BRT Insights - WW Kayaking & Hiking: McCloud River Upper Run

Saturday, July 14, 2007

McCloud River Upper Run

Whitewater River Guide & Maps - California.

River Flow Data.

This run is fed by snowmelt and springs coming from Mount Shasta (Siskyou County & Shasta County, California, USA).

River Difficulty vs. Flow Rate vs. Put-in Location.

Different put-in locations can be used depending upon the river flow and the level of difficulty desired.

Put-in above Lower McCloud Falls to run the falls and the steep mile of river just below the falls (~classIV at springtime flows).
Put-in downstream of the parking lot at the lower falls to avoid the falls and part of the steep section. (~classIII)
Put-in downstream at the medium-size springs to avoid all of the steep section. Follow the dirt road past the lower falls, park outside the locked gate, take the trail downstream along the rim of the canyon and put-in at the medium-size springs. In summertime there may not be boatable flows upstream of this spring, but below here should be runnable all year round. (~class II+ with one class III rapid in the spring - surprisingly more difficult at summertime flows class III)

Driving Directions, Distance, Estimated Time & Road Conditions.

Mapquest provides directions, distance & time from your house to the river.
* From Davis, CA to McCloud, CA - driving time 3 hours, 23 minutes.

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

Distance: 11 miles (3 mi on reservoir)

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: McCloud River Upper Run.
A=Put-in. Zoom out to see H=Takeout.

River Landmarks - Geographic Coordinates.
(A)(B)(C) locations are marked on the Acme Mapper topo map above, or copy/paste these coordinates into the search box at Google Maps or the Find box at Acme Mapper.