Last month, I had the best time going on a white water rafting tour with Wet Planet Rafting! This was my second time white water rafting but it’s been a long time since my first. I’m going to share with you my thoughts on the White Salmon River half day trip as well as some answers to questions I had before my trip. It’s so much fun and I hope this post puts white water rafting on your to do list!
About Wet Planet Rafting
Wet Planet Rafting is the top company in the Hood River region for white water rafting tours. This area of Washington and Oregon has some wonderful nature for tourists to enjoy including rivers that are perfect for rafting. They also offer kayaking courses and more advanced training as well.
Picking a Tour
Wet Planet offers half day trips, full day trips, and even multi-day trips if you’re an enthusiast. If this is your first time, I’d definitely recommend a half day trip. The White Salmon River is their most popular tour that has a half day and full day version. This river is ranked Class III-IV and is suitable for the adventurous beginner. If you’re taking the half day trip, plan for 4 hours in total which includes transportation time to the river.
My Experience with Wet Planet Rafting
I had a super positive experience on my White Salmon River tour. It started with their equipment which was all clean, new, and in excellent condition. Then, we were provided instructions on dry land with extensive safety information. The guide to participant ratio was great too with two guides on our raft and four participants.
The trip was definitely thrilling and so much excitement and fun throughout. Luckily, our guides are very experienced and helped us navigate the waters so that we were always safe and getting splashed. We also learned lots about the surrounding area history and nature. You can book your tour online
What should I wear?
You’ll be provided a wetsuit, a jacket, and all the safety gear by Wet Planet. So you’ll just need to bring what you want to wear underneath the wetsuit. For me, I wore my swimsuit and brought a change of clothes for after the tour.
How cold will I be?
We went in May when the temperature was around low 20s Celcisus. All of us are provided a wetsuit to wear which keeps us pretty warm. The water itself is so cold! But luckily with the wetsuit, I was comfortable for about 3/4 of the trip. Towards the end, after I’ve been splashed many times, I was starting to get cold.
Do you need to have white water rafting experience?
No! We had two guides in our boat who probably did 90% of the work. This tour is open to kids over 10 years old and I think any fit adult would be able to do this. If you’ve had any experience kayaking, dragon boating, or just rowing an oar, you should be fine.
Do you sit inside the raft?
No, you actually sit on the edge of the raft and tuck a foot in to secure yourself. I totally forgot about this and when I heard it, I felt quite nervous. I thought I’d include this here so you can mentally prepare for the trip.
How scary is it?
The starting point actually had the biggest rapids and sharpest drop offs. It was a bit daunting to see that at the beginning of the tour especially with our awful dry land synchronization practice. But once I was in the water, at no point did I feel scared. It was exciting like riding a log roller coaster.
Will I get wet?
Yes! Well your wetsuit will keep you pretty dry inside. But your face will likely be wet. So if you’re wearing makeup, definitely put on some waterproof mascara.
Can I bring my camera or go pro?
There’s nowhere on the raft to put belongings and honestly there wasn’t time on the raft to be taking photos. If you have a camera or go pro that clips on, I think it’s do-able! There’s also no where to put water bottles or personal belongings. You can keep your car keys locked in the head office but all other belongings should stay in your car. They have photographers who will take pictures during the tour that you can purchase afterwards.
I hope this post helps you feel prepared and confident going into your first white water rafting trip! Let me know if you have any questions and hope you get on a trip with Wet Planet soon!
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I received a media discount for this tour in partnership with Wet Planet in exchange for media coverage. All opinions are my own.