Zephyr Whitewater Expeditions

My wife and I did the full day Merced trip with Maggie as our guide. We were supposed to be grouped with a larger group that had to reschedule last minute. So it was just my wife and I and our guide with another guide following in another raft. It was such an amazing day. Both guides went out of there way to make sure we had a blast. This was our first rafting experience and this was the perfect introduction to it. Plenty of big white water with room to breathe after. Maggie was extremely knowledgeable about the area history, wildlife and plants.
Such a good day my wife and i are ready to go book another rafting trip. Thanks for the great experience and memories!
Forgot to mention the lunch spread they put out for us. Fresh sliced pineapples, watermelon and strawberries, Deli meats and cheeses all put out on the side of the river presented beautifully. Even though it was just two of us they didn’t cut corners. Thanks again.

A great trip. This place is the only locally «base camped» rafting company in this area and were very well organized. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. We did a full day trip with my wife and oldest kids ages 12 and 14 and everyone loved it. Our guide was excellent. The photographers catch your group at every good set of Rapids do you get a good memory of each part of your trip.
And, this place is only like 20 min from Yosemite, so you can run thru the park after for a great ending to the day.

Our family did our first whitewater rafting experience with them today and all I can say is outstanding! It was great. They made everything easy. Easy to work with. Our guide Henry was fantastic. What a wonderful day. Highly recommend these guys.

CHEEEEEHOOOOOO!!!
What an exhilarating adventure this was!
10 of us in a 15 seater GMC van from San Diego visited Yosemite National Park on May 2 – 4, 2014.
The parks waterfalls were booming and it was not at all that hot yet. White water was at its PEAK! (well, whatever peak we had last year, since we had a drought…)
MAKING THE RESERVATION: We called Zephyr 3 months before our trip and made a reservation. The initial contact with their customer service was awesome and it was a breeze!
DAY OF: When we arrived, parking was easy and this was easy to find from Yosemite Valley. We checked in and signed our forms, were given wet suits, jackets and helmets as well as full instructions on what we can expect out in the river. We were also taught how to pull a fellow rafter up from the water. After instructions and trying to squeeze into wetsuits, we jumped into a van and off to the take off point we go! Our guide ‘DANNY’ was so freakin’ cool! he was knowledgeable and gave clear instructions that made us feel EMPOWERED and SAFE! I recommend Danny! he was such a blast! easy going dude, really knows his stuff!
EXPERIENCE: We did a half day, which was stupid because we could not stop wanting more and more and more and more! it was so fun! This was an experience I will never forget! Being barreled and hit in the face by white water was not the only superb thing we did here! we also passed by one of these old mines and a crazy landslide that happened 2 years ago. Such an experience and cannot wait to do it again!
Overall, Zephyr is responsible for one of the most unforgettable memories of our lives and not only were they all so helpful, knowledgeable, understanding and fun but they were all so humble and truly enjoyed rafting the river!

My husband and I were traveling with another couple to Yosemite for a few days and booked the half day AM trip on the Merced. None of us had ever whitewater rafted before, so we didn’t really know what to expect. I’m so glad we chose Zephyr to coordinate our rafting trip because everything went very smoothly and we had a blast. The staff at Zephyr taught us everything we needed to know before we set foot on the raft and we felt like we were in good hands through our entire trip.
Bob was our guide and he was both knowledgeable and funny. He told us cool stories about the area and swapped jokes with us through the whole trip.
Myself, along with the 3 others in my group now have a newfound love of whitewater rafting and are looking forward to our next trip.
Tip: Where the wet suit and wool socks. The water is cold!
We purchased a CD with the pics from our trip for $ 40. We split it 4 ways so it wasn’t so expensive. The picture quality is great and we are so happy we decided to purchase it.

My fiancé and a couple friend of ours undertook the Tuolumne River day trip through Zephyr last week. We had one of the best experiences ever. The staff and guides were the utmost professionals and made the entire group laugh and feel at home.
The day was well organized, the rapids were enjoyable and we all felt safe with Mark, our guide, at the helm. Lunch was spectacular, an amazing deli sandwhich with all the fixins’ coupled with gatorade, cookies, and watermelon.
The only thing I could complain about is that they used to serve an ice cold beer at the end of the trip but can no longer do this because of legal reasons.
Great job guys!

My family went on a half day whitewater rafting trip with Zephyr this past weekend and had a great time. We knew the water would be low and so the rapids would be down, but our guide Phil made the whole trip very enjoyable! He was so engaging and informative that we all raved about him on the way home! The entire operation was great from our first encounter on the phone– thank all of you including the photographer Monica who took great shots of us at all the rapids!

My family and I just decided to go white water rafting together for my dad’s 60^th birthday. We chose Zyphyr as we were staying nearby in Yosemite. We are SO glad we did. The trip ended up being such a blast and very affordable. The employees were quick to let us know what we would expect and made sure we were all well prepared. My fam definitely knows how to have a good time and I think we got paired perfectly with our guide– Phil. Phil was awesome and made the trip that much more fun. He was able to laugh and joke with us, while still being very professional and just down right awesome. We couldn’t have had a better person to take us down the river! We also loved that there was a photographer there to capture all of the shots… and she was a great one! We purchased the CD and are so happy we did. We will definitely be back when the water is higher and pray Phil will still be there.
Thanks again for making our trip so memorable. You guys rock!

We did the Merced run with Zephyr last weekend and had a wonderful time. This was our second trip with Zephyr, and they did just as great a job on this one-​day run as they did with the two-​day Tuolumne trip last year. Their logistics are spot-​on, and their guides have a real sense of fun and adventure.
Whitewater rafting isn’t nearly as difficult or dangerous as its depicted in TV and the movies. You have to obey simple commands from the guide and not lose your head even when the river is spraying you in the face with cold water.
Do remember that for spring runs (that is, until the water warms up in June), you’ll be paddling in a wet suit. That water in the river may look nice and warm from the road, but it was snow yesterday. Zephyr has a lot of suits and the guides are good at picking one that will fit. You still need shoes — wool socks are a really good idea to keep your feet warm. You will get wet, even if you’re sitting in the back of the raft and don’t fall out.
Our guide, Cory, shared a lot of knowledge about the river, its flora and fauna and history (lots of Gold Rush). He was our guide on the Tuolumne as well — great guy, excellent guide.
Bear in mind that the drive to their location will take longer than you (or Google maps) thinks. There was a landslide that has shut down the eastbound lane, so there’s a temporary bridge and road-​sharing process — expect a 15-​minute delay.

So my girlfriend and I went up to Yosemite for a weekend for our 2 year anniversary…*que* awwwwww…
Anyways I made reservations for a half day trip down the merced river for the AM. It was a crappy memorial weekend with rain and clouds but thankfully the clouds opened up for the few hours we were on the river! THANK YOU jeebus!
Extra plus that we didnt know about was that our hotel was literally a step, hop and a skip away from the meeting point. AWESOME! So we get there early and we meet our guide for the day. They were extremely friendly and very personable. Didnt bring anything but yourself, shorts, and a shirt? no problemo! They provided a wetsuit, wool sweater (wool keeps you warm even when wet), A water jacket over that and then a lifejacket over that. awesome… If you arent afraid of used shoes, there is a bucket o’ shoes for anyone that doesnt want to get their new nikes soaked.
So after we all got oriented on safety and paddling we grab our paddles and am ready for the drive to our stop. SURPRISEEEEE the pushoff location is right across the street!
Another step, hop and a skip and we’re next to the roaring river. Ehhhh water smater aint cold right? First step in my feet go numb… freezing cold fresh snow melt. Im not falling for dear life!
So the river was awesome! had a great fun time on the river it had its crazy rapids and mellowed down. SO it wasnt rapid all throughout but it was a great first experience. Afterwards they even provided drinks and review of photographs taht were taken throughout the trip. If you wanted to purchase them they were given to you for i think 30? or 40? for all the pictures on a cd.
HIGHLY Recommend this place if anyone is in the area and down for an exciting adventure with chill and experience guides!