Wilderness Voyageurs Rafting & biking

Was in the area after 50 years of being out of state. Wanted to find a stream I had fished as a kid. The owner was very knowledgeable of the area and with a rudimentry description, was able to identify the stream and recommend some flies for that stream and the Yough. Everyone in the store was friendly and helpful. Mostly a rafting and kayaking store, but definitely had an excellent selection of flies.

Went white water rafting on the «lower». It was a lot of fun! If you’re seeking a little more thrilling experience, try the ducky (inflatable kayaks). Ask for Jordan.

Rafted the upper yough with garret as our guide on August 9^th. What a great trip. Awesome guides. Personal attention. Great equipment. And just a lot of fun. Nice lunch at the end of the trip as well. Highly recommended

This place is the greatest! They have good prices, great people, and are super helpful. When we first arrived I met with a girl Katie who I asked about whitewater rafting. She gave us the lowdown but wasn’t pushy. When asked she also took the time to show us on a map all the other great things we could do around the area that night. Her recommendations were wonderful and she really helped to make our two day trip super enjoyable. When we went rafting the next day our guide Steve was excellent. He told jokes and goofed around, but took the time to read the people in his boat so he knew how hard to take the rapids. The trip was amazing. The whole experience was a plus and we will be returning here when we make it back to Ohiopyle.

I had a good time with white-​water rafting on the river with this business. The employees were knowledgeable about rafting and were pleasant to talk to. It was my first time rafting, but it was easy and fun to make my way through the waves. I will most likely return to raft again in the future. This business also offers services for kayaking, fly fishing, bike touring, and rock climbing. They also have a store on-​site for picking up any necessary supplies that you forgot to bring from home.

The guided whitewater trip I signed up for was a run down the Lower Yough. This trip was about 7 – 7.5 miles altogether on the river, and took us about four hours to complete. Because my lady-​pal and I don’t play well with strangers, we upgraded from the 5 – 6 person rubber rafts to duckies (single person inflatable kayaks) for an extra $ 10 each. We didn’t want to get stuck with a bunch of weird strangers who could ruin our fun. This decision was a good call overall, but created some challenges on the river.
We checked in at the cashier’s desk in the equipment store at around 11:50 am for a noon trip, and headed up the hill to the bathrooms where equipment was to be issued. After a few minutes, a river guide named Brian showed up and gave us a lively equipment orientation so we knew how to put on the vests/​helmets etc. So far so good, we’re totally owning this rafting thing. This briefing only took 10 – 15 minutes, after which we quickly grabbed our gear and hopped on some buses that took us to the launch site.
We arrived at the launch where the large rafts were already laid out, and the group of about 80 people started to break up and recombine into raft teams. After the rest of the group had successfully established organized themselves, Brian launched into a well-​rehearsed safety briefing. My attention span wanted after about 10 – 15 minutes, I was ready for some action. I heard the jokes he made and caught some key safety phrases like «nose & toes» for when you’re floating downstream raftless. Another guide named Steve came up to us at one point and gave us a quick rundown on the duckies. As soon as we launched our rafts he paddled up to us in a kayak to give us some detailed instruction. There probably were ~20 full sized white water rafts full of eager tourists with a total of 3 duckies floating in between this. This would present a problem for the duckies later.
The initial rapids were great, especially for first-​timers. They were gentle, typically class I-​II, and they made you feel like a pro. The rapids as a whole were fun as shit. Several rafts had communication/​paddling issues so they would often get stuck or go in random directions, but eventually most (but not all) of the rafters figured their stuff out by halfway through. The guides take each rapid one step at a time, giving everyone a quick rundown of what they were about to see and what they needed to do. After you got through a section of rapids you’d generally be collected in a calmer pool of water to wait for the rest of the group. Once everyone was caught up, we moved on to the next one.
Being in a ducky was fantastic for the most part, because you were so much faster and more maneuverable than the large rafts. Unfortunately, the large rafts treated you like a bicycle on the highway… they were hell-​bent on going through or over you if you got in their way. Also, so many rafts had issues with spacing. You can’t go through rapids like you’re in rush hour traffic all bumper-​to-​bumper. I was forced to frequently look over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t going to get crunched after dropping down a series of rapids. My girlfriend and I tried to hang out in the very front or back of the raft train to avoid this, which was somewhat effective. But yeah… duckies were freakin’ fun as hell until we reached rapids the guides called «the Duckie Muncher». I was the first raft to attack this one. There I was: cutting and slicing through waves like a pro when suddenly a huge gaping hole appears in front of my raft and the last thing I heard was «GO STRAIGHT THROUGH IT MAN!»
I tried my damnedest to go as hard through that whirlpool of death as I could, but the nose of the ducky went straight down and I was cast down into a bright blue swirling vortex of frigid frothy bubbles circled by a prison of dark imposing boulders.
My first thought while down in the vortex was very calm: «Oh wow I’m underwater. That’s cool. Time to swim up to get some air.» After my first attempt to swim to the surface failed, I bounced off some rocks and tried again. When my second attempt also failed, I had a brief moment of panic where I came to understand the fragility of my existence. Suddenly I remembered the whole «nose & toes» thing, so I rolled onto my back and pulled my feet up like I was doing a dead man’s float, and sure enough I popped up to the surface. Thank god I paid attention in the safety brief for those 12 seconds.
So yeah, pay attention to safety ‘n stuff.
The guides were super helpful, the duckies were way more fun than the large rafts, and it was one hell of an experience I intend to repeat someday. My only recommendation is to give the other rafts space and tell them to do the same for you. Lots of mid-​water collisions and duckie-​crunching could be avoided if people around you weren’t so dumb.

These guys are fantastic! Every time we go up we make sure to stop by and see the crew in the store and usually to buy something we forgot! Best outfitters in town and would highly recommend them to any group!

This is an amazing company and my go to group when I am in the area. I have used this company for years. Rafted the Upper, middle and lower yough and also took the kayak course and one on one time. Every aspect of their business is professional. Amazing facilities to get ready and clean up in, friendly staff, awesome rafting experience and just genuinely great people. I had issues with a reservation due to a sudden car accident and they attempted to work with me and reschedule which was pretty incredible. The guides are very experienced and confident and go out of their ways to ensure a safe journey… you cannot go wrong with this group… then end your day shopping at the store = perfect!!! Review other places you’ve been to

Wilderness Voyageurs has good sales on holiday weekends and always treats paddlers right. They have a large selection, so if you forget something on a trip, they are sure to have it. The staff are always more than willing to help, couldn’t ask for more!

This is the outfitter we’ve used every year for the past 20 years and they’ve always been great!

A few of my friends and i did the kayaking lessons the other day. We have a great time! And the instructor, Dave was extremism patient and helpful! Everyone had a blast, we’re all still sore, but we would absolutely use them again and recommend them to anyone who asks.

Awesome day all around! We had a great trip down the Upper Yough and really enjoyed the company of our guide, Brian. He kept us safe but still showed us a great time, was a really interesting conversationist, and was unfailingly gracious even with my wildly swinging t-​handle. After our trip, we had an awesome meal & got to preview the action shots taken during our trip. Life is good!

Great company, will show you an absolutely amazing day white water rafting.

We did not rent from WV, but they saved us when our raft started deflating 200 ft into our trip. Within 30 minutes, our deflated but manageable raft turned into a half raft (half completely deflated, half completely full) with no air valve. The guides from this company helped us a lot. They told us where to pull out & contacted our rental company many times for us to coordinate a fix. Without «Crash,» Crash jr, & WV, we would’ve been up s#%^‘s creek without a raft. Thanks guys!

Wilderness-​Voyaguers is the best rafting company on the Yough Hands Down. Knowledge, Skills and Attitude are all 5 stars.

My wife, 10-​month old daughter and I rented bikes and kayaks for our vacation in Ohiopyle from Wilderness Voyageurs in Oct 2011. The staff was super helpful and friendly and got us outdoors in record time. The also had a good selection of outdoor gear in the store. We bought some of those cool «Five Fingers» Vibram shoes and, upon a recommendation from the store staff, took them on a hike on the Meadow Run loop — the fall leaves were amazing and we enjoyed our new shoe experience. Super friendly and helpful people: can’t say enough about them and the experience.

My son and I did the Lower Yough guided rafting tour on 08÷22÷11. Very hot day. We had a blast. I have been rafting before and this was his first time. The guides were great and very professional. They helped people negotiate the rapids by making it fun. They were also making sure they the whole group stayed safe. A lot of families with children at least 12 years old.
The tour sarted at 11:30 and we finally got on the water by 12:30 PM. Mandatory instruction to make sure you have fun and stayed safe. I know I said this before but important to know. We had a large group of 85 that may have pushed the time on the river a liilte longer than the «scheduled» time. Who cares.
If you listen to the guides, it will be a blast.
Make sure you bring your own water and a Clif Bar as it is a long trip. No McDonalds or Wendys in town. Small town with one general store for food and drink.
Great bonding experience. Plus it was nice to see nature and think of nothing else but having fun.
Do it and you iwll not regret the experience.

We did the «Pedal and a Paddle» combo, a 9 mile ride on a hybrid bike and then they leave a kayak for you at the top to float down. We were there mid August and the river was low and SLOW, also «boney» as the cheerful employee warned us (rocky). It took us over 3 hours to float down. The Youghiogheny is beeyootiful though and Wildnerness Voyaguers definitely knows what they are doing. I want to come back for some rafting, or kayaking when it’s a bit more of a challenge. Call ahead to ask about conditions.

I came here on a trip with my school for white water rafting and I’m pretty sure everyone had a blast and if they didn’t, I know I did! It’s a bit of a drive from Pittsburgh, about an hour or so, but once you get to Ohiopyle — there’s this and the falling water house and everything looks super rural and outdoorsy. I’ve never been white water rafting before but the guides made the instructions simple and clear — our raft with 6 newbies did not flip, noone really fell out and we all got to the end of the river in one piece.
I’m curious to go back for more: they have rock climbing, paintballing, kayaking and a bunch of other fun activities. They also have the hottest river guides, imho. And a bar, and a restaurant! And a coffee shop!

My mom and I went white water rafting here. WOW. I think this is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. The guides were reaaally funny but more importantly they were well trained to save anyone and everyone who fell in, got scraped up, got hungry (since they provided an awesome lunch) and got tired. I was in a raft with older men who got tired later in the trip and consequently flipped us over at the most dangerous spot. I was out of that water faster than I could yell profanities. ;) They got us all back together pretty fast so we could continue our trip.
Now. I saw children on this course but I was VERY surprised. The whole trip took us from 10:30AM till 5PM and it was class 3 rapids. We wore life vests AND helmets so we were pretty protected but it wasn’t a float down the river coarse. We had rocks to avoid, heavy rowing and steering, small waterfalls to get down and large rapids in areas. I’m a VERY strong swimmer so falling out meant nothing to me. But if you’re afraid of water or your children can’t swim and it would make you nervous to see them in that kind of water, take an easier coarse. They have one that is more floating and less paddling.
This group had several different activities to do, fly fishing, white water rafting, kayaking, etc. They’re the oldest or one of the oldest businesses so they’re very established. CHOOSE THEM!!! :)