How to Choose Your River Rafting Adventure

Choosing by location:   Do you prefer your adventure close to home?  Or are you willing to drive 5 or 6 hours for a world-class "high-adventure" experience?   Check our whitewater rafting locations map to find an Adventure Center convenient to where you live.

Choosing by activity:   Whitewater rafting is the core activity in most of our Adenture Center programs, but we can also satisfy your craving for other activities like kayaking, cycling, hiking, climbing, disc golf, camping, and a host of other adventure outings.  If you can spare more than a day, we encourage you to feast on the terrific variety of activities available at each of our Rafting Centers.

Choosing the right rafting trip:   We're often asked, "Which river trip is best for us?"  We usually encourage families and first-timers to begin with a trip of modest intensity, and "work your way up" to the high-adventure excursions.  Listed below is a sample progression of whitewater trips, ranging from easy rapids to eye-popping whitewater.

Choosing the right outfitter:

But when it comes to choosing your whitewater rafting outfitter, you can be assured of making the right choice by focusing on these five criteria: experience, safety, diversity of trips, dedication to guest service, and facilities. Following this formula makes selecting your whitewater outfitter easy.

Not surprisingly, all five point to Whitewater Challengers!

Our more than 12 million miles of rafting experience is unmatched in our industry. On many of the rivers we run, Whitewater Challengers was the pioneer outfitter ... first on the river with outfitted rafting trips. Our safety record is impeccable. The diversity of rafting experience we offer includes everything from very tame trips for ages 5 and older, up to the adrenaline-pumping, hair-raising Class V rapids that even a veteran guide dreams about at night. Dedication to service is at the center of everything we do.  And our facilities are among the best in the industry.

We hope you'll take the time to ask all the right questions, and really get to know us. The more you do, the more certain we are that we'll be sharing a fabulous experience this season with you and your friends on one of the east coast's greatest whitewater rivers!

Experience Counts:
Ours dates back more than 30 years.  Since 1975, we've enjoyed hosting more than 1.5 million guests on our river trips, logging over 12 million miles of guided whitewater tours in the process. From our guides to our reservations and ground support crews, we understand what you want and we know how to deliver it. Being first isn't everything, but it often distinguishes the leaders from the followers. A trip with Whitewater Challengers guarantees you and your group all the benefits of our unparalleled history and 30 years' experience!

Safety First:
Any active outing requires of its leaders an unwavering dedication to safety.  This means skilled guides who are knowledgeable and experienced.  It means guides certified in first aid and whitewater safety. And to us, it means exceeding state, federal, and industry standards for guides, gear and safety procedures. But more than this, it means staying focused on safety even while we and our guests are enjoying the river and each other.  It means making smart decisions when extraordinary circumstances arise, even if the smart decision isn't always the easy decision.  No where else is our 30+ years of experience more evident than in the impeccable safety record we've compiled - unmatched in our industry.  Any top-rated outfitter will welcome your questions about experience and safety.  We certainly do!

Diversity of Trips:
Selecting an outfitter who offers every imaginable whitewater experience has its benefits.  First, you're certain that the ideal trip for you and your friends is available.  And second, you can rest assured that you won't be sold the only trip offered, rather than the kind of trip you really prefer.  With 12 different trips offered on five different rivers across two states, it's easy to be sure of getting the exact experience you want at Whitewater Challengers.
 
Dedication to Guest Service:
We learned a long time ago to listen to our guests.  Over the past 30 years, you've told us what you like, and what you want.  And the more we listen, the better our guest service becomes.  Our files are overflowing with "Thank you" letters from our guests - not so much for our excellent facilities, or for the scenery or for the whitewater - but mainly for the quality of service provided by our crew.  We select our staff for their congeniality and expertise, so you can be assured the best outing imaginable.
 
Facilities:
It may not be the first thing you think about when choosing your outfitter, but facilities can and do make a big difference.  

At the Lehigh River, Pennsylvania, our spacious 25-acre rafting center is the largest by far.  It supports overnight camping, buffet-style breakfast and dinner service, our outfitter shop, snack bar, recreation fields, sand volleyball courts, basketball, games and competitions, and other evening programs. There's no reason to settle for just a rafting trip when Whitewater Challengers offers so much more.

At the Hudson River, you'll enjoy the special convenience of our streamside rafting center where, at the end of your river trip, you're only a few steps from you car, dry clothes, and a delicious, free cook-out.

At the Moose River, ours is the most spacious, conveniently located rafting center. Situated on 15 acres near the river, we're an easy shuttle to and from both sections of whitewater.

At the Black River, only Whitewater Challengers guests enjoy camping alongside the rafting center, with river shuttles directly from the camping area to the rafting launch site.

And at the Salmon River, for your convenience, we have situated ourselves at the spacious and accommodating Stoney's Pineville Campground, a real convenience for our overnight guests.  

In all, our Rafting Centers combine the advantages of spaciousness, location, lodging and activities that are unmatched by our competitors.