Yuba Outdoor Adventures is now accepting reservations through Labor Day!
The Yuba River Rafting float takes you around the Timbuctoo Bend through California Gold Country, near the ruins of the historic mining town of Timbuctoo. Your journey begins and ends at the Parks Bar Bridge near Smartsville, CA, approximately two hours east of the San Francisco Bay Area. Each river trip takes about 1-2 hours from start to finish. We encourage you to bring a cooler with refreshments. Invite your family and friends along for a fun, educational trip through historic California Gold Country.
- Family friendly, relatively smooth float with small rapids.
- Shuttle bus, paddles & vests included.
- Commercial rafts holding up to eight (8) people each.
- A professional river rafting guide on each trip.
- Tour guide commentary on historic points of interest.
- Reduced pricing for kids ages 10-12.
- Discount rates available for groups of 10 or more.
SCHEDULE
Every YOA River Rafting Adventure begins at 10AM on the day of the float. Upon your arrival at the Sycamore Ranch and Campground, our free shuttle will take you upriver to a private launch point above the Highway 20 Parks Bar Bridge. Please allow at least four (4) hours in total to meet us at the campsite, board the shuttle, and float the river. Start and end times are approximate, and may vary depending on weather conditions that day, road traffic, and other variables.
RESERVATIONS
Please bring a physical (printed) or mobile ticket with you to this event to gain entry. If you do not have one of these items, you will need to show a valid photo ID with either the name of the person the ticket is reserved under, or of the person who purchased the tickets.
GROUP RATES
Yuba Outdoor Adventures offers discount rates to groups of 10 or more. For more information, please please send a message or call the TicketLeap hotline at 1-(877)-849-5327. Group rates apply to group reservations only.
ORDER CONFIRMATION
All reservations are processed via TicketLeap.com. Following checkout, you will receive an email confirmation of your order, containing details of your reservation. If you do not see the confirmation in your inbox, please check your spam folder. For any questions or concerns about your online order, please send a message or call the TicketLeap hotline at 1-(877)-849-5327.
CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS
We understand that plans change, and we will do our best to accommodate your situation with little or no penalty.
- YOA must have 48 hours notice of any cancellation as we may have turned down other clients.
- Cancellations within 48 hours of your trip date are non-refundable.
- If a refund is to be made our liability is limited the amount paid, and not additional cost incurred.
- In most cases, your refund will be issued as a credit to your credit card account on file, or by check. We will notify of you of any exceptions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RISK
All adult participants or parents/legal guardians of participants under 18 years of age, are required to sign our Acknowledgement of Risk release form. For your convenience, you may download, print, read, and sign the release agreement prior to arrival:
AGE LIMITS
Participants under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under the age of 10 are not allowed on the river float. In many cases, the elderly are not advised to raft, as the Yuba River can be jarring and bumpy in spots.
DIRECTIONS
All participants will meet at the Sycamore Ranch Park and Campground at the scheduled time. Don't be confused! Look for the YOA shuttle at the boat launch area.
From Marysville:
- Take Highway 20 east approximately 15 miles.
- Turn right into Sycamore Campground and proceed to the boat launch area.
- Park in the designated parking area.
From Auburn:
- Take Highway 49 north approximately 15 miles to Hwy 20 in Grass Valley.
- Take Hwy 20 west toward Marysville approximately 20 miles to Sycamore Campground.
- Turn left into the campground and proceed to the boat launch area.
- Park in the designated parking area.
PARKING
Automobile self-parking is available for $5 (cash only) at the Sycamore Ranch and Campground. For more information, including park hours, rules, RV hookups and other amenities, please visit the Sycamore Ranch website.
RESTROOMS
We have portable restrooms at our upriver launch site, and other facilities are available at the Sycamore Ranch and Campground shuttle pick-up/drop-off area.
CLOTHING AND GEAR
In general, please dress appropriately for for weather conditions at the time of your arrival. Yuba Outdoor Adventures provides specialized rafting items you will need on the river such as life jackets and paddles. Following is a checklist of items that you should bring yourself:
Recommended
- Swim suits or shorts (quick dry).
- Sandals with secure straps and water shoes are best, but old tennis shoes are okay.
- Sunglasses (with tether) or visor Waterproof sun screen with high SPF.
- Lip balm
- Dry clothes, shoes, and a towel (for drive home)
- Spare keys, glasses or contacts
Optional
- Socks
- Shirt
- Long pants (quick dry)
Important: Denim jeans and heavy cotton are never appropriate on the river as the fabric retains water and loses insulation. Also avoid anything that may hamper your movement in the water. Prepare to get wet!!
PETS
Pets are not allowed on the YOA shuttle bus or river rafts. Pets are allowed at the Sycamore Ranch and Campground but must be kept on a leash. For more details, please click here.
VALUABLES
In general, do not bring too many valuables or too much gear. Lock any valuables in your car and do not bring cell phones, keys or wallets on the river. We are not responsible for damage to, or the loss/theft of any personal gear from our vehicles, on the river or in camp. So please travel light and have travel insurance or household insurance that covers your property when away from home.
FOOD AND DRINKS
We do not provide food or beverages to participants. We encourage you to bring a small cooler (no larger than 18" x 24" and under 20 pounds) with refreshments and snack food items, however, NO styrofoam, glass, porcelain or metal coolers or containers are allowed on the river float. During the trip, any used wrappers or other litter must be stored in your container on the raft and properly discarded at the end of the float. The Sycamore Ranch and Campground has trash receptacles for this purpose.
ALCOHOL
We do not allow alcoholic beverages on the rafts, or the YOA shuttle bus. If you choose to drink before or after the float, please do so responsibly.
MORE INFO
For more information, please visit our website FAQ page.