BRT Insights - WW Kayaking & Hiking

Flow data for some favorite local whitewater rivers.

Here is the recent flow data for some whitewater rivers close to my home.

Cache Ck - Rumsey Run	Mokelumne R - Electra Run

More about these rivers:
• California Whitewater River Guides.
• Using these guides to white water river paddleboating - BRT Kayaking.

More recent river flow data: River Flows Directory.

Labels: guide

Whitewater River Guide & Maps for kayaking, tubing, canoeing & rafting.

This run through the American River Parkway is fed by the release from Folsom Dam (Sacramento County, California, USA). The "remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other similar values" of the American River are protected within the USA National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program.

River Flow Data.

This gauge is right in the middle of the run, so the flow it measures is pretty much exactly the flow you are boating on at that time.

River Difficulty vs. Flow Rate.

class *	flow (cfs)
II-	1000-6000	Mostly class I with two class II rapids.
II+	6000-10000
III	>10000	Fast current, cold water, strainer hazards.

*

Distance: Sailor Bar to Howe Ave = 14 miles.

Driving Directions, Distance, Estimated Time & Road Conditions.

Mapquest provides directions, distance & time from your house to the river.
* From Davis, CA to Gold River, CA - driving time 35 minutes.

California Road Conditions (Delays or closures due to weather, construction, etc.)
* California Travel Information - highwayconditions.com.
* Road Conditions - California Dept Transportation.

Topographic River Map, Road Map & Local Business Search.

• The map below is interactive - click and drag on the map to adjust the location.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers below to see their names.
• Use the tool on the left to zoom and pan.
• Click on the Map button for a road map, Topo button for topgraphic map.
• Click on Google logo for road map & local business search (gas, food, camping).
• Full screen topo map and coordinates of additional landmarks - see below.
• Topographic map user instructions.

Topographic River Map.

Full-Screen Topo Map: American River Lower Run. Try both the Map view and the Topo view on the maps!!

River Landmarks - Geographic Coordinates. (WGS-84 datum)
(A)(B)(C) locations are marked on the Acme Mapper topo map above.
* N 38.63390 W 121.23349, Put-in, Sailor Bar (A).
* N 38.63350 W 121.26915, Sunrise Blvd Bridge (B).
* N 38.62029 W 121.28717, El Manto Ave (C).
* N 38.63032 W 121.29318, San Juan Rapids (class II-) (D).
* N 38.58833 W 121.32906, Arden Rapid (class II-) (E).
* N 38.57974 W 121.34114, Take-out, Harrington (F)
* N 38.56649 W 121.37167, Waterton Way Access (G)
* N 38.56692 W 121.38275, Take-out, Watt Ave Bridge (H).
* N 38.56025 W 121.40931, Howe Ave Bridge (I).
(Major rapids on the run are rated above at low-med flows.)
Copy/paste these coordinates into the Search box at Google Maps or into the Find box at ACME Mapper.

Site of Eppie's Great Race - run-cycle-paddle triathlon on the American River Parkway.

• Eppie's Great Race. Run, bike, paddle triathlon. Held annually along the scenic American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento. It's the largest paddling event in the U.S.
• Eppie's Great Race kayaking - 01july2009 Put-in at Lower Sunrise Recreation Area, gps map 5.8 miles.
• Eppie's Great Race kayaking - SBeckner80 25aug2009 Put-in at Lower Sunrise Recreation Area, gps map 6.0 miles.
• Eppie's Great Race - Facebook. Eppie's Great Race is the Sacramento area's best known run-cycle-paddle triathlon. The event raises funds for the Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services that serves local mentally and physically challenged individuals.

Photos & Videos from Eppie's Great Race

• 36th Eppie's Great Race 2009 - Photo Galleries - sacbee.com.
• Eppie's Great Race 2009 pictures, photos, and videos, - rutohi2 2009.
• 2009 Eppies Great Race pictures from sports photos - craigtanner3.
• 2007 Eppies Great Race pictures from kayaking photos - craigtanner3.
• Eppies Great Race 2009- Good Day Sacramento! Video by Dave.
• Eppie's
Great Race 2009 pictures - rutohi2 30july2009
• 2005 Eppie's Great Race photos - curnutt.org
• Eppie's Great Race 2007 - photos - Worldisround 2007
• Eppies Great Race 2007 Video - 912in916.
• Eppie's Great Race videos - eppiesgreatrace1's Channel
• Eppie's Great Race Sets Participation Record - kcratv 23july2007

Local weather in Sacramento, California.

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Online River Guides & River Flow Data for Paddle Boating.

• American - Rel Lake Natoma - CA Sierra West Slope - Dreamflows.
• American River Parkway Directory.
(Display options - alphabetical 100. See section 1.)

Printed Maps & Guidebooks - American River Parkway paddleboating.

• Paddling Northern California, Charlie Pike 2001. (pg. 152-158)
• Western Whitewater From the Rockies to the Pacific, 1994. (pg. 355)
• Boating Trail Guide to the American River Parkway. Chart of float time vs. flow rate, river map with access points.
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 194-195)
• Sierra Whitewater - A Paddler's Guide ... 1974. (pg. 96-97)
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.

Whitewater Trip Reports.

* Sea Kayaking the lower American River Parkway - Paddle California 05nov2010.
* American River Kayak Trip photos - dkend 26sept2010.
* San Juan Rapids video - syubar 09mar2010.
* Kayaking the American River Parkway video - SacBee 01july2009.
* Kayaking on a class I+ river by moonlight 01july2007.

River Recreation Links - American River Parkway.

* American River Parkway Recreation Directory. (Display options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=whitewater, 2=rafting, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)

Float Tubing - Innertubing.

• Float Tube (Innertube) Skills, Techniques and Safety for your River Trips.
• Equipment for Float Tubing - BRT Insights.

More about:
• Use of these white guides to water river kayaking and rafting - BRT Insights.
• Nearby streams: Sacramento River Valley Region.
• California Whitewater River Guides for kayaking & rafting.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river tubing, float tube.
Tags: kayaking, California, river map, American River, American River Parkway, paddle boating, river, whitewater.

Labels: guide

California whitewater - river kayaking on a glorious warm sunny day

BruceH, HiromasaT, Martin & I kayaked the Coloma to Lotus Run on SF American River at 1600 cfs (El Dorado County, California, USA).

This was Martin's first kayak trip ever and Hiromasa's first trip of the year so we practiced eddy turns upstream of put-in for a while before heading downstream. This allowed us to made it through the day with just a few swims and one bumper-boats incident that ended unexpectedly well.

We did a little surfing and a little swimming at Gremlin Wave. The converging funny water below Old Scary Rapid snagged another victim. The swimmer got towed to the island and the boat ended up on river-right, but they were eventually reunited on the island. We had a lovely lunch at our favorite spot just downstream of Henningson-Lotus County Park.



We did a lot of surfing on the little wave above Camp Lotus. It takes good edge control to have success on this deceptively small, but very fun playspot. Surfing video clips will be posted at BRT Kayaking Channel at YouTube.



The geese were out taking a lap around the quiet pool at Camp Lotus while we did a little roll practice before taking out to finish another great day on the river.



On the way home from kayaking we stopped at Thai Style Dining in Cameron Park, CA for Thai Iced Tea and some spicy, exotic food.

More about: Trip Reports - Whitewater River Kayaking in California.

Tags: rivers, kayaking, whitewater.

Labels: trip

Whitewater River Map & Guide - California.

River Flow Data.

River Difficulty vs. Flow Rate.

class *	flow (cfs)
II	300-500
II+	500-2000
III	>2000

Description - American River NF - Shirttail Run.

This winter/spring run is fed by rain and snowmelt. (Placer County, California, USA). With 3 arm-ripping, boat-eating holes this is the upper limit of class II+ runs at moderate flows and a quick upgrade to class III if the flows are high. Distance: Put-in to Ponderosa Way 5 miles, to Upper Lake Clementine ~8 miles. The flow gauge is a few miles downstream from the run, so the flow that registers a little while after you take out is the flow you have been boating on all day.

Driving Directions, Distance, Estimated Time & Road Conditions.

Mapquest provides directions, distance & time from your house to the river.
* From Davis, CA to Weimar, CA - driving time 59 minutes
(+ dirt road driving to put-in and take-out).

California Road Conditions (Delays or closures due to weather, construction, etc.)
* California Travel Information - highwayconditions.com.
* Road Conditions - California Dept Transportation.

Topographic River Map, Road Map & Local Business Search.

• The map below is interactive - click and drag on the map to adjust the location.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers below to see their names.
• Use the tool on the left to zoom and pan.
• Click on the Map button for a road map, Topo button for topographic map.
• Click on Google logo for road map & local business search (gas, food, camping).
• Full screen topo map and coordinates of additional landmarks - see below.
• Topographic map user instructions.

Topographic River Map.

Full-Screen Topo Map: NF American River Shirttail Run. A=Put-in. D & E=Takeout.

River Landmarks - Geographic Coordinates.
(A)(B)(C) locations are marked on the Acme Mapper topo map above.
* N 39.04104 W 120.90246, Put-in, Yankee Jim's Road (A).
* N 39.03605 W 120.90868, Rapid 3 1/2 (class II+) (B).
* N 39.01812 W 120.92038, Surf City (C).
* N 38.99996 W 120.94053, Take-out, Ponderosa Way (D).
* N 38.96745 W 120.97514, Take-out, Upper Lake Clementine, Auburn SRA (E).

(Major rapids on the run are rated above at low-med flows.)

Local weather in Colfax, California.

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Online River Guides & River Flow Data for Paddle Boating.

• American River NFMF Directory.
(Display options - alphabetical 100. See section 1.)

Printed Guidebooks - American River white water.

• Paddling Northern California, Charlie Pike 2001. (pg. 214-218)
• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (pg. 156)
• California Whitewater - A Guide to the Rivers, Third Edition 1995. (pg. 122-125)
• Western Whitewater From the Rockies to the Pacific, 1994. (pg. 362)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 188-189)
• The American River: North, Middle & South Forks, 1989.
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.

Whitewater Trip Reports.

• Shirttail Run, NF American River, kayaking class II+, 06april2008.
• Shirttail Run, NF American River, kayaking class II+ 22feb2008.
• Shirttail Run, NF American River, kayaking 07may2007 (II+).
• Shirttail Run, NF American River, kayaking 28april2007 (II+).

River Recreation Links - American River.

• American River NFMF Conservation & Recreation Directory. (Display options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=whitewater, 2=rafting, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)

More about:
• Use of these white guides to water river kayaking and rafting - BRT Insights.
• Rivers & creeks nearby: Bear River (Nevada/Placer County), American River NF/MF, American River SF, Sacramento River Valley Region.
• California Whitewater River Guides.

Tags: kayaking, American River, California, river map, paddle boating, river, whitewater.

Labels: guide

Whitewater River Map & Guide - California

Recent River Flow Data.

It takes about 3 hours for changes in flow rates at Chili Bar to change the flow downstream at Coloma.

River Difficulty vs. Flow Rate.

class *	flow (cfs)
II	400-1500	800-1500cfs flows are common in summer
II+	1500-3000
III	3000-8000
IV	>8000	Wintertime flood flows.

Distance: Put-in to Greenwood Creek 5.7 miles.

Description - American River SF - Coloma to Greenwood Run.

Dependable summertime flows make this whitewater section of river very popular among beginning kayakers and commercial kayak training schools. (El Dorado County, California, USA).

Driving Directions, Distance, Estimated Time & Road Conditions.

Mapquest provides directions, distance & time from your house to the river.
* From Davis, CA to Coloma, CA - driving time 59 minutes.

California Road Conditions (Delays or closures due to weather, construction, etc.)
* California Travel Information - highwayconditions.com.
* Road Conditions - California Dept Transportation.

Topographic River Map, Road Map & Local Business Search.

• The map below is interactive - click and drag on the map to adjust the location.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers below to see their names.
• Use the tool on the left to zoom and pan.
• Click on the Map button for a road map, Topo button for topographic map.
• Click on Google logo for road map & local business search (gas, food, camping).
• Full screen topo map and coordinates of additional landmarks - see below.
• Topographic map user instructions.

Topographic River Map.

Full-Screen Topo Map: SF American River C to G Run. A=Put-in. K=Takeout.

River Landmarks - Geographic Coordinates.
(A)(B)(C) locations are marked on the Acme Mapper topo map above.
* N 38.80801 W 120.89574, Put-in, Marshall Gold Discovery St Pk (A).
* N 38.81410 W 120.90411, Gremlin wave-hole (B).
* N 38.81259 W 120.90639, Old Scary Rapid (class II) (C).
* N 38.80881 W 120.90149, Hwy 49 Bridge (D).
* N 38.80440 W 120.90703, Henningson-Lotus County Park (E).
* N 38.80667 W 120.91862, Camp Lotus (F).
* N 38.80923 W 120.92121, Barking Dog Rapid (class II+) (G).
* N 38.81798 W 120.93763, Current Divider Rapid (class II+) (H).
* N 38.82440 W 120.93879, Highway Rapid (class II+) (I).
* N 38.82500 W 120.94213, Swimmers Rapid (class II) (J).
* N 38.82436 W 120.94576, Take-out, Greenwood Creek (K).
(Major rapids on the run are rated above at summertime flows.)

Local weather in Coloma, California.

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Online River Guides & River Flow Data for Paddle Boating.

• American River SF Directory.
(Display options - alphabetical 100. See section 1.)

Printed Guidebooks - American River white water.

• Paddling Northern California, Charlie Pike 2001. (pg. 226-230)
• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (pg. 180)
• California Whitewater - A Guide to the Rivers, Third Edition 1995. (pg. 104-111)
• Western Whitewater From the Rockies to the Pacific, 1994. (pg. 355)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 192-193)
• The American River: North, Middle & South Forks, 1989.
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.

Whitewater Trip Reports.

• River tubing with the Boswells at Coloma CA video - 805boz 14july2009.
• C to G Run, SF American River, whitewater kayaking California class II+, 18oct2008.
• C to G Run, SF American River, whitewater kayaking California class II+, 13sept2008.
• C to G Run, SF American River, whitewater kayaking California class II+, 10aug2008.
• C to G Run, SF American River, whitewater kayaking California class II+, 26july2008.
• C to G Run, SF American River, California whitewater kayaking class II+, 19july2008.
• C to G Run, SF American River, California kayaking class II+, 12july2008.
American River innertubing 30aug2006 - Dervala 30aug2006.

River Recreation Links - SF American River.

• SF American River Recreation Directory. (SDisplay options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=whitewater, 2=rafting, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)

More information:
• Use of these white guides to water river kayaking and rafting - BRT Insights.
• Marshall Gold State Historic Park reopens for whitewater kayak & raft put-ins - 07april2010.
• Rivers & creeks nearby: American River NF/MF, American River SF, American River Parkway, Cosumnes River, Sacramento River Valley Region.
• California Whitewater River Guides.

Tags: kayaking, American River, California, river map, paddle boating, river, whitewater.

Labels: guide

River guidebook for intermediate and advanced kayakers. Lars Holbeck and Chuck Stanley have written a great guidebook for boating on class III, IV and V whitewater rivers in California. It covers 180 river runs, including many of the popular runs and some obscure ones. Many runs are suitable for both rafting and kayaking, but there are additional runs that are primarily suitable for kayaking. Woven throughout the river guides are the great adventure stories of the authors traveling around California and doing the boating needed to get the information to write the book.

This book was a major resource for planning my river trips as I advanced to become a class III and then a class IV kayaker. Originally I was put off by the minimal maps in this book, but now I appreciate that advanced boaters do not need or want a map to show the location of every river hazard. Part of the adventure is to be constantly observant and figure things out as you proceed down the river. I do want a guidebook to give a general rating for a section of river and this book does a great job of that. I want to kayak on sections of whitewater that are difficult enough to be challenging, but not so hard that I will spend the whole day portaging or swimming. I appreciate the information the book provides about how river difficulty changes with flow rate, but with the right skills and equipment many of these rivers are runnable over a wider range of flows than the book indicates.

The second and third editions were minor updates of a book first published in 1984. Equipment and techniques have changed a lot over that time. Pictures of 12 foot long river kayaks and stories of first descents are interesting, but must look like ancient history to the new generations of young boaters. Fortunately the rivers have not changed much over that time frame, so the river guide aspects of the book are still as accurate as ever.

Disclaimer.

Holbeck & Stanley wrote on page xv: "Safety. The sport of kayaking revolves around the use of good judgement, and no information in this book is intended as a substitute for your own. Our assessment of the difficulty of various runs has been pegged against the standards used by the International Canoe Federation (see the section on whitewater classification), but an unavoidable degree of latitude exists in the interpretation of any standard. Our sincere recommendation is that you use our description of difficulty as a guide, while remembering that the final responsibility for a safe and enjoyable trip remains, as always, yours."

Rating.

This excellent book by California river explorers Holbeck & Stanley was a critical resource during my class IV boating years. I think this book is out-of-print, so pick up a copy of this book wherever you can find one. Some of the same river guide information is now available on various websites, but you may still want the readability and portability of a book. (**** - my rating 4 stars out of 5)

Back to: Reviews - Books, Videos, & Websites for Kayaking.

Labels: book

Contact me to submit additional sites for the directory or to update the PR data. (Updated 30june2010)

Kayaking Portals.

Portals provide news and a wide range of other information.
Kayak & Canoe - playak PR5.
Kayak, ww & freestyle - xackers PR4.
Kayaking & Rafting - WetDawg PR4.

Blogs and Forums.

They provide opportunities to participate in discussions.
Whitewater Blog Directory - BRT Insights PR2.
Whiewater Forum Directory - BRT Insights PR2.

Blog Search Engines.

They index the blogosphere and help searchers to find blogs that interest them.
whitewater river kayaking - bloglines PR9. (home page ranks)
whitewater river kayaking - Google Blog Search PR8.
whitewater river kayaking - technorati PR8.
whitewater river kayaking - blogdigger PR7.
whitewater river kayaking - icerocket PR6.
whitewater river kayaking - wikio PR6.

Kayaking Videos.

kayaking OR kayak video search - YouTube PR8. (home page ranks)
whitewater river kayaking: Videos - Technorati PR8.

Search Engine News

Indexes the online sites from the traditional print media outlets.
whitewater river kayaking - Google News PR8. (home page ranks)
whitewater river kayaking - Yahoo News PR6.
whitewater - outdoornewswire PR5.

Kayaking Magazines & ezines

Online sites from the print magazines.
Canoe & Kayak PR6.
Paddler PR5.
Canoe&Kayak UK PR4.
Rapid PR4.
Adventure Kayak PR4.
Canoeroots PR4.
Canoeist PR4.
Kayak Session PR4.
Paddling Life PR4.
Cumec Magazine PR4.
Kayak Magazine PR4.
Paddles PR3.
Paddle Press PR3.
Water Sports Magazine - Canoe Kayak PR3.
Australian White Water PR2.
California Kayaker Magazine. PRN.

PR values (=Google PageRank) provide some data on the ranking of the sites at the dominant search engine on the Internet. Despite their limitations, PR data can be used to help website owners monitor the progress of their online publicity campaigns.

Back to:
• Whitewater River Kayaking Directory - BRT Insights.
• Sitemap - BRT Insights on Whitewater Kayaking.

Tags: rivers, kayaking, whitewater.

Labels: directory

Everybody can contribute their knowlege using Web 2.0 online services.

New online services simplify use of the Internet to tell the story of your business or some part of your personal life. There are many blogging services and photo/video sharing communities online. These are typically designed to be very easy for anybody with basic computer skills to use. They are also designed to be highly interactive, so others can add comments, questions and critiques to things that somebody else has posted online. Join the discussion. Add your thoughts and your ideas to the online world !!

Blogger, Picasa & YouTube are great web 2.0 tools for storytelling and photo/video sharing.

I've had good experiences with my free accounts at Blogger, Picasa Web Albums and YouTube, online services owned by Google. These web 2.0 services work together very nicely. For example, my pictures posted at Picasa and my videos posted at YouTube can be easily inserted into posts for my blog at Blogger (photo slideshow and video). Please add your comments to my blog and my online pictures.

More blogging about blogging: Tips for Bloggers.

Tags: web 2.0, blogging.

Labels: blog, web2.0

Whitewater river trips provide something new every day - observe carefully and participate with gusto!!

(Point the mouse at the slideshow to reveal the manual controls.)

I had a rare opportunity to go kayaking with Hubert today and BruceH came along to drive ... and to boat. There was a festival going on in Coloma, so the roads and parking were really crowded, but the river was less crowded than usual. We left our shuttle bike at Greenwood and then helped shuttle another boater as we drove up to put-in.

Read my guide for the SF American River C to G Run (El Dorado County, California, USA). The river was flowing at 1600cfs with the clearest nice cool water I've ever seen on this run.

Surfing on the little wave just above Camp Lotus was really great. It didn't look like much but it took really good edge control skills to get on it and stay on it. Next time we should get some video there.

Today I was giving my first test to a new sunscreen - Neutrogena UltraSheer SPF 70 with helioplex. It dried quickly after application without leaving any greasy, oily feeling. Shortly after put-in I splashed some water in my face, rubbed both eyes and did not have any stinging. At the end of the day I had no sunburn. Pretty great!

Catalpa trees were blooming abundantly along the river with big clusters of white flowers. I have fond memories of catalpa trees blooming in the city park where I grew up in the midwest. Funny that after all these years of kayaking in California this was the first time that I noticed the catalpa trees growing along the river. From a distance I thought they were buckeye trees, which are also blooming now in the canyon. The catalpa trees were growing right next to the river, while buckeyes grow higher up in the canyon. And the catalpa flower clusters are whiter than the buckeye flower clusters.

The spring goslings are now about 2/3 the size of their parents. We also saw a family of merganzers including about a dozen very tiny newly hatched ducklings.

Photos & captions from this trip were taken by BruceT and BruceH with an Olympus 720SW waterproof camera.

On the way home from kayaking we stopped for a fine cuisine dinner at Hemalayas Indian Restaurant in Cameron Park, CA. The Lamb Curry, Alu Gobi and Nan were really tasty. Mild seasoning was complex and interesting with enough heat for me. The service was fast and friendly. I'll definitely stop there again.

More about: Trip Reports - California Whitewater River Kayaking.

Tags: whitewater, rivers, kayaking.

Labels: trip

Blogs on Whitewater River Rafting & Flatwater Paddle Boating

Thanks for letting me know about other paddle boater blogs that should be on the list, or any ranks that should be updated. (Partial update April 18, 2009.)

• Back to front page - Whitewater Blogs & Forums Directory.

Rafting Whitewater

Rafting Life - PR3
InflatableKayakBlog - PR2
Oregon Rafting Team - PR2
Homebrew and Hypalon - PR1
Tainted Ideals - PR-ND
Tales from the Rio - PR-ND
Terry's World - PR-ND

Flatwater - Canoe, Kayak, Touring, Racing

Chine bLog - PR5
Paddling with a Camera - PR4
PaddleTales - Canoeing Oklahoma - PR4
fit2paddle - PR4
Kayak Mississippi - PR4
Pittsburgh Paddlefish - PR4
CK Aquileia - PR4
RiverThoughts - PR3
Michigan Kayaker - PR3
National Canoe Journal - PR3
Piney Flatwoods Girl - PR3
River Rant - PR2
Song of the Paddle; Canadian Canoe - PR2
Paddling-Rowing - PR2
Mad Canoeist - PR2
Canoeing, kayaking, other adventures - PR1
Kayaking and Canoeing - PR0
Mogul River Mice - PR0
Lakes of South Dakota - PR0
RiverNotes - PR0
Midwest Paddle Adventures - PR0
Hook a Big One - PR0
mr340paddlers - PR-ND

More white water river paddle boating forums & blogs:
• ww kayaking personal blogs - PR4 to PR3 > PR2 to PR1 > PR0.
• ww rafting blogs, flat water paddle boating blogs.
• ww organization blogs, ww business blogs.
• ww photoblogs, ww videoblogs & ww socialblogs.
• ww forums & ww bulletin boards.

PR values (Google PageRank) give some insight into how well a website ranks at the dominant search engine on the Internet. See my post on hyperlinks for blog publicity.

More about:
• White Water River Kayaking & Rafting Directory - BRT Insights.
• Whitewater Topics at BRT Insights - Sitemap & Site Search.

Tags: kayaking, rafting, canoeing, river, whitewater, paddle boating.

Labels: blog, directory

Limit construction in flood-prone areas until steps are taken for protection against flooding.

The Sacramento Bee reported today "the proposal suggests that new subdivisions could be approved in undeveloped high-risk areas of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys only if a community has a "reasonable plan" to achieve 200-year flood protection by 2022, or if new residential units are constructed 1 foot above the level of potential 200-year floodwaters."

I support strict limits for new developments on flood-prone lands in California. We cannot afford to let people to build anywhere they want and then afterwards expect society to bear all of the costs of providing protection against flooding. After California voters recently approved massive new funding for flood control it seems that the money will not be enough to provide good flood protection even for existing developments. Plans for flood protection should be in place before any new building permits are issued. California has lots of land that is not prone to flooding, so future developments should be built in those areas.

California governor floats floodplain development curbs - sacbee 06june2007.

More about: River Conservation and Flood Control in California.

Tags: flood, flooding.

Labels: conservation

California whitewater fun!! CarolynD, BruceH and I left Davis a little after 9AM, taking one vehicle and a bike for shuttle. We arrived at take-out (Camp Haswell) and found throngs of commercial rafting customers, but no other kayakers who we could join to make a vehicle shuttle. In addition, or maybe by subtraction, we found that we had three boats and only two sprayskirts. Nevertheless, we decided to go ahead since we were all very familiar with the run. When we got to put-in (Bear Creek confluence) we found dozens of small rafts and IKs laid out in preparation. We were able to unload our vehicle and get down to the river just before the busloads of commercial rafters arrived. I think that a later departure may be a good way to avoid the crowds in the future. A leisurely mid-day departure should get us to put-in after the commercial boaters are quite far downstream. The flows remained high through the afternoon, so there is no rush to get on the river at the same time as the crowds. Reliable dam releases make this a popular summertime whitewater run!! The Cache Creek Rumsey Run (Yolo County, California, USA) was flowing at a lively 900 cfs. See my whitewater guide for this run. Our boat with no sprayskirt needed a lot of draining, a bit of sprayskirt swapping and a little portaging, but eventually got down the river without any mishaps. The river was loaded with rafts and IKs all day, but things were mellow. The inflatable boaters provided some entertainment throughout the day and with a little patience we found gaps in the crowds to let us do our boating. We ran into BobL at Mother Rapid and he loaned us a sprayskirt and gave us a shuttle, thank goodness!! Apparently there was a lot of carnage at Mother Rapid, including two inflatables wrapped on rocks, but all of our group made nice lines down the right side of Mother Rapid.

Waves, holes and hidden rocks provide an exciting entry into Mother Rapid. Out of sight at the bottom of the rapid the left and middle of the channel are a boulder sieve, so it is important to finish the rapid on the far-right side of the channel.

More pictures from this California whitewater river trip. Pictures were taken by BruceT and BruceH with an Olympus 720SW waterproof camera.



More about: Trip Reports - Whitewater River Kayaking in California.
California Whitewater River Guides.

Tags: rivers, kayaking, whitewater.

Labels: trip

Reliable flows of warm water make this creek a popular summertime paddleboating run for small rafts, IKs, kayaks & innertubes. The rafting companies launch crowds of inexperienced boaters on the weekend mornings, so plan on launching in the afternoon if you want to avoid these crowds. Proximity to the road enables many alternate put-in / take-out locations and bicycle shuttles if needed. In winter big water boating after a storm is great for groups that have the necessary skills. This section of Cache Creek is protected as part of California's Wild and Scenic Rivers System. (Yolo County, California, USA)

River Difficulty vs. Flow Rate.

class *	flow (cfs)
II+	350-500
III-	500-2000	500-900cfs flows are common in summer.
III+	2000-5000
IV	5000-15000	Winter-time flood flows.

Distances: Put-in to Camp Haswell 5.6 miles, to Rumsey Bridge 8.4 miles.

Flow Data - Method 1.

(id=6078)
The flow at Rumsey (above) should tell exactly the flow on the Rumsey Run, but this gauge has been unreliable in recent years.

Flow Data - Method 2.

(id=4144)
A second method of getting the flow on the Rumsey Run is to add the release from Indian Valley Reservoir (above) with the discharge from Clear Lake into Cache Creek.

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service - Cache Creek flow at Rumsey Bridge.

Topographic River Map, Road Map & Local Business Search.

• The map below is interactive - click and drag on the map to adjust the location.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers below to see their names.
• Use the tool on the left to zoom and pan.
• Click on the Map button for a road map, Topo button for topographic map.
• Click on Google logo for road map & local business search (gas, food, camping).
• Full screen topo map and coordinates of additional landmarks - see below.

Driving Directions, Distance, Estimated Time & Road Conditions.

Mapquest provides directions, distance & time from your house to the river.
* From Davis, CA to Rumsey, CA - driving time 1 hour, 2 minutes.

California Road Conditions (Delays or closures due to weather, construction, etc.)
* California Travel Information - highwayconditions.com.
* Road Conditions - California Dept Transportation.

Topographic River Map.

A=Put-in. B=Takeout.
Full-Screen Topographic Map: Cache Creek Rumsey Run.

River Landmarks - Geographic Coordinates.

Copy/paste the coordinates below into the search box at Google
Maps or into the Find box at Acme Mapper.
• N 38.92790 W 122.37019, Alternate put-in, Buck Island (A).
Requires 4WD vehicles for shuttle.
• N 38.92653 W 122.33294, Put-in, Cache Ck / Bear Ck confluence (B).
• N 38.92303 W 122.32749, County Park - Upper Site.
• N 38.91371 W 122.31980, Camp Rapid (class II+).
• N 38.91588 W 122.31813, County Park - Middle Site - Campground.
• N 38.90863 W 122.31079, County Park - Lower Site.
• N 38.90990 W 122.30856, Low Water Bridge.
• N 38.91057 W 122.30714, Widowmaker Rapid (class II+).
• N 38.91010 W 122.27886, Hwy 16 Bridge.
• N 38.91090 W 122.27757, Mother Rapid (class III).
• N 38.90873 W 122.26496, Take-out, Camp Haswell (C).
• N 38.90732 W 122.26501, Rock Garden Rapid (class III-).
• N 38.89018 W 122.23837, Alternate Take-out, Rumsey Bridge (D).
(Major rapids on the run are rated above at summertime flows.)

Local weather.

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Online River Guides & River Flow Data for Paddle Boating.

• Cache Creek Directory.
(Display options - alphabetical 100. See section 1.)

Printed Maps & Guidebooks - Cache Creek white water.

• Paddling Northern California by Charlie Pike. (pg.134-143)
• California Whitewater - A Guide to the Rivers. (pg. 151-157)
• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (pg. 78-79)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 198-204)
• West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (pg. 197-201)
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.

Float Tubing - Innertubing.

• Float Tube (Innertube) Skills, Techniques and Safety for your River Trips.
• Equipment for Float Tubing - BRT Insights.

Whitewater Trip Reports.

• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+, 05july2008.
• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+ 06jan2008.
• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+, Aug 5, 2007.
• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+, 22july2007.
• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+, July 7, 2007.
• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking 02june2007 (II+)
• Buck Island Run, Cache Creek, July 30, 2006 (II).
• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, July 23, 2006 (II).
• Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, April 29, 2006 (II).

River Recreation Links - Cache Creek.

• Cache Creek Wild & Scenic - Recreation & Conservation Websites. (Display options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=whitewater, 2=rafting, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)

More about:
• Use of these white guides to water river kayaking and rafting - BRT Insights.
• Rivers & creeks nearby: Stony Creek/Grindstone Creek, Cache Creek, Bear Creek (Colusa County), Putah Creek, Sacramento River Valley Region.
• California Whitewater River Guides - BRT Insights.

Tags: Cache Creek, California, river map, kayaking, paddle boating, wild and scenic, river, whitewater.

Labels: guide

Paddle boating information for kayakers, rafters & canoeists.

Descriptions of over 257 river runs in California and nearby. Focusing on the class II, III & IV whitewater river runs. California River Guides listed geographically.

Jump down to: A , B-G , H-O , P-S , T-Z. Alphabetical List Albion River, CA Wild & Scenic. American River, USA Wild & Scenic. Antelope Ck - Payne to Dairyville (III+). Battle Creek - Coleman Run (III+). Bear Creek (Colusa County). Bear Creek (Shasta County) Bear River - Ben Taylor Run (II+). Big Sur River, USA Wild & Scenic. Butte Creek near Chico (II+). Cache Creek, CA Wild & Scenic. Calaveras River Overview. Cal Salmon River, USA Wild & Scenic. Carmel River Overview. Carson River, CA Wild & Scenic. Central & South Coast Rivers Overview. Chowchilla River Overview. Clear Creek. Coarsegold Creek. Colorado River Lower Section. Cosumnes River Overview. Cottonwood Creek Overview. Deer Creek, CA Wild & Scenic. Eel River, USA Wild & Scenic. Elder Creek Feather River, USA Wild & Scenic. Fresno River. Gualala River, CA Wild & Scenic. Kaweah River Overview. Kern River, USA Wild & Scenic. Kings River, USA Wild & Scenic. Klamath River, USA Wild & Scenic. Little Sur River. Mad River Overview. Mattole River Overview. McCloud River, CA Wild and Scenic. McCloud River Upper Run (III). Merced River, USA Wild & Scenic. Mill Creek, CA Wild & Scenic. Mokelumne River Overview. Navarro River Overview. North Coast Rivers Overview. Noyo River Overview. Ocean Surf Kayaking California Coast. Owens River, USA Wild & Scenic. Piru Creek, USA Wild & Scenic. Pit River Overview. Putah Creek Overview. Rancheria Creek (II+). Redwood Creek Overview. Russian River Overview. Sacramento River Overview. Sacramento River Tributaries. Salinas River Overview. San Antonio Creek. San Gabriel River Overview. San Joaquin River Overview. San Joaquin River Parkway. San Lorenzo River Overview. Santa Clara River Overview. Santa Margarita River. Santa Ynez River Overview. Scott River, USA Wild & Scenic. Sespe Creek, USA Wild & Scenic. SF Bay Area Creeks & Rivers Overview. Shasta River - Yreka to Klamath (III). Sisquoc River, USA Wild & Scenic. Smith River, USA Wild & Scenic. Stanislaus River Lower Run. Stanislaus River Overview. Stony Creek & Grindstone Creek. Susan River Thomes Creek Trinity River, USA Wild & Scenic. Truckee River - Runs in CA. Truckee River - Runs in NV. Tule River Overview. Tuolumne River, USA Wild & Scenic. Van Duzen River, USA Wild & Scenic. Walker River, CA Wild & Scenic. Yuba River, CA Wild & Scenic.

Jump down to: Regional, Class II, Class III, Class IV, Playspots, Wild & Scenic. Regional Overviews. North Coast. • Klamath Basin. Sacramento Valley. • San Joaquin Regional Overview. Great Basin Overview. Central & South Coast.      San Francisco Bay Area. Class II American River - Lower Run (II-). American River MF Greenwood Bridge (II-). American River NF - Shirttail Run (II+). American River SF - C to G Run (II+). Bear River - Ben Taylor Run (II+). Butte Creek near Chico (II+). Cache Creek NF Long Valley Run (II). Cache Creek - Rumsey Run (II+). Mokelumne River - Electra Run (II+). Rancheria Creek (II+). Sacramento River - Redding to Red Bluff (I-II). Stanislaus River Lower Run (I-II). Stony Creek Lower Runs (II). Tuolumne River Parkway (I-II). Class III American River NF-MF Auburn Run (III). American River NF, Clementine Run (III). American River SF - Chili Bar Run (III+). American River SF - Gorge Run (III+). Antelope Ck - Payne to Dairyville (III+). Battle Creek - Coleman Run (III+). Cache Creek Wilderness Run (III+). Eel River - Outlet Ck to Dos Rios Run (III). Eel River Pillsbury Run (III). McCloud River Upper Run (III). Mokelumne River - Ponderosa Run (III-). Shasta River - Yreka to Klamath (III). Trinity River - Pigeon Point Run (III). Class IV American River MF Tunnel Chute Run (IV). Bear Creek (IV). Mokelumne River NF Tiger Creek Run (IV). Park & Surf Kayaking Playspots Kayak Surfing Overview. American River NF-MF China Bar (III). American River SF - Barking Dog. Kern River NF - Camp 3 Wave. Klamath River Marquis Playspot. Klamath River Schoolhouse Playspot. Trinity River - Pigeon Point Rodeo Hole. Truckee River wwPark, Reno NV. Truckee River wwPark, Sparks NV. Wild and Scenic Rivers of California. W&S Rivers in CA - Additions. CA's W&S Rivers Program. CA Rivers in USA W&S Rivers Program. Brushy Creeks NOT Recommended Cache Ck NF Above Indian Valley Res (III). Napa River - St. Helena Run (III). Putah Creek Lower Run (II/IV).

BRT whitewater guides are composed of 5 sections:

* BRT River Guide pages - listed below.
(Real-time flow data, whitewater rating, description, topographic map, weather.)
* Road map & local businesses - linked from the guide pages.
* BRT River Recreation Directory - linked from the guide pages.
(Lists of websites describing outdoor recreation in and around each of the rivers, whitewater boating, fishing, hiking, camping, conservation vs. development.)
* BRT Kayaking Trip Reports - linked from the guide pages.
* BRT Photo & Video Galleries - linked from the trip report pages.

Online interactive topographic maps are really great!!

* Posting Topographic Maps from Acme Mapper on your Site.
* Using Topographic Maps from Acme Mapper.

Trip planning resources for kayakers, rafters & canoers.

Online whitewater guides can be more up-to-date than any published book could ever hope to be. If you have any information to contribute please click the comment link at the bottom of the blog post (article) where your information should be added.

Lets explore the many whitewater rivers and creeks that California has to offer!!

This guide will focus on class II to class IV whitewater river runs mostly in northern California. For descriptions of additional whitewater runs see California River Guides Cross-listing - Dreamflows.

Many of the river access locations in this whitewater river guide are estimated from old published sources or guessed from map inspection. Please send information about any locations where you have encountered river access problems, and/or any alternative access points where there were no problems. Post your comments on the relevant whitewater river guide pages (click on the comments link at the bottom of the relevant article) or contact me directly. I will update these river guides with the best available information about safe and legal river access locations. Please send in your trip report updates to help make these guides more useful for the boating community.

Whitewater river segments are rated on the International Scale of River Difficulty. California whitewater ratings on this page are for a moderate river flow rate. Difficulty changes over a range of river flow rates are described on the individual river guide pages.

More about:
• Disclaimer - How to use this whitewater river paddleboating guide.
• Securing our legal rights to whitewater paddleboating in California and Nevada.
• California Whitewater River Guides - Geographic Lists,
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• River Flows Directory - Whitewater Data Updates.

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Labels: guide, subtopic