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Yes, oftentimes from head to toe.
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No experience is needed for all but one of our trips. For the Moose River trip in April, we strongly recommend you have Class III or higher experience.
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Trips meet at different locations for each river:
The ARO Hudson River Outpost is on Rt. 28 in North River, NY. Arrive for Hudson River trips at your assigned time between 9:00. Please consult our Google Map to better help find us as well as local accommodations and services. The exact address is 4511 State Route 28; North River, NY 12856. Longitude is -74.0473, Latitude is 43.73787.
For reservations or information please call our North River, NY office 1-800-525-7238. Please be aware that there is no cell phone service in the area of our outpost.
Moose River (April Only):
The ARO Outpost for the Moose River in April is Adirondack Lodge, 2752 NY-28, Old Forge, NY 13420, look for the green buses. Please consult our Google Map to help find us as well as local accommodations and services. If you need to speak with someone on the morning of your trip please call Adirondack Lodge and ask for ARO Check in time is 8:30 AM.
The Black River Outpost can be confusing to find. Please consult our Google Map to better help find us as well as local accommodations and services. The exact address is 140 Newell St. Watertown NY, 13601. The Longitude is -75.910234, Latitude is 43.977045. There is limited space for parking on Newell St. There is a large public parking lot (J.B. Wise Place) located on Black River Parkway with stairs that lead down to Newell St. and ARO. Our building is a large dark green warehouse with WHITEWATER RAFTING in bright yellow lettering on the front.
For reservations or information please call our main office at 1-800 525-7238. Trip times vary by season, please call for the most up-to-date schedule. If you have a problem on the day of the trip try to reach our main office, the local phone number for ARO on The Black River is (315) 788-2297; this is not a full-time office so do not call for reservations or general trip information.
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Each river is different, and river conditions and situations are unique for each trip. Generally speaking, our longest trip is 4+ hours with the shortest being around an hour.
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No, many people come rafting with little or no swimming ability. You may want to pay special attention during the safety talk. The ability to remain calm and follow instructions is more important than being a good swimmer.
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You can wear your glasses or contacts if you take a few simple precautions. There are many eyeglass retainers on the market, most sporting goods stores and even some department stores sell them in a variety of styles. ARO sells Chums brand retainers at a very reasonable price. If you normally wear contact lenses you may want to wear your glasses for the trip. If you choose to wear your contacts, a pair of sunglasses can help to deflect any water splashing directly into your eye and dislodging your lens. Bringing a spare set is a good idea so you can see on the way home.
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We have a safe and secure place for your keys at each of our river outposts. Please leave your keys at the outpost, as they are metal and do not float. We ask you to do this for your own benefit; we would like you to enjoy your day.
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No, we ask that you lock your valuables in your car and leave your keys in our safe and secure area. This would include money, wallets, ID (other than a medic alert), watches, earrings, necklaces, rings, or any other type of jewelry. Cell phones, pagers or other electronic devices should also be locked in your car as we do not encourage bringing them along on the river. Most of the places we raft have no cell service anyway. If you absolutely feel you cannot be without these items, you bring them at your own risk.
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If you are scheduled to have medication while on our trip, we suggest you make your guide and or trip leader aware so we can safeguard the medication until needed. This would also include any medication you may need for an existing condition such as (but not limited to) diabetes, severe allergies requiring the use of an EpiPen, etc.
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That can often depend on water levels and river conditions, and we have different sizes of rafts, but generally we try for 6-10 people plus a NYS licensed guide.
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Yes, while we do try to accommodate “walk-ins” there is the possibility of not getting on that trip due to space or guide availability. Weekends often book up weeks and even months in advance.
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Summer – A swim suit or shorts and shirt and old sneakers; they will get wet! If temperatures are cooler a wind breaker, rain jacket, or paddling jacket can be added.
May and Fall – Depending on the weather that day you may go with summer clothing or use a wetsuit. ARO has top-quality wetsuits available for day rentals (youth rates include the wetsuit when needed).
Early Spring – In April the water is very cold so wetsuits are required. ARO has top-quality wetsuits available for day rentals (youth rates include the wetsuit when needed). There are many ways to enhance your comfort on the river, the use of synthetic wicking underwear is the most popular. There are many brands that offer these properties and the most important aspect to consider is the cotton content. That content should be none or as little as possible. Also a shell like a rain jacket and rain pants over the wetsuit can make a huge difference. Wetsuit booties are included in the rental of a full suit. We recommend wool or pile socks (be sure to check the labels – many “thermal” socks are cotton!) under the booties. A silly sounding, although effective trick is to wear plastic bags between your socks and the wetsuit boot. Wet suits do not keep you dry! So anything that stops water from getting through will help your comfort level. For your hands we suggest thin wool gloves (the army surplus gloves are good) with our wetsuit gloves over them. Note: Make sure the gloves are not squeezing your hands or fingers, you want to maintain good circulation.
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We do not give refunds within 30 days of your trip, however, if you notify our main office at least 24 hours in advance of your trip, we will issue you a certificate good for one full year from the date of your original trip, for the amount paid less a 25% rescheduling fee. If we cancel the trip you have the option to reschedule the trip or receive a full refund.
