Lazy River Rafting at Yosemite National Park

I was very impressed with this operation. They did a great job preparing folks for the trip, and then followed up with assistance along the way. The only hassle is needing to wait in line for an hour or more at the booth before it opens at 8 am in order ti buy tickets for the same day. (No ordering tickets in advance). Something like $37 a person, minimum two people per raft. It’s a spectacular ride. No white water, but there are strong currents. Highly recommended!

Fun for kids, but not for parents. Kiosk opens at 8am, but families are queued up before 7am to get rafts or bikes. Only one person at cash register, so the line looks like it could take about an hour to pay. If you get a bike, only one person there too, so you wait another 30 minutes or so to get a bike. If you raft, you need to go 30 minutes early for safety briefing that lasts maybe 5 minutes. They tell you to stop and enjoy the beaches, but get to the raft shuttle back in two hours. We got in the water around 12:05pm and finished around 1:49pm. Then, no shuttle came to take us back until around 3:17pm. That was almost 90 minutes waiting around with kids and no water. Better bring sneakers with you and be prepared to walk back 2.5 to 3 miles to Curry Village. Don’t believe Aramark if they say you can also take the free shuttle. The families left stranded by the raft shuttle waited 90 minutes for those too. Most of those were so full, they only took two of the 30 people waiting at the four mile stop, or drove past without stopping. The shuttle driver didn’t have a phone or radio. Customer service from the contact us page was no help. They called back after 30 minutes, then put me on hold for another 15 minutes. The manager Skye wouldn’t talk to the families who were left stranded. She sent four other people (two at the shuttle area and two in Curry Village) to talk to us, but not help us. They wrote down her email address and told us to email her.

If you make it on the water, you are one of the few. Signage and communication are unclear. Booth is the same booth as the bike rentals (opens 8am)...not where you pick up your life jackets and paddles. Arrive by 6am if you want a chance to raft. We were there June 12-16. We finally got on the water last day of the season for trips June 15. Note... this is not run by the NPS...it is run by a third-party.

Rafting the merced was a dream. What they don't tell you is they only rent out 60 total rafts a each day. Get to the kiosk early around 6:30am to fill out paperwork. 20 rafts at 10am, 20rafts at 12pm and 20 rafts at 2pm. Then you have to carry your 100lb. Raft 100yds back to their trailer.

Arrived this morning at 7am only to find out they only had 15 rafts available. The first 15 rafts were rented to the family's that were waiting in line at 530am. Your best bet is to bring your own floatation devise.