River Riders

OUTDOOR FAMILY FUN IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK!

Come share a scenic, heart pounding, family adventure on the rivers and trails of Harpers Ferry! The Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, C&O Canal National Park, and Harpers Ferry National Park provide an ideal setting for your next outdoor excursion. River Riders has the expertise, guides, and equipment to meet all your outdoor adventure needs, and we're only an hour from Washington, DC and Baltimore.

Enjoy the beauty and scenery of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers with the area's only full service outfitter. Only one hour from the DC and Baltimore Metro Regions, River Riders delivers the finest white water rafting, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, and fishing adventures on the beautiful Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers (class I-III) in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia come together.


The Guides

The guides make the difference. Our guides are trained to provide you with the safest and most enjoyable trip possible. They pride themselves on your positive experience. The guides at River Riders are certified by the State Division of Natural Resources. Our staff leaders are seasoned veterans with experience on many rivers in North, Central, and South America. Some of them have first descents on world class rivers to their credit. The knowledge, experience and skill of these guides harmonize to provide an enjoyable trip.

River Riders is a member of many paddling and conservation organizations, and is licensed by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources as a white water outfitter providing rafting (Classes I-III), tubing, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and biking trips in the Harpers Ferry area. We also guide rafting trips on other world famous whitewater runs, such as on the North Branch of the Potomac, Upper Yough, New, and Gauley Rivers throughout the state of West Virginia. Using our expertise and the best adventure equipment available, we run all trips in a professional, personable manner. WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON SUPERIOR GUEST SERVICE. Let River Riders arrange your next outdoor adventure! Click here to download our full brochure.


Location

River Rafters is located 1 mile west of downtown Harpers Ferry off Rt. 340. Advance reservations are necessary; please call us for rates and available dates. Check here for our 2010 specials. Many weekend trips book full, so make your reservation early. If space is available, reservations can be held on a credit card with less than 7 days notice. Any of the activities can be combined to provide a multi-day trip. We specialize in groups large and small--Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church and school groups, and corporate outings. Check our website for group discounts. We also offer summer day camps and teambuilding sessions. Visit our website for more on these activities.

Our facilities recently underwent a million-dollar face lift. We have new bathrooms, changing rooms and locker facilities. The Front Porch Cafe provides onsite food service on the weekends and busy weekdays or by request for large groups. We have expanded and modernized our retail and check-in area, and we put in a new pavilion with seating for 120, surround sound, and TV's for viewing safety briefings.


Transportation

When you book a river trip with River Riders, we will take you and your equipment to the launching site, and be there to pick you up at the end of your trip. We will supply you with your water craft of choice, the shuttle to and from the river, a map, and other equipment. You provide binoculars, maybe a fishing pole or a camera, and the river will provide the fun!

River Riders has a fleet of up to 60 passenger buses, vans up to 15 passenger, and trucks to help with your transportation needs. We will provide transportation all around the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia including Martinsburg, Charles Town, Shepherdstown, and Harpers Ferry as well as transportation for shuttles along the Appalachian Trail, C and O Canal, and Great Allegheny Passage. Transportation is also available for groups looking to get back and forth from Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, Northern Virginia and all points around to River Riders. Call us to get a quote for your group.


Gear and Equipment

Whether outfitting for a day or an expedition, let the Kayak Shack's experienced staff assist you. The Kayak Shack, Rivers Riders' pro shop, can outfit your every river need. We have an extensive collection of river gear and items for your trip. We specialize in river equipment, and have knowledgeable, experienced staff to assist you. We sell helmets, life jackets, paddles, footwear, and clothing, as well as guidebooks, maps and instructional and entertainment videos. We also sell new and used canoes, kayaks, rafts and tubes. We have a large selection of memorabilia to suit any style and taste.


Activities

Rafting - We offer a full-spectrum of rafting trips that range from self-guided whitewater rafting to guide-assisted or fully guided trips. Trips last for 2-8 hours, and can be extended into multi-day trips. Rafts, paddles, life jackets, beverage and shuttle to and from the river are provided. Some trips include lunch. Rafts accommodate as many as seven people. No previous rafting experience required. However, participants should have no fear of water activities, and you will get wet. Reservations are required. Please check out our website for the rafting trips menu.


Canoeing - Whether you enjoy floating down the river on a calm section of flat-water or something a little more exciting like Class I-III whitewater, we have the trip for you. Trip lengths vary from 1.5-5 hours on the river. Bring your binoculars and cameras for watching birds and other nature at river's edge, or throw in a fishing pole for some small-mouth bass. Canoeing is great for family and small group activities. You never know what interesting things you will see as you go downstream with the current! We will supply you with your canoe, the shuttle to and from the river, a map, and other equipment. The guiding is up to you! Guides for canoe trips are available by special request only. We even offer a twilight canoe trip for groups of 10 or more, where you can drift along while taking in the beauty of the sunset over the river. Check our website for the canoe trips menu.

Kayaking - Come share a scenic, heart pounding, family adventure on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers near Harpers Ferry, WV! We invite you to explore the ancient Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers in one of our many recreational, touring, or sit-on-top kayaks. Unguided trips in these lightweight, quiet crafts are ideal for discovering the abundant wildlife, plants and geology in these amazing riverine ecosystems. The Harpers Ferry area also offers a perfect playground for aspiring thrill seekers when they paddle our single-person or two person inflatable kayaks (duckies). Are you ready to test your skills, your strength, and your courage? Our guide(s) will help you quickly master your craft before leading the way through the rapids of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. We also offer classes for beginners to advanced, with low student/teacher ratios taught by American Canoe Association-certified kayakers. Our unguided twilight kayak trips are perfect for that short river outing, where you can experience the beauty of the sunset on the river. (Guides are available for this trip for extra fee). Visit our website to see our kayak trips menu and our packages.

Tubing - Whether you want flat water or white water tubing, we have just the trip you're looking for, from unguided 1.5-2 hour trips on flat water or white water to longer guided trips in the rapids. Our full day trip combines flat water trip in the morning on the Shenandoah with a white water trip on the Potomac in the afternoon. Bring a lunch or, on the weekends and busy weekdays, stop at the Front Porch Cafe for lunch. Click here for the tubing trips menu. Check out the many benefits of our 2010 Season GOLD PASS! Valid for unlimited whitewater or flat water tube rentals, it pays for itself in just two visits, and includes discounts on trips for friends and relatives and on purchases and other trips at River Riders. Season Pass Holder Day is September 5, 2010. Each pass holder can bring a friend for free to go on a 12:15 PM tubing trip, followed by a complimentary cookout afterwards.

LOCATION: 408 Alstadts Hill Rd, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
PHONE: 800-326-7238 or 304-535-2663
WEBSITE: www.riverriders.com EMAIL: trips@riverriders.com