Overview
After plunging more than 1,400 feet over Yosemite Falls and winding gently through Yosemite Valley, the Merced River still has something left for us, namely: great whitewater. This is a free-flowing river and it feels like it; the water is cold, the rapids are frisky, and the river and rapids change daily as the snow melts. When the flow is high (mid-May to mid-June), there is no better day of whitewater rafting: all-forward, straight-shot lines through big, roller-coaster waves. If you’ve got plans to visit Yosemite National Park, you should spice up your vacation with a day of whitewater rafting on the Merced.