What a blast we had! This was our first experience rafting, and I was a bit nervous about meeting the high-adrenaline needs of younger boys (10 & 14) and the safety-conscious needs of parents. I shouldn`t have worried! We stayed 2 nights at the resort, and while it needs some TLC, it was great to be on site, have the hearty breakfast and be ready for the day. The family-package was a perfect introduction to rafting. My husband and I were VERY impressed with how safety-conscious everyone was, while doing it in a way that did not damper at all the enjoyment of participants. Our awesome guide (Adam) made every effort to give some thrills to the kids. The camaraderie between guides while we were rafting added to experience. The day (9am-3pm) was a true success... even in the eyes of our jaded teen! We will be back next year, stay on site one night, and go for the next level of thrills.
This company is struggling, as the owners have been doing it for 34 years, and there is no family to take it over now. We were disappointed that the "Spa" portion of the resort is pretty well defunct and the advertised pool and hot tub at the London House Inn have been mothballed. The meals were not worth the money. HOWEVER the rafting was awesome. Of the three large companies on this river, RiverRun has the most qualified guides with the most experience, and the most thorough safety measures. This was important to me, being only the second time I have ever rafted - and the first time in Canada. If only someone with the $$$ could come along and revitalize this place, it could be the prize pearl of all the rating companies on the Ottawa River. It deserves to be ranked higher, if only for commitment and passion. It's just a bit tired - needs an injection of money and energy. I would go again, and I would use this company again, for the safety alone.
My family of four, including 50 year old birthday boy and sons 20 and 17 had never rafted before. It took rave reviews from our friends from Toronto to get us to book this extreme adventure in our own Ottawa backyard. With my husband's new birthday gadget fastened tightly to his helmet and with us all suited up for a rainy and unusually cool August 16th we loaded ourselves onto a bus to take us to our waiting rafts. Although we were nervous and slightly disappointed with the weather, we were thrilled to find out that we were assigned none other than Bill, the very funny guide who did the pre rafting safety drill and had us laughing about the necessity of the "happy straps" on our life jackets. We were soon to find out that not only was Bill engagingly funny but extremely professional and safety conscious as we experienced our first full "dump" into the mighty Ottawa River. I can say after that first meeting with the Ottawa River that I was more respectful of its power and thankful for the team effort it takes to keep everyone safe. My hero Graham picked me out of a whirlpool with his little red kayak and guided me to another team member's boat before I was safely reunited with my own boat. I believe that should this first meeting not have gone as smoothly as it did I may not have been in for the long haul. At NO time, however, did we feel unsafe as we experienced the thrill of travelling through a myriad of rapids, were dumped and stayed in, and enjoyed cliff jumping. This River Run team of raft guides is the BEST!! We had a blast!!! My husband got it all on the Go Pro. We believe that a rainy cool day should not deter anyone from this experience. I am sorry we didn't book sooner. We will definitely be back and next time we are bringing our friends and family with us. We will make it a camping weekend and we will stay for the evening festivities. We can't wait to do it again. Thank you RiverRun team. Marilyn
Did the High adventure twelve man raft because I was too much of a chicken to do the six man! But the six man looked like a blast. If you like being thrown in the water every chance you get do the six man raft! Worth every penny! Excellent guides!
White water rafting is is a fun anywhere! We were a family of with 2 teenagers, we stayed at the London house which is a classy accommodation. He did have a kitchen attached, one should remember to take what they would like to cook and heat there. The dining options are limited. The rafting experience is fantastic, the guides are knowledgeable and assess the mood of the group. He almost never feels unsafe, however he also don't feel so safe that there is no thrill! I would recommend arriving a day earlier to go rafting the following day, and plan for leisurely evening following rafting.
We want to thank our group leader Cara, our guides Jason and John for the amazing time we had on Sunday. We booked the high adventure and family adventure for our group, we were really amazed with the professionalism shown by all the staff at River run rafting from the time of the booking. We spoke to Debbie to make our reservation and we had a request with regards to the dietary restrictions for the lunch they were providing and they made sure to provide us with an alternative. We really appreciate your efforts. Jason was very patient and answered all the questions the kids had for him and he made sure to keep us safe. Also John made sure the High adventure run was packed with excitement without making us too nervous. We really enjoyed and thank you for everything!:)
Real gem of an experience, located just outside of Ottawa. My friends and I had a fabulous day on the rapids, and the evening entertainment / dinner afterwards was the perfect way to end the day. We look forward to coming back again! Special thanks to the RiverRun team for creating an exciting, fun and safe environment for us. We truly had a blast.
We had a phenomenal time! We went early August and the water levels were a little lower but we still had tonnes of fun and lots of laughs.Our guide, AJ was awesome, and did a great job.The lunch was good, it was hot dogs, veggie burgers, chicken burgers, and different types of salads and cookies! It was pretty good, but the chicken was super dry and took me 3 glasses of lemonade to finish it, but the rest was really good!We would go back for sure. We did the 12 person trip but going back for the 6 person, hopefully in a few weeks!
Had a BLAST. Great day out on the water. Weather was incredible. Guides were top notch - I was really impressed. They were super fun, friendly, relaxed, experienced and qualified. I was also impressed by how seriously they took the safety of the guests. I never felt uncomfortable during our trip down the river or unsure of their expertise. The venue itself was also good. To all you whiners, if you're expecting a 5 star resort, you've come to the wrong place. This is an outdoor adventure company, not a spa! The campground was great - clean with nice soft grass for pitching your tent, trees for shade and close to the amenities. Although cafeteria style, the food was pretty good. I really had no complaints (and I'm super picky). Was it gourmet? No. But again, if that's what you're there for, you're in the wrong place. There was a rocking bon fire the night we were there with live entertainment. I believe his name was Up River (stream?) Dave, and he was fan-freakin-tastic. Knew just about every song on the planet and really got the crowd involved. At one point, I'm pretty sure the the entire campground was dancing around the bon fire, staff and all. Speaking of staff, they were great too. Friendly and helpful and always available. Overall I had a fantastic time and would highly recommend this company. Cant wait to visit again next year! Thanks River Run!!!!
Neither of us had been rafting before, this was the best introduction to rafting we could have had! August 15-17 we had a girls weekend away, it was a 2 night tent stay and we were in the 6 person boat!! Bill was our guide and he is outstanding!! He explained what to do before each rapid so everyone knew what to expect, keeping everyone safe. The whole crew that came with our trip, either the guides in the boats or the guides in the kayaks worked so well together to take care of everyone in the groups. This was very apparent after the first rapid and I think that is what made the trip so exceptional, everyone felt safe, even with that beast of a river beating down on us when we were flipped out!! We were well fed, the staff were very outgoing and friendly. The entertainment on Saturday was Upstream Dave, great show! Jeanette and I had such an unforgettable time, we are going back! Looking forward to bring more people with us too! Jenny