River Recreation

I’ve rafted with River Recreation three times now and every time was a BLAST! I’ve done the Nooksack, the Wenatchee, and the Skykomish. The guides possess the perfect combination of skills in safety, teaching, and fun! The gear is always in top-​notch condition and is repeatedly checked before the trip and during the trip to ensure it’s still working as it should. The guides do a great job of teaching, prioritizing safety, and answering questions. The last trip I went on, I took a friend who was terrified of the idea of white-​water rafting and she was RAVING after the trip about how comfortable the guides helped her feel and how much fun she had. The first two trips I went on, I had Pickles for my guide, and his humor coupled with extensive guiding experience made for awesome rides. On the Skykomish, I had Don (the owner) for my guide, and his passion for rafting and for sharing that passion with others was obvious. He and the other guides even helped support me when I wanted to do some impromptu bouldering in the middle of the river during our lunch break. The main office did a superb job communicating about trip details leading up to the trips, too. THANK YOU, River Rec, for helping me rediscover my love of rafting and introducing me to so many thrilling and beautiful rivers here in Washington! I’ll be back on the water with you next summer!

The experience was awesome! Our guide was John and he was superb. For starters, I didn’t know how to swim and I still had the best time of my life. He helped me jump into the water too! A must do for all ! :D

What an EXCELLENT time we had as a family on Father’s Day! Don was our guide and Taylor was the safety boat. We had a family of 5 and did the lower river float. Perfect day to float, the BBQ lunch was fantastic, and well worth it. Will go back again for sure. Don and Taylor were loads of fun a made the trip that much more enjoyable.

Had a great time on the Wenatchee! Nice guides, great food! Very chill. Sean or «Nibbles» took us out in a small 3-​person boat, first guests of the season in the little boat. He listened to my concerns and was a great guide! Would come again.

This was the first rafting experience for most of the people in our group and we already know we will be using these guys to do it again next year. Felt safe the entire time, well organized, but always laid back and having fun. The guides (Morgan and Elliot) kept it entertaining the entire ride.
There were a few other companies on the river and they didn’t all look to be navigating the river as well, so no need for us to experiment here — we will be going with River Recreation again for sure!
We did the Tieton River and the water was warm. Next year we want to try the Wenatchee river and probably make a camping trip out of it.

Great rafting experience. We booked the 9am trip and were in the water ready to go by 10am. They have websuits and booties to keep you warm and feeling pretty safe. They also have jackets if the weather is colder.
Our guide was Sugar and she was great! Friendly and very knowledgeable of the Tieton River. She navigated us through some narrow passages through the rapids with great precision. Every guide there seemed very cool.
After the raft, there was bbq lunch ready for us: water melon, salad, bread and a chicken thigh. The only small recommendation would be to have a few more chicken pieces so it wasn’t just one per person.
I’d highly recommend the September Tieton River rafting trip for those looking for a fun adventure.

I’ve been white water rafting with River Recreation many times now — Skykomish, Green River, Nooksak, and Wenatchee rivers. Every trip has been smooth and fun. Well planned, outstanding professional guides, good food, good equipment and gear, clean. The trips are fun and exciting — I’ve taken my kids on two Wenatchee trips and they have loved it! Exciting but not too intense. Most recently we went on the Wenatchee and i spaced out and left some personal belongings behind and they tracked them down and kept them safe for me for a few weeks until I could come back for them. I really appreciate their thoughtfulness and professionalism. I wouldn’t raft with anyone else!

For my Bachelorette Party, me and 9 of my best girlfriends signed up for River Recreation’s «Paddles and Pints» weekend adventure — We had the time of our lives, on and off the water! Wildfires in Eastern Washington almost scared us away… but we’re SO glad we stayed with our plans because aside from hazy air conditions one night, the wildfires had absolutely no impact on our trip with River Recreation. We arrived bright and early to set up our tents in their awesome, riverside, shanty town complete with showers, kitchen area, flood lit courtyard, picnic tables, wifi, and hammocks galore. Our river guides were funny and talented, allowing opportunities for water sliding down the rafts, water fights, swimming, etc, and the river was a good balance of adrenaline inducing rapids and relaxing, smooth floating. Plenty of free time for hanging with friends, resting, and eating before we left on Part 2, the brewery tour. First round everywhere is on RR, and they set a really great, relaxed pace so we weren’t rushing to finish drinks anywhere. Camping that night, and playing games with the off-​duty guides was SO fun — I’d HIGHLY recommend this adventure for any group, big or small!

This company knows how to do it right! We were in the water within an hour of our arrival, after life jackets, safety instructions and the bus ride to the entry point. The guides were great, especially TJ! He was funny, informative and really made the trip worthwhile! They fed us lunch right after — which was definitely needed after a morning on the river. The food was delicious and they even offered vegetarian/​vegan options. Overall, I’d say an amazing day of rafting with great people. The price is comparable to other companies and well worth the money. We will definitely be returning. Big thanks go out to River Recreation and our guide TJ for making our weekend awesome!

This is by far the best whitewater rafting experience I’ve had; these guys really stand out in terms of their friendliness and professionalism. When you arrive there’s a relaxed atmosphere while you get checked in and fitted for your gear. They were very organized and efficent with loading the boats (and people). Right before you put in, they give a safety talk that puts your mind at ease.
Our guide Daniel kept us laughing and guided us over the best rapids, including ‘snowblind’. The water was cold, which is why I’m glad we wore wet suits; and when it’s 80deg in Cashmere, it’s refreshing. A good workout in beautiful scenery. Loved my experience and will definitely be back.

This was my third year as part of a large group. This is always a blast the guides do an amazing job and it’s a great way to spend a day taking in the beauty of Washington state and getting a good workout in also. I highly recommend a trip out it’s fun for anyone!

People here are super friendly, knowledgeable and caring.
I went with my sister and my 50 years old to the Wetnachee trip, weather was awesome.
The route is longer than other companies and the end is at their camp.
We were with Morgan, she’s awesome! Always finding the best and secure waves, she’s great.
I strongly recommend to take a trip with them!

I highly recommend this company for your white river experience. Especially on the Wenatchee in July. I’ve liked it so much that I’ve gone TWICE with this organization. The second time to bring my boyfriend along to celebrate him getting LASIK gone. The second time I went on a weekday and the company brought enough experienced people for us to have a blast. We hit all sorts of waves including «snowblind» and even «surfed.»
The simple BBQ is great for being included. They also have a vegetarian option.
P. S. Explore the nearby Leavensworth if you’re out here.

I got a Groupon or LivingSocial coupon or something to go whitewater rafting with River Recreation. This is for the Nooksack run.
First off, I guess I read the website wrong and hence my traveling partners got mad at me for this but the website stated that you need to be at the meet up by 9am. So we drove from Lacey at 5 am to get there. I know we should have called again before we went but of course when we got there, no one was around. We eventually called after several expletives were uttered by my cohorts at me and they said that their trips start at 12 noon. So basically call before you go to make sure the time you need to be there is correct.
It worked out well since after my car-​mates called the eff down, we took a spin to Mt. Baker. Mt Baker is amazing. The views are amazing! We didn’t go all the way up, but parked in a parking lot toward the top which was pretty empty. One of my friends quickly hoarded herself up in the car since the bees up there are like humongous (seriously) and she has a reaction to bees, sooooo ya.
Anyway, we made our way back to the meet up point where they served lunch hot off the grill. Yup! A meal is included in the price of admission. (check your trip when you book to make sure) Steak, veggie burgers, watermelon, bean salad, regular salad, drinks, and other things. And yes they have a vegetarian option, you just make sure you note it when you buy your ticket. A regular price ticket for the lunch, usage of the gear, and the 2 – 2.5 hour trip was $ 90. We of course used LivingSocial so it was cheaper, but I’d gladly pay $ 90. After lunch, we suited up. If you’re not outdoorsy and are going to make a huge deal about wetsuits and river boots, then bring your own. They provide wet suits as the water can be quite brisk and kayak/​river booties as well as a helmet and a PFD/​life vest. There are changing tents for those of you that are modest. You can leave all the rest of your crap in your car. The area is really safe and so sparsely populated that no one is going to break in. My friends brought waterproof cameras or iphone cases as there are no other ways to take pictures if your want to.
You take a small shuttle trip to the entrance. They give a very serious instruction and demonstration of safety, which I though was very thorough especially for a novice like myself. Then it’s «get your a** in the water time*. I have to admit I was slightly nervous especially after the safety talk, but I manned up and hopped into the raft.
We practiced a few maneuvers and headed down river. I’ve got to give it to our guide «Nibbles»! We as a group were doing a lot of work but he had a huge job to do in the back of the boat steering us away from hazards and watching out for items that would potential end out lives. Good times.
You get awesome view of Mt Baker and bald eagles and Nibbles gave good commentary of his life. You will get wet no matter where you sit but honestly the front tends to get more water as two of my friends found out. This trip is serious though. Don’t joke around too much or you’ll miss the instructions the guide is calling out or possibly fall out into the very rapidly moving river. Overall I can just say the whole experience was beautiful. The nature, the actually whiteness of the water, the cleanliness, and being with friends. I would definitely do white water rafting again. River Recreation has several other trips so check out the website
P. S. I think there is an age requirement for children and there are some waivers you need to sign regardless of what age.

Despite on-​and-​off down pour rain, our group had a fantastic time with Jonathan as our guide! He helped make the trip a ton of fun and directed us into rapids that were fun and appropriate for our group. Jonathan saved the day!
River Recreation loses a star for lack of organization. After we arrived, it was confusing about where to go and what the schedule was. The lunch was very simple, which wasn’t really a concern for our group. Once they started getting ready to go to the river, it was like a dash to the finish. We went and put our wetsuits on and by the time we got back, one of the buses was already loaded.
We would and hopefully will go back for another trip — and will ask for Jonathan as our guide!

addendum– Don, the owner, did call after I made him aware of my concerns and went so far as to offer FULL refunds for all the rafters and a free guided trip on a future one. I do believe this is the best you could do to make the situation right aside from going back in time. I was impressed with his sincerity in trying to rectify the situation and he went through each one of my concerns and reviewed changes he had made to ensure that did not happen to another future guest on one of his guided trips.

If you read only the top of reviews: DO IT. AND GET PICKLES FOR YOUR GUIDE.
I used the Living Social deal which was adequate (pay $ 40 for $ 80 worth of your trip) but I had to pay extra for the overage. This was different than my last coupon from the previous year with another company, although I didn’t get lunch last time.
2 member of our group had gone with this company before but for a different river. They recognized Pickles their former guide and asked him to take us under his wing. Best decision ever. The whole trip down (a little over 2 hours) we were laughing and cracking jokes left and right. Clearly the other rafts were not on our level.
The food was a nice little bbq outside after we had changed and got routed back to our starting point. You can buy a CD of the pictures of your raft for $ 40 which was a great deal since we all knew each other (7 people, 1 raft). Definitely would use this company over the previous company I had.
Remember to bring cash if you’d like to tip your guide!

This place was flat out terrible. They had «food» included in the living social deal which was grade F steak and watermelon. Gearing up then started 45 minutes after we were supposed to be on the water. The raft guide, a muscular man with a bald head that had no idea how to get off the raft that didn’t involve a backflip was an attention grabbing whore that would interject whenever our group has having a conversation.
One person had to leave the trip due to heat exhaustion (they made us wear wetsuits on a 100 degree day).
The organization for stacking the boats was atrocious, they actually knocked a girl over and she fell into a raft that was on the ground.
I would not recommend this rafting guide EVER.

Went with the living social deal. Excellent guides. Fun and safe. I’d definitely get wet with River Recreations again.
Thanks Toast!

Great experience. Myself and 3 other guys did a guys trip with River Recreation/​Living Social. The experience ended up being better than anticipated.
We rode over to River Recreation in a Luxury bus from downtown Seattle. Not crowded whatsoever, had movies going the whole time. Had a restroom on board, water and snacks were provided.
We had Sugar for our guide — she was very experienced, funny, and a «wave hunter». We were able to goof off in the water in the calm parts, too. Highly recommend her.
They served a nice lunch at the end. You get to pick between brats, burgers, or veggie burgers (black bean patty). All 3 were sampled by someone in our group and all were happy with their selection.
Stopped at a beer garden in Leavenworth on the way home (that bus bathroom really came in handy on the trip home).
We will, without a doubt, book our next rafting trip with River Recreation.