Rafting trip in Alaska

Cfal

My husband and I are scheduled for the Grand Alaska trip this July. When going on the rafting trip, what is the appropriate attire? Will some sort of wet suit be provided, since I'm sure the water will be freezing?

Also, we have booked this trip at the same time as some friends from a different state. Can we be assured that we will get to travel together on the land portion? I think I read that sometimes those are separated into smaller groups.

We're so excited, and can't wait for out trip!

Mike from Virginia

Hi - we took this trip last Summer. The raft trip is actually quite benign, as the water depth in the river is very shallow (so shallow when we went that at times the raft had to be dragged over the bottom!) and there is nothing like white water. No wetsuits needed, but they do provide life jackets for everyone. I had brought rain pants to wear, but found they were really not needed much. The folks that run the rafting trip are extremely safety conscious, so you should have everything you need.

Hope this helps.

Mike Ward
Grand Alaska 2011
Manassas, VA

Mike from Virginia

Forgot to answer your second question.

Assuming that your friends are on the same Tauck trip as you, you all ride the same bus/trains, and would only be separated if the group splits into smaller groups for individual events. I don't recall that happening, but I suppose if there are multiple choices of what to do (say for port calls on the cruise), it might. Pretty much the entire group stays together, and you should be with your friends most if not all of the time.

Mike Ward
Grand Alaska 2011
Manassas, VA

Cfal

Thanks Mike, you've done a good job of answering my questions. I can't wait to go!

allson

Cfal wrote:

My husband and I are scheduled for the Grand Alaska trip this July. When going on the rafting trip, what is the appropriate attire? Will some sort of wet suit be provided, since I'm sure the water will be freezing?

Also, we have booked this trip at the same time as some friends from a different state. Can we be assured that we will get to travel together on the land portion? I think I read that sometimes those are separated into smaller groups.

We're so excited, and can't wait for out trip!

For the benefit of others, our rafting trip (billed as a float trip) was on the margin. There was three inches of rain the day before our trip, so the river was quite a bit higher and faster. But I was splashed only once and there was no danger. I even took my Nikon D7000.

They give you boots to wear plus the life vests. Your shoes come off to wear the boots and you may want a second pair of socks to help the boots fit.

Mjamesmcc

I took a raft tour of the bald eagle preserve several years ago. One thing that stood out in my mind was that the water in the river is just a few hours removed from being part of the snowpack and it is COLD. The thin bottom of the raft and the rubber boots just didn't provide a lot of insulation, so the post that recommended extra socks for fit should be adhered to just for warmth on the bottoms of your feet.