With fuel costs hovering around $4.00 per gallon, families across the country are looking for ways to vacation closer to home this spring and summer. This is good news for the west coast, where a wet winter with plenty of snow means excellent whitewater rafting conditions throughout California and most of the western U.S.

For many families, a rafting trip is the best part of summer. It is the classic American getaway: camping, water sports, a campfire, great food and ample time to relax and share time with friends and family. Southern California’s Kern River offers all of this plus some of the best river runs in the state and, for most of the southland, it’s a one-tank trip.

“The gas savings alone are often enough to pay for a trip space,” observes Dawn Jordan, reservations manager for Kern River Outfitters, one of the area’s leading rafting companies. “Sometimes people are surprised to learn that the best rafting in all of California is right here, just a few hours from most Southern California cities.”

California’s Kern River offers something for everyone: The Forks of the Kern is an awesome three-day adrenaline rush for experienced paddlers and the more athletically inclined, the Upper Kern is fast and furious and ideal for folks with just one day to spare, and the Lower Kern is the ultimate one- or two-day family adventure vacation get-away for families with kids age nine and up.

For Northern Californians and north westerners, Oregon’s Rogue River is an ideal one-tank trip destination. Known for spectacular scenery, exhilarating white water, abundant wildlife and breathtaking hikes, the Rogue represents a terrific family vacation value.

“Southern Oregon is a vacationer’s dream,” comments top outfitter Rogue River Journeys’ President Jim Ritter. “It is a distinguished vineyard region, the Ashland Shakespeare festival is nearby, and there are plenty of things to do on either end of a rafting trip. I can’t think of a better place for a family vacation.”