River Drifters

We had a blast…
It was my Mother’s Day gift I didn’t have a clue tell we pulled into the drive way.
I have always done The Deshutes thinking this is no biggie. Let’s just say I am done with the deshutes. This is it!!! Whoop, whoopwas such a great bonding experience/​outing with my kids.
If you get a chance to do this you better JUMP at it
I guarantee it will get your heat pumping.

Rafted in early September. Just my wife and I and the guide because it was midweek and just after Labor day. The guide (I apologize for forgetting his name) was excellent; personable and professional… he knew how to make the trip fun and adventurous and yet respectful that my wife had a shoulder injury and was not able to paddle or hold on tight for much of the trip.
The gear was top notch (splash jackets were available to repel the water), the lunch was fresh, tasty and filling (I expected cheap, stale and not good so that was an unexpected bonus) and the adventure of the river and the changing landscape was exactly as advertised. Everything from the website was accurate and we felt safe. Highly recommend River Drifters.
Note: The river is not all that wide. The trip may not have been as fun during peak season with a lot of rafters on the river. Secondly, be prepared to paddle against strong currents. I underestimated how tiring it would be from the website.

I came here for a half day trip and it was awesome! Larry was our guide and boy was he fantastic. My companion and I were in a raft with another couple. We were given a wet suit, shoes, a helmet, and a water jacket. We took a short bus ride to the river and halfway we stopped to take a look at the class 5 rapid for insurance reasons (required consent on our behalf for insurance reasons). The river was lower than normal but that wasn’t an issue was we were taken through class 3 and 4 rapids. At one point, we got out of the raft and trekked along the river to jump off a 18 foot cliff into the river. Everything about this trip was amazing and it was well priced at $ 60 for a half day. Our guide was a native and let us get out and drink from the underground springs bubbling up into the river. Giardia lambdis be darned, that water was the best, sweetest tasting water I’ve ever tried in my life. The entire trip was wonderful, safe and beautiful. The river and surrounding environment was gorgeous.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff, $ 60.00 during the week and $ 65.00 weekends per person. Five intense hours of fun. There is a surprise hike around a class 6 rapid with the option to dive into the river from a ledge 16 to 20 feet in height depending on water level.
This company provides the helmet, neoprene, paddles, raft and plenty of conversation. The water running down these lava plumes carved into the mountain is icy and a beautiful turquoise blue. A complete marvelous five hours.

What a wonderful day! We had a blast. The guides are so funny and very personable. We have our two young children with us and thy took that in consideration. Family friendly all the way!
We had Mike as a guide ! Wonderful! We loved the stores as well.
Our kids had a blast and can’t wait to do it again.

One of my favorite days of the summer!!! call and request Mike, you won’t regret it!

This was the first time my sister and I went rafting and River Drifters made this entire experience unbelievably epic! Our guides were Charlie and Wes, who were both very personable, professional, and fun! They provided all the gear that was needed and I was happy that they gave us some booties so we wouldn’t mess up our shoes. Their gear is pretty solid so I suggest using everything that they recommend you to wear. They also provided a helmet had a gopro mount, which we got some gnarly pictures with. Overall, we had an EXCELLENT, thrilling time. Definitely will come back for more of that whitewater!

Great rafting trip! This trip including everything: great rapids, cliff jumping, a grand finale drop and then some bridge jumping. It was all the fun and excitement that one could pack into a trip. Incredible! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great half day trip. Thanks River Drifters!

I highly recommend River Drifters! This past August I spent a week in Hood River, Oregon. The prior year I had done a rafting/​supping trip down the Deschutes River with River Drifters, and had an absolutely phenomenal time, so I decided to do it again this year! This time it was down the White Salmon River.
During both trips, River Drifters has made the experience absolutely seamless, stress-​free, and always a blast. Each guide I have had the chance of meeting has been friendly and totally professional. Rafting can seem a little daunting to some, but these guides put us at ease the minute we met them. They really took the time to make sure everyone was safe and comfortable, and having fun, every step of the way. My favorite part was definitely the cliff jumping… It’s an awesome way to challenge yourself while have an awesome time!

I had the chance to take a rafting trip down the White Salmon River in August 2014 with River Drifters and it was absolutely awesome! Their equipment (wet suits, fleeces, booties, splash jackets, helmets, etc.) was in great shape, the initiation process was informative, and their staff are fun and completely professional. Our guide, Charlie, knew every aspect of the river and knew the perfect balance between safety for everyone on the raft and letting us have a great time. The White Salmon rapids are legitimate rapids that are a ton of fun to navigate through and the scenery while going down the river is absolutely beautiful! The water is pretty damn cold, so make sure you take advantage of all of the gear that River Drifters offers — you’ll need it. We had options with other rafting companies, but when we were going down the river and saw the rafts and gear that the other companies used in comparison to River Drifters, all of us were so happy we chose wisely. The trip was hands-​down the best rafting experience I’ve ever had and it added to an already great long weekend in the Hood River region. I highly recommend River Drifters for anyone looking to go white water rafting in the Hood River area!

We had a party of 11 go out on 2 rafts on the Clackamas river with Brian and Cody from River Drifters as our guides. They were amazing tour guides! The entire event went from 10−3p (suiting up to departure) included a sandwich/​water/​cookie lunch for only $ 75/​person. The river was of course beautiful but the guides threw the experience over the top. My boat was manned by Brian. He would try to run the raft over the most fun parts of the river. If all the passengers enjoyed it he’d let us do it again! During the calm parts of the river he would tell family friendly jokes & try to get to know everyone. He took every opportunity to push my 12 year old in the water (it never got old)!! She got to ‘bull ride” (sit on the front of the raft) most of the time. I would highly recommend this company and request Brian & Cody (they go together). They go were requested:)
Side note: make sure you don’t take your valuables because you’ll have to leave them in the car. A car got broken into while we were out rafting.

I’ve done a couple ½ day trips here, and it’s one of my favorite outfitters. Very fun runs with all ages in mind. My only criticism is that the guides seem to be a hit-​or-​miss.

Had an absolute blast doing this. The guides were young, fun, and adventurous. They also have an area where you can jump off a bridge directly into the water. Can’t say that I did it but I was impressed with how many people got up the courage and took the plunge!
Only bad experience was getting a rash from the wetsuit. If you have a non-​cotton shirt and pants (work out clothes work well), I’d definitely recommend wearing it under the wetsuit. They wash them fairly often but you never know!

Completely awesome. The staff is fun and knowledgeable about the river. The wetsuits and gear get washed after each use (very important to me!). I had never used a wetsuit before and the staff was very helpful in explaining how to get everything on.
There is no question in my mind that I would do this again. In a heartbeat. They even take photos of you at a particularly splashy part of the river. You may purchase them at a reasonable price. I definitely recommend it as a family activity. I will remember my trip down the river with my sisters forever.
I understand this company also does runs on the Deschutes, so I will have to check that out.

We visited River Drifters at White Salmon in mid June. Cost was quite reasonable at $ 60 per person. It is about an hour and a half from Portland it was easy to locate according to their directions. The area was beautiful to see. For us it was a family excursion with out of town family. The age ranges were from 13 – 50. We had two raft boats.
They suited us up with tubbies that fit snugly, a wet suit (sweat suit), life vest and a helmet. Surprisingly, they had a wet suit that fit me. I was impressed because I am not exactly petite. I assumed they gave us so much gear because the water was at about 40 degrees. I would have preferred to go without the wet suit personally however, since they were responsible for my safety I understand. Needless to say I appreciated it when I got hit with water because I was sweating (not perspiring) in that suit. Hopefully I lost a couple of pounds just in sweat. Hee hee.
They gave us instructions before heading to our launching area. At the launching area they reiterated our instructions and had us get in.
We all had a great time. The guides were humorous and told jokes as well as gave informative information and history of the area along the banks. There were lots of rapids. The guide got two young ladies to «Ride the Bull». That is when the riders are at the front of the raft perched on the nose with one arm in the air and the other they hang on. The guide takes us over a slight fall and the riders fall back into the raft. That was fun! We laughed and laughed.
Afterwards, we changed into our regular clothes and reviewed the photos they got of us going through the rapids and periodically through our two hour tour.
I would recommend taking the adventure for anyone.

We had a great time. Our group was on two different rafts but we all went out together. Our guides were very awesome, knowledgeable, and funny. I was highly entertained and I learned a few things. They went over key safety instructions before we went out and I felt safe the entire time. Rafting is always a blast. I hated having to wear a wet suit and jacket but I got over it real quick once we were in the raft and cruising down the river.
Since our group was just adults we did a few extra things to make it more challenging. My husband was the only one who fell out though. It’s funny because he is probably the only one that didn’t want to fall out. He lived. I will definitely raft with River Drifters again!

I had experience their other place of business at Maupin. My family had a blast! So I figured, why don’t the more intense rapids at White Salmon!
We arrived early for our afternoon trek and my spousal unit was checking out the wild flowers. Since it was a nice day with a cool breeze I thought I catch a small nap from the drive here (from Portland 1.5 hours).
20 minutes later the rest of the clan arrived and we got into our gear, got some brief instructions, caught the van then headed to the launching for adventure to begin.
Upon our arrival we were instructed again and head to the rapids. The rocks were quite slippery and you will have to walk a little ways to get to the launching point of your raft.
After the launch we got we got wet in less then a minute and Class 3 rapids were coming at us continuously. Our whole family was having a blast! It is waaaaay better then Deschutes.
Also in between the run, there is a Class 4 waterfall/​rapids, however, the water level made it too dangerous so were told the danger level was too high! I was told there were times in the past where people would go down the fall and disappear for a while because the undertow. They had too many scares so they had tendency to be more cautious. So if you have the opportunity to do the waterfall, proceed at you own risk.
All in all we had a great time and my advice is to do White Salmon! After do these rapids, you will never go back to Deschutes.
All I know is that when I get back to Portland, I will definitely do this with my family again! Everybody loved it!

These guys ROCK! This was our first time white water rafting and we were not disappointed. The guides were extremely helpful and patient, answering all of our questions and explaining everything in great detail to those in our group who were a little more paranoid about the safety. We were 5 adults (mid-30’s) and we had an absolute BLAST! Our guide, Josh, was a lot of fun. Pat — the main guide and he guy giving us all our instructions when we arrived — was also very patient and a lot of fun.
I HIGHLY recommend doing ALL the «optional» items (including the cliff jumping, the class 5 falls at the end and the bridge jumping).
Thanks River Drifters for a very wonderful day!

This group is awesome! This was my first time every rafting and I made it out safe with no injuries or damage. Super fun! A+ service!
It was the most funniest thing I have ever experienced. The staff is awesome and funny! The guides know their stuff and rest assure they know how to control the raft! I felt safe throughout the entire ride.
It was about a 7 mile ride that took about 2 hrs to go down the river. For $ 60 that’s a hell of a deal. The guides will share some history about the river and teach you a thing or two. But beware because if you make a reservation and don’t show up they will charge you 50% of the cost. So make sure this is something you really want to do before you book a reservation.
The river also has some calms spots where you can get out and swim. We went at the end of July and the water wasn’t too bad. A couple spots were really cold but overrall it was warm.
There is a big drop towards the end. I believe it was named Husum Falls but you can’t go on it if its high tide (3ft or higher). They also let you jump of a bridge towards the end for all you jumpers out there.
For all you adventurous people ask to «ride the bull» You will have a great time and won’t have to paddle for a while. LOL
Thanks for the good times River Drifters!

What a blast! I officially call white water rafting a must-​do activity if you are anywhere near the Northwest.
I’d never been before, so I was a little nervous, but at the end of the trip, I wanted to do it all over again.
River Drifters was a smooth operation. Everything was on time and the guides have the whole process down to a T, whether it was getting us all in wet suits, tightening our life jackets, manuevering us through the falls, and returning all the equipment at the end.
Everyone talks about the big 10 foot Husum falls drop near the end of the trip, but that 10 foot drop was over so quick, that my favorite memories are actually from earlier in the trip – loved the Corkscrew!
If you do fall out (and it’s about a 50% probability), the worst part is the cold water. I fell, and all I remember was «CRAP where’s my raft!» and then «CRAP I can’t hoist myself onto the raft because it’s so slippery and SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME.» That whole part was about 10 seconds.
Then it was «CRAP CRAP CRAP it’s COOOOOLLLLDDD!!!» But you forget about it as soon as the next rapid comes your way.