RiverRun Rafting and Wilderness Resort

knowledgeable staffs and instructors…
We had the 12 people boat, and it was fun. If you can’t swim, don’t worry because there were people watching you and will get you back on the boat. My only advise was to bring your sun glasses. I didn’t bring it, and I thought I might go blind from the sun UV ray…
I would definitely go again but will probably try their 6 people boat which is more adventurist.

We visited RiverRun and it was our first time rafting and boy was it a great experience! From calling the 1800 reservation line to rafting with the guides on the river everyone we dealt with were phenomenal. Overall all the staff are super friendly and they loved their jobs and it shows! Everyone was super nice and willing to help. If you have always wanted to try white water rafting and is a bit scared, you will be in good hands going with this company. Their guides are super knowledgeable and takes your safety seriously. The safety briefing and demonstrations will prepare you for the Ottawa river. They do provide wet suits so that the water won’t seem so frigid even in early season.
All of the major three companies such as wilderness tours, OWL and RiverRun put you on a school bus to drive down to the starting point, the best part about RiverRun is that at the end of the trip you don’t have to get in the bus again all cold and wet to go back to the resort. At the end of the rafting trip you end up on the shores of the RiverRun property so you can shower and change right away. The 12 person boat high adventure is a fun time and great for first timers. If you are more adventurous and don’t mind the raft flipping over in the water the 6 person raft is for you. You can also purchase a DVD at the end of the trip which is recorded and edited on the same day. I thought it was very well done and is a good keepsake since I didn’t bring a gopro or camera on this trip.
If you decide to spend the night after rafting, the RiverRun Rafting and Wilderness Resort has cabins to rent if you don’t want to camp outside, fire pits, pool, volleyball, basketball, table tennis and a bar where you can also buy snacks. It has showers and washrooms so I would call this glamping. Do bring lots of bug spray as the mosquitoes are hungry out here. Sat night usually has some entertainment where some of the raft guides show off their other talents by performing. They are really good on the guitar! Before coming here I knew Wilderness Tours was bigger and at night they are known for wild parties. I am glad I went to RiverRun as there were a nice mixed crowd and you can go to sleep at a decent time without worrying about excessive noise. This resort is great for couples, families and groups.
Overall RiverRun Rafting is a great company that provides excellent service/​experience to their customers.

Note: Trip taken in May 2014 with 12 persons boat (High Adventure)
RiverRun is one of the smaller rafting company servicing the Ottawa river. One thing that impressed me the most is their knowledgeable guide and trip leader (Andy). On the safety aspect — this is one rock solid company where their concern on everybody’s safety is highest priority. At each rapid, the raft would take a precise angle of attack and that the movement of each raft is carefully coordinated and sometimes two guide would be aboard to help maneuver the rapid. In fact, prior our trip — the guides would go through the rapid monitoring the precise water level and I believe they also vote on which rapid to take (as the river branches off for different rapids). Again, really impressed on the knowledgeable guide and safety procedures they have in place. This is an extremely well-​run company where not a single safety checklist was skipped.
In terms of challenges of the rapid — since we went in May where water level is at record high, we didn’t go through the main channel, instead we went to alternate channel. For some part, it felt that the rapid was not challenging enough (60%-70% flat, 30% rapid). However, this is beyond their control and imperative for safety reasons.
If you’re looking for more challenges definitely should consider their (Ultimate Adventure) on 6 people raft or perhaps go later in the season where water level is more manageable to go through the main channel.

Glad to have checked that off my bucket list!
I didn’t camp on their grounds. I found my own means of accommodation and just went spent the evening & day after in the area.
It was fun! I recommend going in early/​mid summer moments (as opposed to going in the early fall) because it’ll probably be a lot warmer. If you have a wet suit and shoes, bring it. Those are extra costs. If you can find a deal on white water rafting, do it (groupon or teambuy are amazing for that). However with these deals, you’ll be restricted with when you can redeem your trip/​adventures (factor that in too! Early May to early June or August, if I remember correctly). It makes a huge difference as you save almost half in the cost of your trip. If you’re traveling from Toronto, also keep in mind that it’s a 5 hour drive (one way). The towns near Beachburg are scarce and have very few amenities so there isn’t much sight seeing available in the area. We drove in circles trying to find a good restaurant.
In terms of River Run itself, they provide a bbq lunch midway through the day which is excellent fuel for all that exercise your body probably isn’t accustomed to (unless you go water rafting on the regular of course). It was an amazing experience that I’d say you should try at least once in your life. If you’re into water sports, you will absolutely love it. Going white water rafting is an adrenaline rush.
P. S. Get the 6 man raft; you won’t regret it!

All-​in-​all, I was very happy with my trip to RiverRun, despite them needing a bit of work on their organization.
M’lady and I were camping two nights and rafting on the day between the two nights.
When m’lady and I got to the camp grounds after-​hours, we were told earlier that day that there’d be a map left for us telling us where to go. Unfortunately there was only a map with someone else’s name and it referred to their cabin (we were camping). So going through my previous e-​mails with this guys, we ended up figuring out where to pitch our tent, so fortunately we figured that out with the help of the map that was left for the other people (we left it there for them, but used it for reference to determine where to go).
In the morning, we went to the office and they told us where to register for the rafting and also provided us with a map.
The rafting itself was alright. The intro was decent, however our guide wasn’t very knowledgeable of the area, claiming that he wasn’t from Canada as an excuse. He did know a fair amount about the waters we were rafting on however, and also how to take each rapid, so that was all good and fun.
The video that was made of our rafting experience was definitely not one of the better videos I’ve seen, so there was no way we were purchasing a copy (I wish they had made a better ver of it so that we could have bought a visual of our experience, but oh well).
At the end of our rafting trip, we were brought to the beach of RiverRun’s campground area and invited to enjoy the beach including the water slide on it, the sauna, and in the evening the live performance. There was also a pub on-​site for the enjoyment of the guests. Also there was a ping pong table and a fooseball one. We played some fooseball after watching the vid on their two comparatively small flat screens (was rather hard to see much on them, so that wasn’t the best way of them promoting their DVD they were trying to sell).
We didn’t participate much in any of the other events, but we were able to overhear the live music, which we found to be very decent as the performer was very good at matching the voices of the artists’ whose songs he was performing.
So all-​in-​all, if I was a fan of rafting the Ottawa river (this was my 2^nd time rafting on it), I’d return to this venue. Especially with a group deal voucher, it was definitely worth the price.