klamath river jet boat tours

During a two-week trip to California, my jet boat tour up the Klamath River was an incredible and unexpected highlight of my trip. I was in the area during the middle of the week and not in peak season, so the first day I tried to book a trip was unsuccessful because there were no other customers. If this happens to you, do not give up...the trip is well worth coming back at another time or day!The staff and crew were very friendly and helpful. We first traveled to the estuary where the river meets the Pacific. The fog was thick over the ocean and we enjoyed seeing seals and a variety of sea birds. Then we turned upstream and headed toward blue skies and sunshine. The further up river, the more pristine the natural surroundings. Simply put: it's GORGEOUS.Within just a few minutes the crew spotted a golden eagle in flight. We stopped and observed for several minutes. And not long after that we spotted a bear and her cub at the water's edge. This was a dream come true for me! Being in the boat allowed us to safely inch closer but keep a respectful distance. We sat and watched for a long while. It was such a special encounter.I especially enjoyed the captain's knowledge of the river and its significance to the Yurok tribe. I can't remember exactly how long the tour lasted but it did not feel rushed at all. We had plenty of time to stop and look at wildlife and even shored the boat and de-boarded for a stroll along Blue Creek.There were no children aboard my trip, but the captain still treated us to the boat spins (those are FUN). On the way back to the dock he picked up the speed and then "tested of the brakes" a few times (intended to splash water up over and into the boat). You will get wet! (Or at the least your bum will get wet as the boat seats will be wet from the previous tour). I recommend taking a jacket or poncho if you don't want to be wet and possibly cold. The crew offered us blankets before we left, and I was glad that I had taken one to keep my camera dry. This tour has great potential for beautiful wildlife viewing, and I was grateful to have my telephoto lens with me...if you take yours just have a plan to keep it dry.I was there in September and the sun was fairly intense though not hot. Take sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, etc. Most of all, just make sure you make time for this tour. It will not disappoint! :)

My family did the boat ride this past weekend. We took the 4pm ride on a relaxing Saturday. We had the best day ever. We are Yurok and are very knowledge about out area, culture and places on the river, but our captain was very informative and funny! We really did enjoy ourselves and we are planning our next trip with the whole family!

Its amazing to take the jet boats on the Klamath River. The ride itself is fun and they do some fun water splashing spins. We enjoyed seeing eagles and eagle nests. We also saw salmon jumping in the water. Although we did not see bear, there are black bears that some do see on this trip as well.

On a beautiful day we took the Klamath Jet River boat tour. We decided to take the last one of the day which was at 4 PM because we thought that we would see more animals. The weather was perfect and we had the boat to ourselves and 2 other people. Our captain did everything he could do to make sure we all had a great time. Yes we did see a bear ! It was in it's prime with a jet black and shinny coat. It was walking along the shore line and the captain got as close as about 20 ft and followed it for about 20 minutes. That made the entire trip !! It was the first day of Salmon fishing and it was neat to see all the Native Americans seining for the salmon and catching some very large salmon.. 35 to 40 lbs. The Steelhead trout were also hitting and I was dying to have my fishing pole and gear with me. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

This is an incredible way to see the beautiful Klamath River. Our family of four loved this trip and wanted to go back the next day and do it again! The boat is very smooth across the water and the Captain talked just the right amount, giving us the information that we wanted to know. We saw two bald eagles, a golden eagle, osprey and many other birds. The big highlight of the trip was seeing a bear cub walking along the river bank, and then seeing the mother bear show up. Our boat followed them along the river watching them for at least 25 minutes! It was the most amazing thing we had seen in nature. We were on the 4:00 trip and saw the bears as we came back down the river. It was so cool! Do not miss doing this trip. Next time we go to the redwoods we will do it again!

We first went on the jet boat tour in 2013...had such a great time, we made sure to do it again this year. Captain Chris makes it so fun and educational!!! He just "makes" the trip! We saw 2 young bears at different places, two types of eagles, osprey, etc. It is so interesting, great for our 6 year old grandson...and of course the 360 degree turns and "brake checks" are always crowd pleasers. Highly recommend this! We are already talking about our 2015 visit :)

What a wonderful way to see the flora and fauna of the Klamath River. Our boat pilot was very knowledgeable and kept his eyes open to look for eagles, herons and even a black bear. Besides the nature tour, he also made sure to add some fun, making sure that everyone "experienced" the water. Don't miss it.

Great boat ride! Experienced crew and nice boats. What fun, beautiful scenery and the guide knew a lot about the rivers history. Actually saw several bald eagles! Recommend this highly.

The Jet boat tour was fun. We kinda expected to see a lot more wild life but, that's not any fault of the tour operators. We did see a bear numerous birds and some short legged cattle. The operator made it as much fun as he could. Lots of spins etc. He made it worth the money. The office people were very nice and helpful.

This outfit is completely professional and very into what they do. You will have a great time. Even if it's busy you will enjoy.

My husband and I did the jet boat tour in July 2013 and we had a wonderful time. The staff are super friendly and professional. The tour was thrilling and the scenery of the area is stunning. We were hoping to see a bear (as the tour the day before had spotted one) but we did not. Only birds but there were tons of birds and a lot of different kinds. This tour is a wonderful way to spend a couple hours if you are in the area and definitely worth doing!!

A must-do if you are traveling along Hwy 101 or anywhere near the area. This was one of the most-fun afternoon (and a repeat for several) by consensus of all on the boat. It's easy for all, from toddlers to seniors. The 4 yr old (free trip for kids under 4) behind me said "do it again" every time we did a 360 spin. I was very impressed (as a granny) that they outfitted the child with a life vest before departure.Now, for the fun part. Our captain was personable and provided excellent narration as we began at the sand spit where the river meets the ocean, then turned and traveled inland for the 45 mile round-trip on a calm river. The scenery is awesome, especially in the back country where there are no roads, but many residents. The captain explains many details of life in the area, the flood of '64, and of course, the wildlife sightings.On this trip, we saw osprey, cormorants, bald eagles and six black bear. One lone bear, then a mom with twin cubs walking on a log. The last two just walked along the shore and allowed us to get 25' from them in the boat. We actually stayed out 30 minutes longer to enjoy the last two bears who seemed to be posing for our photos. I took so much video of the sights, spins and bears that my phone battery died!Every trip is different, and I'll certainly return. Do call for the schedule after the peak summer season. This was the week after Labor Day and there was only one trip daily at 1 pm, and that was subject to being full some days, or needing a minimum number of guests on other days. There are discounts for seniors, military, teens & kids. The images of the journey that are etched in your brain are priceless!They have a gr8 gift shop with nice, reasonable wind breakers and hoodies, unique jams, bbq sauce, jalapeno catchup, cranberry mustard and more. Also post cards, maps and tourist info.When I can figure out how to get the long videos of the bears close-up, off of my iphone, I'll post them on you tube under Klamath Jets

This was the most fun activity so far on our camping trip. If you are in the Klamath Ca. area- do this activity- you'll love it. Ages on the boat were from 7 to 70. The captain was great at explaining the history of the area as well as pointing out the various wildlife along the river. The price was reasonable and well worth it. We are coming back.

Klamath River Jet Boat Tours is a must do event. The captain is extremely knowledgeable of the history of the river and the Yurok tribe history. We saw bald eagles, golden eagles, a bear. We also got to witness an osprey dive under water, catch a fish and a bald eagle swoop down and snatch the fish from the osprey and fly away. I will do this again.

Had fun on this power boat tour. We were bumped out of our time slot (which we reserved in March) because they did not have enough people reserved. I had to keep calling to verify, rather than the other way around which made it a little challenging to schedule other activities for the day. We saw osprey, herons, bald eagles and an otter. The guide was informative and entertaining.