start point.
Overall, a great experience. The scenery is so beautiful and we would come back again. The rafts were nice, life jackets were new, and the staff was friendly and helpful. I would recommend this and want to come back!!!

I don’t see how anyone can flip in this river, there is really only 2 spots where the rapids are strong and last for all of one minute. So on your 9 mile rafting you get about 2 minutes of fun. This place was not worth the 30 bucks per person, enjoyed my time going but will not be back. Also watch out for Asian carp, those things can knock you out.

I’ve done this twice. the first time, the water levels were really low so the trip took 6 hours and was easy.
the second time, our raft flipped at Wildcat Falls and all of us went in the water. we lost one of our paddles, our snacks (oh the snacks!!), and almost lost our car keys. there was a group of about 20 people sitting on shore after the Falls and they told us their rafts had flipped too. one girl had to be rushed to the Emergency Room because she hit her head on the rocks.
the website says that the rapids are level 1 & 2 but Wildcat seems much more challenging than that. i would not recommend this to first-​timers or the easily panicked (like myself).
if you want to do this:
wear a helmet (an employee mentioned that someone last week had hit their head and went to the hospital as well — that makes two in two weeks)
expect to get wet
expect to fall in the water
loop your car keys to your life vest or put it in a zippered pocket
the employees are nice, the rafts are in good condition, the life jackets are new, helmets are in good condition. not bad for $ 30.

I have gone on this rafting trip 6 or 7 times in the last ten years. As others have said, there are two areas where you have some actual rapids and some solid navigating that needs to be done. This amounts to probably ten total minutes of what can amount to a 3 hour trip (but I’ve stretched it to close to 5 at times). Along the rest of the river are spots where the river rapidly goes through a shallow or rocky area and you need to try to find the best way through. There are also long patches of calm water through some very peaceful and beautiful scenery. A few times I’ve actually beached my raft and carried it back over to do the rapids again. I’ve also popped out of the raft on 3 occasions. It can happen.
Along the way are some occasional beaches and pebbly shores where you might want to pull to the side and enjoy a snack or lunch (that you’d bring).
The trip is absolutely worth the $ 25 they charge. Go into it knowing what degree of rapids to expect, and you will have a great time. It’s a nice way to spend a morning and early afternoon with some friends.

The Vermillion River is scenic and relatively calm. For a group with only one person ever having rafting experience, I suppose the river serves as a decent introduction to rafting. According to this company’s website, the rapids encountered along the river are rated Class I and Class II. While most of the three hour+ journey is calm, there are two spots that novices will probably find challenging (and for us, unnerving).
As other reviewers had mentioned, there are primarily two trouble spots. The first is called «Wildcat Falls.» This area consists of a downward «chute» sandwiched between two large rock formations (we were told that this area might be more challenging than usual due to the river level being around 2.5 ft). For this area, we were instructed by the Company’s staff to immediately paddle to the left one in the chute to avoid a boulder. For all intents and purposes, there was not enough time to do so (perhaps because of the low water level) and all we could do was lower our center of gravity and lean to keep the raft as balanced as possible as it hit both rock formations within seconds. We were lucky and our raft hadn’t flipped over. Our other party’s raft did and they were very shaken up from the incident. We were told by other rafters that our raft was the only one they’d seen all day that hadn’t flipped. One gentlemen told us that he had gotten trapped under the raft after it flipped and almost drowned, albeit with a smile on his face.
The second area is called Lone Star Dam. This area wasn’t as troublesome as I had pictured it would be in my mind. We were instructed to stay to the right of the buoys which lead to a 20ft section cut from the dam to allow rafters to pass over the top without encountering reverse currents. The anticipation was worse part of it despite one of our other party’s rafters being thrown from the raft.
As for the Company itself…
Pros: very fair rental rates, easy to find location, rafts seemed to be in excellent condition, they sell sunblock for $ 1 for those that forgot to bring it.
Cons: life vests looked old and worn down. very basic instructions, especially regarding the «trouble» areas. I would have appreciated it if they had more pictures of those areas (they had none), so novices like me would know what to expect and look for.
One last thing: Bring lots of water, don’t bring anything you would hate to lose or get water damaged, and for god’s sake… it’s not a «booze cruise» (as at least one reviewer has said). Someone died in 2009 because they were intoxicated and got caught in the dam’s current. Be smart and be safe, no matter how «lazy» the river is.

Our experience would have been a lot more positive had we not capsized in one of the rocky spots & dealt with this company during and afterward. There are no helmets or safety plans in place, aside from life jackets. It is a low class river, so we didn’t expect to have any danger. My friend was injured on the rocks & we were freezing. Also, the staff merely «waits» for the rafters to show on the other side 3 – 4 hours later & if they don’t, then go looking for them. There were only 2 of us & we were not given a guide. Our phone was damaged so there was no way to get a hold of anyone if we actually had a signal. We were only 1 hour into the expedition & felt completely alone as the staff has no plan in place for emergencies. We paddled 3 more hours to the other side with 1 paddle, which felt interminable. We asked the crew on the other side what they do in this type of situation and he said «good question.» When we related our story, the owner was unapologetic and basically argued with me the entire time. Very unprofessional. He stated that he read the email I had sent regarding our experience but didn’t respond due to being «busy.»