IRIE Rafting Company

Frank and Eric gave me the best Middle Fork of the America experience. Amazing class IV Rapids. Frank prepared us for our big day with paddle instruction and practicing working as a team. The day started off with a big rapid right around the bend. It was hot out, so we jumped into the water and floated down. Officially the best day of my summer. Make sure to take a trip with IRIE :)

Our family of four (two daughters 12 and 14) went for the day trip. We had never done this before. SO much fun, we felt safe and there were thrills and our guide Eric clearly knew what he was doing, knew a lot about the countryside and some silly jokes to book! We can’t wait to go again — for the overnight next time. Thanks to both Frank and Eric.

This company was amazing! I went in a group with 2 other girls who were all a little nervous to say the least and the guides instantly put us at ease! The guys who work there are awesome and super knowledgable about everything rafting! They make the experience so much fun. Plus, their lunch they serve is great! If I ever do it again, I’m coming back to these guys! Highly recommend!!!

I went on a trip with IRIE down the middle fork of the American River. It was super fun class IV section with fun rapids. Frank and Erik were super fun, professional, and friendly river guides. Each of our guides had 20+ years and 10+ years experience on the middle fork of the American River and so I knew I was in good hands! Lunch and transportation from Truckee down to Auburn and all the way to the river put in was all included. I really liked their small company and how they treat all their guests like part of their family. The obvious passion and enthusiasm all IRIE employees have for whitewater rafting is super contagious. A+++ highly recommend!

My husband and I went on a Father’s Day rafting trip with some family members that had used IRIE in the past. Considering we had a newbie on this trip, we were glad that IRIE came highly recommended. There were several people from IRIE (Frank, Anna, and Eric) that accompanied us on the van ride to and from. They were all very professional, friendly, and well organized. Eric, our funny and quick witted guide, was AMAZING!!! He was very experienced and would tell us what to expect with each rapid. He was also very informative about the American River and the surrounding areas. IRIE offered a great lunch which included a variety of deli meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomato, avocado, fruit, chips & salsa, and two different breads to choose from. We will definitely be using IRIE and requesting Eric for our next rafting trip! Good times!!!

Just had the best weekend ever! Bachelor party with the boys. Irie took such good care of us. These guys are total pros! This was my fist time rafting, and they made me feel really comfortable. Cant wait for next summer.

LOVE
Just do it. Just go rafting and say you’ve done it and remember you vacation forever.
My family visited and we did the easy float out of Tahoe City one hungover day and that was nice but they still bring up whitewater rafting the Truckee River with Irie.
Two YEARS later.
Maybe next time we will do one of the other rivers they guide? The American? Or?

I have gone white water rafting two years in a row with this company. They are wonderful.
Each raft seats up to six passengers as well as one guide. Coincidentally, I had the same guide this year and last – Rob. He was smart and accommodating to the two different groups. My first year there were just four of us matched to his raft. This year there were six and he changed up his style of playing guide because two passengers were younger kids.
On the Truckee river, for the half-​day, the rapids are quite tame mostly class 2 with a few class 3. It’s mostly a scenic ride down the river with lots of nature along the way. If you’re looking for more excitement I suggest looking into one of the full day rides.
I was surprised how many people showed up wearing flip-​flops or sandals. Just stop. You will lose these or injure yourself. Bring sneakers that can get wet. IRIE sells water shoes for those who don’t read the proper footwear guidance on the website. They also have lots of sunscreen on hand.
A photographer, not directly affiliated with the rafting company, takes photos of the rafting trip that you can buy too.

IRIE is a great company to choose for a delightful afternoon on the Truckee River. Everything was well organized and the whole pre-​rafting part was efficient (check in, travel to site, safety talk, etc.). I’m sure all the guides are great, but I suggest requesting Matthew (Matty). He is fabulous! He runs rivers all over the world, so his expertise was obvious. He was in complete control of the raft at all times. He also knows a ton about the area, so you learn all kinds of interesting trivia. Finally, he has a great attitude and keeps everyone smiling and working together. This is an easy river, with just a few bigger rapids, but the current is swift and steady, the view is gorgeous, and there are spots to get out of the boat and swim, which is nice. If you have a couple of hours in Tahoe that you are looking to fill, this is the way to go.

Amazing time. My wife and went with our kids and some of their friends and everyone had a blast. The guides were all very friendly and incredible at what they do. I would do it again and would recommend it to all my friends.

Great guides and great staff! This was a repeat trip for our family and this time we brought two friends along for the Truckee River tour. My husband and I were both knocked out of our raft in a section of rapids into fast moving water and were quickly brought back into other IRE guides’ rafts, then returned to our raft safely. The guides are very skilled (and strong!). Safety information was very carefully discussed prior to and during the raft trip. I sure am glad that I had on a helmet and life vest. Falling out of the raft just added to the fun! We really liked our guide Aryan (Arion?). All members of the raft get to participate in rowing and the river is beautiful. We highly recommend IRE Rafting.

My husband and I decided last minute to book a rafting trip while we were visiting Donner Lake. They were able to get us a trip for the next day and the price was just right.
Our guide (I think her name was Anna?) was excellent. She was friendly and we could tell she was passionate about outdoors. During the slower parts of the trip, she gave us information about the surrounding wildlife. We felt safe with her and had a blast.
Can’t wait to go again!!!

Awesome time rafting with the IRIE rafting! We had a group of 5 and took a ½ day trip down the Truckee river with Turk. He told us some historical stories about the river corridor and the Truckee area as well as the the natural history. He was very professional yet fun and safety minded, always reminding us of what to do in situations that may arise and how to react if something were to happen. He was also very specific about giving us instruction on body position and our footholds on when we were going into whitewater and reminded us before the big rapids. None of us fell out of the boat, thankfully, even thought it may have been a relief due to the July heat! The IRIE crew was very welcoming and made it easy to welcome the first time rafters of our group. The Truckee river is GORGEOUS! Thanks again IRIE, will always choose you!

We went for the full day trip in the Middle Fork river during the July 4^th weekend. Had a great time and lot of fun. The trip was as described on the website. The guides are professional and fun. Additionally we stopped for some cliff jumps. Lunch provided was great as well. They are particular about organic food and they arrange for it.
Would definitely recommend them.

I can see why IRIE Rafting Company got 5 stars on Unilocal and I’m happy to contribute to their high ranking. K, his 7-​year-​old nephew A and I booked a half day class 3 rafting trip on Labor Day weekend Sunday. If you don’t read the rest of my review, here’re some things to keep in mind:
Remember:
— Wear some sort of water shoe or sandal that has straps to keep the shoe on. I wouldn’t recommend flip flops. K was nice enough to buy some online at Amazon for $ 20 Speedo brand!
— Put on tons of water resistant sunblock.
— Consider wearing a rash guard or a long sleeve dri-​fit shirt. I did that so my arms wouldn’t burn and am glad I did for those times where we just kind of floated along.
— Wear sport sunglasses that stick on your face. My Oakleys were fine, I didn’t need a strap.
— Check in on Unilocal and get $ 5 off! I didn’t see that until after we got back, boooo.
— For guys (or girls, like I did), wear board shorts. That’ll help cover up your thighs from the sun beating down on them.
— Pay attention to the safety speech before you get in the raft. He goes over a lot of information and it’s all applicable and good to know.
We were told to meet at the office which is off the circle about a mile from Downtown Truckee. It’s in the same plaza as Drunken Monkey restaurant, basically just look for the blue rafts piled on a trailer in the parking lot and you can’t miss it. You go to the office to check in and register and basically hang out in the parking lot. It’s a good time to put on sunblock, organize your stuff and change into whatever you’re okay with getting wet. Even though on the website it says you can leave your stuff on the bus, they told us to just lock it up in our cars. And they can hold your car keys in their office, which is what we did.
You get on the bus and it’s about a 15 – 20 minute ride to the Put-​In location, or as I thought he said, the Pudding area. Rob was our host and he talked a bit on the bus as to where we were going and what would happen there.
When you get to the site, they hand out PFDs (lifejackets), helmets and paddles. Since I dragonboat, I was considering bringing my own PFD and knew I should’ve immediately when I put it on. Putting something on your body that smells like BO is disgusting and I ended up changing mine out for one that smelled less like a$$. But it still stank. Ick. I wore a hat, so I wouldn’t get the same experience with the helmet and just put the helmet on over my hat.
You have to climb down a dirt path to the pudding area and you gather in a circle and that’s where he goes over the rules and some things you have to pay attention to. As he’s doing that, the guides are setting up the rafts. I think we had a total of 5. The most number of people on a raft seems to be 6 or 7 and then the guide. Turns out Rob was our guide. He kind of reminded me of James Franco in 127 Hours.
Anyway, it was my first experience and I had a great time. I didn’t want anything crazy and there were a few times where you probably could get tossed out if you didn’t pay attention, but as long as you follow your guide’s instruction, you were fine. There are swim areas where you can get out and basically swim or float alongside the raft, so that was fun. The water was brisk, but it felt good. There are a couple of opportunities for that. The 7-​year-​old got out and then you have to get pulled into the boat. It’s fun and I would definitely recommend it.

My wife, daughter (age 10) and I did the half day rafting trip. The first thing each of us said to each other was that was GREAT!!! Wish we had booked the full day.
Our guide was Rob he was patient and took the time to explain to us what to expect each step of the way. He even pulled my wife out of the water when she fell in. Pay attention to the safety speech prior to getting in the boat! Hint Hint!!!
We will be sure to be returning to Truckee and IRIE again next spring for the full day trip.
Can not speak highly enough of this experience it will be something my family and I will be talking about for years to come.
If you have kids under the age of 8 or 9 I would hesitate on taking them but with our kid should was asking to go back for another trip as soon as ours finished.
See you again next year IRIE!!!

A group of us (8 total) went on the ½ day Truckee River. We all had so much fun! Even our 6 year old daughter got to go. I was a little hesitant to allow her but she really didn’t want to stay back with our nanny and our 2 year old twins. I called to make sure and Steve reassured me that all was safe and that if she wanted to get out and have some fun out of this trip, then by all means. My daughter loves roller coasters, swimming, and basically anything fast. She was so excited to be a part of this with us. This was not a trip for a 6 year old scared of water, or scared of movement. Steve said that one trip consisted of the child screaming the whole way, and the parents consoling — wow, that sounds like a nightmare! We had to split up since the raft only holds 6. My daughter, and nephew went with our friends and their kids on one raft. Me and my friend on the other.
Instructions were given clearly on commands to follow while in the raft, and in case of falls out of the raft (glad I paid attention to this part!). The ½ day trip consists of Class I, II, and the last which is the most exciting, III. Class III was where I made my fall, I think it was because the commands were given late, or that we didn’t hear it on time. Me, and three others went straight in the rapids. Exciting yes, but scary! What an experience!
I will try this again but do the whole day next time. Great arm work out.

Had a great time with Orien and IRIE!
I was a bit scared, because these were Class IV rapids, and I’d never been rafting before. But, the safety talk at the beginning of the trip was very informative, answered all my questions, and made me confident I would survive the trip. Thanks to Eric’s safety talk, I was not terrified the entire time, and I didn’t fall out of the boat!
The food was great too. We had vegetarians in our group, and the spread was quite impressive. Three kinds of cheese, three kinds of bread, meat, tomato, onion, TONS of avocado, pickles, marinated mushrooms, bell pepper, lettuce, peanut butter, jelly, cookies, chips, salsa, fruit… probably more stuff I’m forgetting. You get to build your own sandwich, and there is enough for seconds if you want. Plus, there are like a katrillion blackberries at the lunch spot, so eat your fill of those too!
Orien was the best!

No way you can have more fun rafting out of Truckee than with Irie. The staff is super fun, safe, knowledgeable, and relaxed.
Our guide was Orien and to be honest we were a little worried about getting stuck with a Kiwi Ginger all day but he turned out to be an awesome guide. We went with the class IV, full-​day down the Middle Fork section of the American River. No way I can say enough about how fun it was, there was a freakin’ tunnel you raft throught! Within a few minutes we realized that whenever we heard our guide yell, «HOLD ON!» we were going to have a ton of fun.
We ran into a crazy situation on the way home when our bus had a blowout, but the driver handled the situation calmly and got us off the road and out of danger quick. Within no-​time, one of the other buses came back and the employees got off to make room for us to be taken home while they got the flat fixed. Above and beyond. Class act company, employees, and adventure.
One minor thing, be careful when booking your trip, there is an office dude (OB1??) that will promise you that you can show up late and will be done by 5pm, etc. etc. This is not true! Be there by 7:30 at the latest and don’t expect to be back until 7pm realistically.

These guys are the best and create the greatest white water experience you can imagine. Our guides were super cool and obviously passionate about their job (but seriously, how couldn’t you be?). These guys like to have fun but keep it very professional and safe. The lunch they provided was over the top, way more than I expected.
There isn’t any better rafting company in Sierras, these guys take you where others won’t. We rafted the upper Truckee which typically does not get run since most years it does not have enough flow. Typically it is less than 900 cfs, but it was 2700 cfs when we ran it last week. Mostly class III with some class IV. The funnest part was dropping the diversion dams, water is spilling over 3 dams right now and we dropped them. All the other companies were putting in were we took out — guess they don’t have the b@lls to drop the dams ;-)
We are running the N. Fork American in a few weeks with IRIE, I will post again!