Frequently Asked Questions

The health and well-being of our guests, staff, and community is always a top concern and priority. Throughout the pandemic, we have developed a COVID-19 risk-mitigation plan that is in line with all federal, state, and local requirements and guidance, and adapted this plan as guidance has changed. For details, please read about our COVID-19 operations and restrictions.

If you need to cancel a trip or course, the following cancellation policy will apply:

For our Day Rafting Trips and Kayaking Day Clinics, we provide full refunds for cancellations made up until 8 days before the scheduled trip or course date. There are no refunds for any cancellations made within 7 days’ notice.

For our 2- or 3-day kayaking courses, Kids Camps, and custom Multi-day Kayaking Clinics, we provide a 90% refund up until 15 days before the scheduled course date. There are no refunds for any cancellations made within 14 days’ notice.

For our Multi-day Trips and Guide School, a 90% refund will be given for cancellations made up until 60 days before the trip, and a 50% refund will be given for cancellations made up until 22 days before the trip. No refunds will be given for cancellations to multi-day rafting or kayaking trips made within 21 days of the first day of the trip.

For our River Rescue, First Responder, and ACA Kayaking Instructor courses, we provide a 90% refund up to 30 days before the scheduled course date. There will be a 50% rescheduling fee for cancellations with a requested reschedule within 29 to 15 days prior to the first day of your course. No refunds will be given for cancellations made within 14 days of the first day of the course.

For more information, please view our policies page.

We aren’t Raging Waters or Wild Waves! Our rivers do not go in circles. We drive you to our put-in and pick you up at the take-out in a Wet Planet shuttle vehicle.

Almost all of our whitewater rafting trips and kayak instruction courses begin and end at our headquarters alongside the White Salmon River, an hour and fifteen minutes east of Portland, OR. To get to our headquarters, you can follow these directions.

The following trips have different meeting locations –

Tieton River: Find information about the trip and directions to our Tieton River Base Camp.

Main Salmon River in Idaho: View our Main Salmon River Rafting Trip Info Sheet or Main Salmon River Kayaking Trip Info Sheet.

Owyhee River: View our Owyhee River Rafting Trip Info Sheet.

We have different rafting trips and kayak courses that will fit almost any age. The following is a quick look at our offerings and their different age requirements. For more information on a particular trip or course, follow the link for the appropriate trip.

• The White Salmon River, Klickitat River, and Tieton River are appropriate for children 10 years old and up.
• We require our guests to be at least 16 years old for our Hood River trip and 18 years old for our Wind River trip.
• The multi-day Main Salmon River Idaho Rafting Trip is appropriate for children 7 years old and up.
• The multi-day Owyhee River Rafting Trip is appropriate for children 10 years old and up.
• Students on our kayaking courses must be at least 13 years old unless they are participating in the Kids’ Kayak Camp (ages 8-12).

We do not have a cap on our age limit, as we believe everyone should get to experience the adventure of whitewater rafting and kayaking.

You should book as soon as you know you want to go and when you want to! Our rafting trips and kayak instruction do fill up. Some days, we may have space for last-minute reservations, and others may be full months in advance. You are always welcome to call us and check for availability for a last-minute reservation. Still, you should make reservations as early as possible to ensure there will be space on the trip you are looking for.

Call us at 509.493.8989, and we can help you pick a date and a river that best suits you! Our online reservation form is another convenient option; click here to Reserve Now.

Yes, there is. Several bed and breakfasts and camping facilities are available within a very short distance, and the nearby town of Hood River, Oregon, offers a wide variety of possibilities for lodging. Check out our lodging partners in the area, where Wet Planet guests receive discounts!

From 1 to 200, we are ready for you or your group! While our minimum number for a trip is only two people (we can add individuals to trips with other rafters), we regularly work with groups that number in the hundreds. Larger groups appreciate our professionalism and the high level of organization of the Wet Planet staff. Risk management is the central focus of all our operations. Therefore, our staff members have experience organizing large groups on the river in a manner that allows us to maintain that small, personal trip feel for which we are known. Learn more on our Groups and Events page.

We use guided paddle rafts on all our rafting trips, where all the guests participate in paddling the raft down the river. However, please call us if you have different needs and cannot paddle. We can also run our rivers with an oar rig, where the guide rows and the guests do not need to paddle.

For our kayak instruction students, you will not only paddle but learn to use your body and paddle more efficiently!

Each raft will have one guide and anywhere from two to six guests. On our Class III-IV rivers, the rafts hold up to six guests. On our Class IV-V rivers, the rafts hold up to four guests. We use different size rafts for different groups and different rivers, so we always have a raft that will work for your size group. If you have more than six in your group, we will take more rafts. When making reservations, you don’t need to worry about the number of people in a raft. Let us know how many are in your group, and we’ll do the math to ensure the appropriate size and number of rafts are ready for your group.

You are welcome to bring a dog, but your pets will be happier at home. While we are all dog lovers, you will still need to ensure that your dog is either in your vehicle or tied up while you are out on the river. It is very hot in our area in the summer, and finding a place where a pet can be left without being in danger of overheating is challenging. We cannot be responsible for your pet while you are not around, and your dog cannot go on the river trip with you.

Yes, we have changing rooms for trips based out of our headquarters in White Salmon, WA. At our headquarters, we have all the amenities necessary to ensure that your time with us off the water is as enjoyable as your time on the water. At the Wet Planet base, you’ll enjoy private parking, changing rooms, a hot shower, espresso in the Wet Planet Cafe, a private rolling pool for kayak instruction, souvenirs and photos of your trip in the shop, and a riverside picnic and BBQ space.

Your options for changing rooms vary for trips not meeting at our headquarters. Please take a look at the specific info sheet for your particular trip. A list of these, with links, can be found under the “How do we get there?” question.

You can find a description of the rapid classification system, as well as photographs of different rapids, on our rapid classifications page.

Yes, there is! If you are rafting or kayaking with Wet Planet, you are welcome to picnic at our headquarters, alongside the White Salmon River or under the shade by Rattlesnake Creek, pending space availability.

Typically, kayaking takes a higher level of physical fitness than rafting. This is because you are individually responsible for making the kayak move and aren’t able to rely on other people in your boat to assist you. Like any sport, you don’t need to be a professional athlete to enjoy kayaking. Even more important than physical fitness is a positive, adventurous attitude!

Yes! Please let us know ahead of time if you choose to use your own gear and specify what it is you are using. Our kayak instructors will always need to make sure that your gear is appropriate for the course you are taking. Wet Planet will also provide all the equipment for our kayaking courses or clinics if you do not have your own.

The Kayak Roll (often called an “Eskimo roll”) is the act of rolling a capsized kayak right-side-up using your body and paddle. While many people think that rolling is the trick to learning to kayak, we feel that learning to stay right-side-up in the first place is the trick to learning to kayak. We work on the roll during our kayak courses, but the real emphasis in our courses is learning to control your boat so that you can paddle efficiently in a river environment. You do not have to know how to roll to kayak.

NO! Consumption of alcohol before or during any whitewater activity creates a serious risk to all participants on the trip or course. We do not allow alcohol before or during our rafting trips or kayak instruction. Anyone under the influence of alcohol before a trip or kayak session will not be permitted to participate in the trip or lesson. They will also not receive a refund for their trip. On multi-day trips rafting trips and multi-day kayak courses, moderate consumption of alcohol is permitted at camp after the day’s river activity or in town by participants of a legal drinking age. For more information, please view our policies page.

Similar to alcohol, consumption of marijuana before or during any whitewater activity creates a serious risk to all participants on the trip or course. Marijuana use is not permitted before or during any of our whitewater trips. Guests arriving for a trip or course under the influence of marijuana will not be allowed to participate, and no refund will be given. Much attention has been paid to the passage of Initiative 502 and the legalization of recreational marijuana use in the state of Washington. However, I-502 states that it is unlawful to open/consume a package of marijuana or marijuana-infused product in view of the general public. The Wet Planet property and Wet Planet facilities are public spaces open to the general public. As such, it is illegal to consume marijuana products on the Wet Planet property. For more information, please view our policies page.

We take photos that are available for sale after our White Salmon River and Tieton River trips, and we White Salmon River and Tieton River trips, and offer 15-20% discounts if you pre-purchase photos during registration! You are also welcome to bring your camera if it’s waterproof or has a waterproof casing and a retaining device. Our guides remind guests, “The more expensive it is, the faster it will sink!”.

Rain or shine, we are on the river! You’ll get wet anyway and barely notice it’s raining. More often than not, it may rain in Portland and not in the Gorge. Our weather is significantly drier and sunnier than in Portland, and it rarely rains in our area during the summer.

Whitewater paddling is thrilling, exciting, wet, and unbelievably fun. However, as in all outdoor adventure sports, an inherent risk is involved. Injuries are rare, but they can happen on any trip. From our staff training, the rivers we select, and the equipment we use, minimizing these risks is a priority at Wet Planet.

Rafters: You do not have to know how to swim to participate in most of our whitewater trips. We provide personal floatation devices (PFDs) that will help you float and stay on the surface if you happen to fall out of a raft. However, you should be aware that an inability to swim makes it harder for you to participate in your self-rescue if you fall out of a raft, and it might take the guides longer to get you back in the raft than someone else who is comfortable swimming. This means that an inability to swim does increase the inherent risks of rafting. Guests on any of our Class IV-V rafting trips (the Wind River and the Hood River) must know how to swim to participate.

Kayakers: You do not have to know how to swim to participate on our kayaking courses. All kayaking students are provided with PFDs to help them float and stay on the surface if they are out of their kayak. However, we recommend that you are at least comfortable in and around the water. Learning to kayak always involves spending time in the water out of your kayak! You should also be aware that an inability to swim makes it harder for you to participate in your own self-rescue if you are out of your kayak. This means that an inability to swim does increase the inherent risks of kayaking.

You bet! We offer discounts on our trips for groups and work with groups to provide custom services, such as catered meals or hotel pick-ups, to make organizing your group outing with Wet Planet a hassle-free, unforgettable experience. Call us for information about different group discounts and to learn more about how we can help you plan your next group adventure. To learn more about group rates and services, visit our Group and Events page.

For rafters and kayakers on our day trips: You will need a bathing suit or shorts to wear under the wetsuit, and that’s it. We provide all the other equipment you will need for your trip (at no charge), including wetsuits, paddle jackets, fleece, booties for your feet, personal flotation devices, helmets, and paddles. All you need to do is show up for the trip, and we take care of the rest.

For rafters and kayakers on our multi-day trips: Most of the time, you only need a bathing suit or shorts for the river and additional clothing for camp. You can find a list of clothing and other items you’ll need on the information sheets for each multi-day trip.

No, you do not need to have any previous whitewater experience. We offer different rafting trips and kayak instruction for all levels of paddlers, from first-time rafters to advanced kayakers. To find a trip or course that fits your skill level, take a look at our different rafting trips, kayaking courses, river rescue courses, or Guide School.

Wet Planet is committed to ensuring that the time you spend with us on and off the river exceeds your expectations. From our river options to our equipment choices, the ease of our reservations process to the amenities for guests at our headquarters, the staff you talk to on the phone to the guides and instructors you paddle with on the river, we are currently setting the standard for the commercial whitewater industry in the Pacific Northwest. There are so many reasons to choose Wet Planet that we have a whole section of our site dedicated to this question. To learn more, see Why Wet Planet.