Mother Lode River Center - Lotus, California

coachlunk Rubio

Beautiful spot on the American River. Camping trails and river access. You can get on a rafting experience at this spot. There's also a ropes course and great staff. Clean bathrooms and potable water.

Korrin Hamilton

Went up to Mother Lode from San Diego with the 8th grade graduating class at my son’s school. What an amazing experience we all had! The staff is amazing, Mike and Jake got us down the river and what an adventure we had. Can’t say enough great things about Star’s cooking, she catered to my GF diet perfectly. The whole experience was so great, highly recommend checking this place out.

Anna Forsberg

Our group of 45 teens and 12 adults had the best time at Motherlode for a recent 4 day/3 night. It's in a beautiful spot along the river, with tons of shade and additional activities. Our kids were well occupied. The food exceeded my expectations, they even accommodated my gluten and dairy free diet and that of others. They did it so well that I even asked for a few brand names because the items were that good.

Our raft guides were excellent and made our crew of mostly beginners feel so comfortable, safe and we all had the best time on the river despite lots of kids (and adults too) feeling anxious. Each group only had positive things to say about their guide. Ours was Daniella, who was so skilled, fun and clearly very experienced.

I loved being so close to the river, seeing and hearing it from the tents was a huge plus. The cots were much more comfortable than anticipated. I would definitely recommend a battery operated fan during the summer, but it did cool off quite well in the late evening.

Overall, I cannot wait to come back with my family.

Sabrina Laffan

This spot is absolutely wonderful! The staff, from the office to the drivers to the camp/activity staff members, are totally phenomenal! They're interactive, welcoming and they truly care that you have an outstanding experience. The ropes course was perfect for team building and personal growth. Ropes consists of Leap of Faith, Catwalk, Zip Line and Trust Walk.

Food was plentiful and delicious. They provided coolers to house the snacks we brought. The permanent canvas tents all had bunk cots and there were (7) 4 person tents and (2) 8 person tents. The restrooms were clean and they have actual toilets. The showers were a bit on the cool side, however we had a large group so it may have been too many showering in a short period of time. I highly recommend this location for overnight trips whether your group is large or small.

David Hadel

Our family had a great time rafting with Mother Lode and our guide Mike on the South Fork of the American River during a busy July 4th weekend. We found a deal on Groupon for a trip for 3 and doubled that up for our group of 6. The South Gorge is pretty mellow for the most part. There are some really fun rapids where our entire crew got soaked. We did the half day trip since it was peaking around 105 on our day. Mike was great to chat with and helped pull some of us back in the boat when we wanted to swim and float along at the calm spots on the river. Jim picked us up in the van, provided a few cold drinks for us at the end of the trip and drove us back to our vehicle.

Mother Lode feels more like "Mom and Pop shop" kinda place compared to the bigger companies on the river with younger guides. We felt safe, no one fell out and I wasn't worried about our youngest in the boat that is 10 yrs old. There are cool spots to camp out at this place as well and they offer Upper Gorge and Middle Fork trips as well. Highly recommend Mother Lode!

Michelle Stevens

We had a lovely girls weekend at Mother Lode celebrating a 50th birthday this past weekend! We had two perfect days on the river, a lovely, experienced and informative guide Daniela, and great food and camping. We spent the warm afternoons relaxing in the river and watching the other boats go by. Thanks Mother Lode for a wonderful weekend!

Lamia Kadir

I decided to see the American River the best way, the night before. The owner made it very easy to reserve and daniella was one of the best guides I've ever had (my third rafting trip), but probably the most adventurous because of the river. I was lucky to have a Fun group. Thank you for making it so easy. God bless!

Ashley Ryder

Mother Lode impressed me right away. I've been rafting since I was in the womb (thanks mom :-/) and the care that the guides showed for the guests and the river ecosystem was inspiring. I've never, in all my years, been out with a company that actually advocated openly for the protection of and access to river systems. The canvas tents for camping were great in the nasty early May storm we had. The food/snacks were tasty and sanitary food handling was observed, even on the river banks. Thanks Greg and Randee and everyone else! I can't wait to come back soon.