Merced River
 It takes a powerful river to carve out Yosemite Valley . . .
and during the peak spring and early summer flows you can experience some of this power first-hand. Untamed by dams, the Merced River tumbles out of Yosemite National Park in a rare display of natural vigor and beauty.
Our one-day whitewater rafting trips cover 14 miles of river and include numerous Class III and IV rapids including Terminator, Grand Slam, Ned's Gulch and Split Rock.
Highway 140, a scenic entrance to Yosemite that runs through the gold rush town of Mariposa, parallels the river and makes this trip a convenient addition to a visit to Yosemite or the California Gold Country.
The river usually peaks around Memorial Day and at high water levels this is the most fun and exciting trip we offer with gigantic, roller-coaster-like waves and lots of swift current.
"Best guide I've ever had and I've rafted rivers all across the country. Thanks for your work to preserve
the rivers of the west."
Rob Nixon
ARTA GUIDE
NOLAN
 Michelangelo
Pelé
Madonna
Nolan
Every circle has its one-name icon; that singular star who needs no further introduction. Even before he did an entire Tuolumne trip in his Speedo (he swam and played water polo at Monte Vista High), and even before he hosted a trip-ending Talent Show on the Green River in his wrestling singlet (he is a heavyweight at San Jose State) and even before he showed up for the 2008 season with a Mohawk (we have no idea why he did this), he was Nolan. Just Nolan.
Meet more of our guides...
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For Left Brained People:
In one word: Free-flowing
In another word:Roller-coaster
Expect to: Get wet
Meeting Place: Midpines, CA
Length in days: 1
Length in miles: 20
Gradient: 32 feet/mile
Overall difficulty: IV-
Highest difficulty (#): IV(3)
Rapids/day: ~ 15
Signature Rapid: Split Rock
Types of boats: Paddle
Hiking: D
Scenery: C
Wilderness: D
Fishing: C
Campsites:N/A
Wildlife: C
Swimming: C
For Right Brained People:
In the compendium of all the trips we offer, the Merced doesn’t really measure up in a lot of categories. The scenery is pretty blah. There is no hiking to speak of and no camping at all. There’s a highway along most of the river and we go under three bridges. We see turkey vultures and maybe a squirrel if we’re lucky. But man oh man, are the rapids fun. They make up for all the other shortcomings. The river is free-flowing and when the flow is high (usually mid-May to mid-June), there is no better day of rafting. All-forward, straight-shot lines through big, roller-coaster waves. All day. Super fun. So much fun the RVs pull over to watch. When the water isn’t high, the rapids are still fun, just a bit tamer; like a little roller-coaster, (and the RVs still pull over).
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