we stayed at the Thorntons Saturday through Wednesday. The water rafting was great, lots of fun. The camping on site at the Thorntons was not so great, it is not a camping place for families with children, or if you like the quiet to enjoy nature. When we arrived on Saturday there were many parties going on all night, the bar was loud and could be heard through the entire campground well into the morning, and the parties continued every night we were there; loud noises, yelling, loud engines of ATVs, motorcycles, fireworks, etc. continually. The bathrooms were clean and new but you have to pay to take a shower. The beach across the street was under construction so we had limited use of it. The staff (owners) were not very pleasant at check in or when we asked that the fireworks be stopped since theire campground states no fireworks, they let them continue through the night. If you like the quiet to enjoy nature and get some sleep we would recommend that you stay at one of the state/county campgrounds around this area and not at the Thorntons.

After having our original company cancel on us due to an emergency. We called thorntons, and they arranged a trip for sooner than usual the next morning, so that we could go. Otherwise our 7 hour drive would have been for nothing!

We went at 1130 on 8/8/12 The guides met us at a storage shed on the edge of niagara, wi along with about 10 other rafters.

They got out their bus, and rafts. Got us organized, suited up, and on the bus.

after about a 7 minute ride we got out while they unloaded the rafts and got us on.

on the way down the peaceful part of the river they explained everything from safety, to tips for the best way to enjoy our experience, as well as some humrous stories.

Our timing on the river was PERFECT, the damn was released right between our first and second run, which gave us two very different experiences. (part of the trip is called piers gorge, which they bring 2 rafts for, so that you can go over this section twice for more fun.)

We felt very safe with John and the other guide, who were very up front and friendly about everything. But I can say, they allowed for a bit of learning on our part, so that we would 1. be better prepared 2. in my opinion, be a "bit" more anxious about the whole thing, which made it all that much better!

This river is VERY safe, gives you some quick preview rapids to get you acquanted then one REALLY great run for the end.

Listen to your guides, go with the flow, and to be honest, there is really very little danger to the whole thing. Just enough to make it exciting!

Thanks John(hope we didnt get his name wrong) and of course kathy at the office for helping rescue our trip! We had a blast, and are glad the circumstance lead to us finding you guys instead!

Only less than perfect thing I would say, is that the rafting companies should all jointly ask the operators of the damn for some sort of communication system, or schedule, this would allow for operators to maximize their timing on the river. Maybe theres alot i dont know about the whole operation, but i could tell the differences between slightly lower water, and higher water. Not more or less dangerous, or more or less exciting. Just less chance of getting hung up on rocks in higher water. Just a thought!

Ted & Kim Mueller

We stayed at Thornton's for a weekend while we did a rafting trip through them. I stayed in the 2 bedroom cabin and while it wasn't a 4-star hotel, it was perfect for a weekend trip. It had 2 bedrooms and a pullout futon so it easily slept 3 people. It had a small kitchen, a big fridge, and a bathroom with shower. The bathrooms and showers at the resort are very nice and clean, we were all impressed. You had to pay for the showers, but they were very nice. i think $.50 for the first 2 minutes and $.25 for each minute.
We did the rafting trip through them but I can't recommend that to anyone. It was basically 1 rapid and then you walk back 100 yards and do the same rapid again. There was a lot of time just paddlng down a river. Most of our group rafted in West Virginia before. We weren't expecting anything like that, but we were very disappointed in driving 5hrs for 1 rapid.
I did enjoy the fishing at the resevoir and we golfed at de smidt's which was very nice.

As the other reviewer wrote, Kathy is a great hostess, and Thornton's provides a great full-service rafting experience. My boyfriend and I have been there at least a half dozen times, and have never failed to have a great time. You can camp there, get firewood for a good price, raft, swim, fish, and enjoy good dj music and dancing at the bar without ever moving your car.

We always raft the Peshtigo, usually in one-man funyaks, and its the perfect rafting trip for my skill level. It's thrilling whitewater but not terrifying- most of the time. I did have a wipe out on the last trip that shook me up a bit, but as always the river guides provided by Thornton's were top notch and got me out of trouble almost faster than I could get into in.

One of my favorite things about Thornton's is that the campground crowd is always so friendly and laid back. It's like a giant party that just goes on all Summer long and everyone is welcomed with open arms. Just call ahead or e-mail Kathy at their web site to make sure a camp space is available, because they have alot of "regulars" and some weekends they have special events that book the place up a year in advanced.