The Merced River – meaning “mercy” in Spanish - begins in the peaks of Yosemite National Park. This is the perfect one or two day rafting adventure for those who also plan to visit the park, which is only about 40 minutes from where most raft trips meet on the river. This is also the perfect rafting weekend adventure for residents of the San Francisco Bay area, which is only a three and a half-hour drive from the Merced.

This stretch of the Merced offers first-class early season whitewater, combined with picturesque canyon scenery featuring pine forests, rocky ledges and sandy beaches. It is recommended that rafters take this trip in the spring, when waters are high, and the canyon floor is lined with a rainbow of wildflowers like lupine, red bud and California poppy.

Rafters can look forward to miles of continuous white water, rollercoaster wave trains and adrenaline pumping rapids on their Merced River rafting trip.