Rafting tours typically depart from Placerville, a gold-country town along Highway 49, and spend half a day or longer traversing class II and III rapids—with some stopping for lunch at other gold-country settlements. The South Fork offers the best rapids for beginners, whereas the North Fork is recommended for experienced rafters. The river runs from the Sierra Nevada to downtown Sacramento—if rafting is not what you’re looking for, you can take a river cruise from there.
The more challenging rapids on the North Fork are rated class IV and V whitewater.
Much of the upper regions of the South Fork are located in El Dorado National Forest, while most of the upper regions of the North Fork and Middle Fork are inside Tahoe National Forest.
Coloma, where gold was first discovered during the early Gold Rush, makes a good base to spend the night.
One of the best places to make your base of operations during your visit is Coloma, a gold country town about 9 miles (15 kilometers) northwest of Placerville along Highway 49. There’s little public transport in this region of California—driving is highly recommended. Your other options include booking a rafting tour with transportation or checking with outfitters about shuttle service.
For rafting, especially on more challenging rapids, it's best to visit during spring, when the snowmelt from higher up in the mountains raises the water levels across all three forks. Summer is gold-panning weather and much better for swimming, with hot temps and warmer waters, while fall is much cooler and brings an end to the rafting season, which, outside of a few exceptions, runs roughly from April to October.
James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, setting off the California Gold Rush in 1848. Today, you can see a recreation of the mill in Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and pan for gold in the American River among historic mining buildings and, sometimes, costumed volunteers.
