Mariah Wilderness Expeditions, one of California's premier rafting companies celebrates our twenty-first year as a leader of safe, high quality whitewater rafting companies
HISTORY
About
Us
MARIAH began 20 years ago in 1982 when co-owner Donna Hunter
decided to explore the idea of turning her 10-year passion for whitewater
rafting and other outdoor water sports into a business. As an early adventurer
on many U. S. rivers when whitewater rafting was just beginning to be
recognized as a viable commercial enterprise in this country, Donna found the
thrill of running rivers and challenging herself in the out of doors to be an
adventure she wanted to share with and offer to others. Leaving her
professional job in Social Services, she moved to Northern California, joined
forces with a friend, and started MARIAH as the first (and still the only)
whitewater rafting company owned by women.
Co-owner Nancy Byrnes joined MARIAH in 1988 after accepting an early retirement offer from a major corportation where she worked for 21 years. Her involvement comes from a long-lasting love of outdoor activities and a special love of water sports of all kinds.
Within three years of its conception, MARIAH'S reputation as a safety-conscious, high quality rafting company was already established. Donna's untiring work to "get the word out" to friends, groups, companies, and outdoor enthusiasts about the fun and excitement of rafting began to pay off. Soon MARIAH was one of the largest rafting outfitters on the South Fork of the American- one of California's premier rivers.
Because business on the South Fork was steadily increasing, we then decided to expand river operations to include other rivers in California in order to give our returning customers additional rafting options. In the mid-1980's we began rafting the Merced River, the Middle Fork American River, and North Fork American River. The addition of these three rivers gave our guests an opportunity to progress to more difficult rivers and come back to see us year after year. Many of our customers have been adventuring with us from the very first year of MARIAH trips.
As a women-owned business with our desire to see women of all ages pursue their love of the wilderness in a supportive environment, we launched a second branch of MARIAH known as the Adventure Program for Women. Since 1982 we have been organizing All-women's trips on all of our California rivers, as well as creating new adventures to other parts of the world-- from rafting on many special and challenging rivers throughout the western United States and in Costa Rica, to sea-kayaking in Baja and adventure travel to Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, and Australia.
In 1988 we began booking rafting trips on the warm water rivers of Costa Rica, and we soon realized that as a result of our specific love for the country and its people, we had accumulated a vast amount of information unavailable to most travel planners. Costa Rica was rapidly becoming a popular adventure travel destination. Our rafting trips soon turned into complete customized itineraries for the independent traveler--whether couples, families and friends, or solo travelers. Costa Rica Travel Planning has become the third main branch of the MARIAH business.
"The trip of a lifetime….".
"Your crew exceeded our
wildest expectations….".
"The professionalism and camaraderie
exhibited by all of our guides was simply amazing….".
"My children and
I will be back again and again…..".
"I knew we would have fun on the
water, but that dinner, combined with the winemaker giving us his knowledge
during the wine tasting, was beyond anything I could have hoped for."
These are just a few of the thousands (literally!) of positive comments we received this past season
So let us get you out on the river! We invite you to enjoy a day, week, or a fortnight on an adventure that we hope becomes a lifetime experience!
Please join us, just as 96,000 others have done so over the past two decades and help us celebrate Mariah Wilderness Expeditions!
MARIAH WILDERNESS
EXPEDITIONS
P.O. Box 70248
Point Richmond, CA 94807
Voice (510)
233-2303 Fax (510) 233-0956
Reservations (800) 462-7424
rafting@mariahwe.com