BRT Insights - WW Kayaking & Hiking

PacifiCorp fails to negotiate in good faith.

PacifiCorp "is engaged in a bit of brinkmanship, claiming it has been excluded from talks while failing to get involved. PacifiCorp knows it will have to pay more to install fish ladders – and face lawsuits – than to dismantle the four dams. Yet they continue to hold out, perhaps hoping that Congress will spoon out a deal sweetener courtesy of federal taxpayers." (Seal Klamath deal - Sacramento Bee 27jan2008.)

Water policy - remove the obsolete dams on the Klamath River.

These 4 obsolete hydroelectric dams cause more damage to the Klamath River than can be justified by the small amount of hydroelectric power that they produce. If PacifiCorp does not agree on its own to remove these dams, then the federal government must refuse to renew the licenses for operation of these dams. One way or the other these destructive dams on the Klamath River must be removed. PacifiCorp has profited long enough from destroying the Klamath River. Now it is time for PacifiCorp to pay the full cost to clean up the mess they have made.

For more information:
Klamath River Basin Restoration Proposal Released for Public Review 19jan2008.
Klamath River Directory - environment, agriculture, news and recreation (25 sites).
California River Conservation and Water Supply Policy Sacramento CA.

Tags: dam, water, water policy, water supply.

Labels: conservation

Whitewater on the American River never fails to delight.

BillJ & I carpooled up to Salmon Falls to meet up with JohnS, AlbertA, MartinH, KeithF, KevinB, LindaK, RaoulA, & UrsS. We kayaked the Gorge Run on South Fork American River (El Dorado County, California, USA). The "ultimate shuttle van" was able to carry all of our people, kayaks & gear up to put-in at Henningson County Park. After a week of rainy weather that was making some giant flows on some other rivers and creeks in California, the SF American River was still "turned off" overnight and had only the standard few hours of 1500 cfs release for the day. We had a great day of cloudy weather with occasional sunshine and a forecast for more storms in the coming week.


Albert was carving it up big time on the whitewater at Barking Dog Rapid!

We stopped for lots of kayak surfing at Barking Dog Rapid and various other places along the way. Then we had a quick lunch on a nice sandy beach a little ways upstream of Fowlers Rock Rapid. The sparkling clean cold water made my bare hands a little cold in the first part of the day, but I put on a warmer hat at lunch and my hands were fine for the rest of the day.

More photos from the kayak trip taken with my Olympus 720SW water resistant camera.

The Gorge is a whitewater playground.

It looked to me like everybody had an easy fun day kayaking through the big rapids. We had no swims and few if any flip-overs, but in a group so large I didn't see everybody run every rapid. At Satans Cesspool Rapid I tried the rafter's line of running it on the fly instead of catching the eddy on the left as I have always done in the past. I drifted in on the line between the current and the eddy and then when I saw the face of the big curling wave I just powered in and punched it! I took pretty conservative lines through most of the other big rapids. At Hospital Bar Rapid I was following pretty closely behind AlbertA and saw him get tossed pretty high as he was punching it right down the gut. By then it was too late to switch to a finesse line so I punched it too and we both came through just fine. No matter how many times I have kayaked this run there is always something new to explore.

The last stretch of whitewater after Surprise Rapid provided a great finish to a very great day of whitewater paddle boating. I don't know if its due to last years drought or the construction underway at Folsom Dam, but it was also very nice to have the reservoir level down so low that we had river current to carry our kayaks all the way to take-out at Salmon Falls Bridge. Lake Folsom was at a level of 380 feet.

Bill & I stopped for dinner at Thai Style Dining in Cameron Park, CA. The brown rice was great, the green curry was excellent and the ?? seafood special was spectacular!

Thanks to JohnS for organizing such a great whitewater river kayaking trip!!

More about:
Trip Reports - Kayaking on Whitewater River in California.
Gorge Run American River SF - Whitewater Guides for California Rivers.

Tags: river, whitewater, kayaking, paddle boating.

Labels: trip

Understand our river history and how rivers work to help guide water policy for California's future.

"With its diverse climate and landscape, California contains the greatest variety of rivers found anywhere in the United States. Over the last 150 years these rivers have been dammed, diverted, polluted, lined and leveed to supply the needs of an expanding population and economy. In spite of these changes, rivers and the waters they transport remain one of California's most significant natural hazards and most contested resources."

Part I How Rivers Work has nine chapters (1 Introduction to the rivers of California, 2 Water in motion, 3 A river at work: sediment entrainment, transport and deposition, 4 The shape of a river, 5 Origins of river discharge, 6 Sediment supply, 7 River network and profile, 8 Climate and the rivers of California, 9 Tectonics and geology of California's rivers). These chapters are a little heavy with technical information aimed at scientists and engineers, but everybody who cares about our rivers should be encouraged to at least skim through these chapters and learn as much as they can. Part II Learning the Lessons: Land Use and the Rivers of California has eight chapters (10 Rivers of California: the last 200 years, 11 Mining and the rivers of California, 12 Logging California's watersheds, 13 Food production and the rivers of California, 14 A primer on flood frequency: how much and how often?, 15 The urbanization of California's rivers, 16 The damming of California's rivers, 17 The future: changing climate, changing rivers). These chapters describe the many ways our rivers impact the lives of everyday people. Everybody who lives in California should find lots of interesting information in these chapters.

This book will help our citizens and voters understand many of the important water supply, flood control and water policy issues facing our state.
(**** - my rating 4 stars out of 5 - recommended!)

More about:
Books, Videos, & Websites for Whitewater River Kayaking & Rafting.
Water Supply Policy Sacramento CA and California River Conservation.
Sacramento CA Flood Control, Prevention, Protection and Safety Directory.

Tags: water, water supply, water policy, river conservation, river, flood protection, flooding, dam, levee.

Labels: book, conservation

Sacramento CA flood control, flooding prevention, flooding protection and flood safety are local issues of critical importance. Our old habits of building homes and businesses in the floodplain are unsustainable in a post-Katrina world. Catastrophic losses from floods can be avoided rather easily by building on higher ground.

Whitewater River Recreation & Conservation Directory.
Construction begins at Folsom Dam for improved flood control in Sacramento California 26dec2007.
Water supply crisis in the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta, California 26dec2007.
Support National Wild and Scenic River designation for the Mokelumne River 24dec2007.
Yolo County is becoming another battleground in the California Water Wars 23dec2007.
Stop the peripheral canal again 19dec2007.
Water Policy Debacle for California 12dec2007.
Four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River may be removed 11dec2007.
Restore the San Joaquin River Update 16nov2007.
Folsom Dam Spillway Funding Authorized by US Congress 09nov2007.
Conservation alone CAN be a big help to fix the water crisis in California 31oct2007.
Beware the new dam initiative in California - its bad water policy 28oct2007.
Water deluge predicted for northern California this winter 2007-08 - La Niña 21oct2007.
More protection against flooding for Sacramento California 14oct2007.
Flood Safety Progress for Sacramento California 12oct2007.
Flood Policy Legislation Passes in the California Legislature 15sept2007.
Discourage land development in floodplains to reduce the need for more flood control dams 07sept2007.
Flood Control and Water Policy for California 06sept2007.
Folsom Dam Flood Control Upgrades - Funding Update 04sept2007.
Help open access for paddle-boating in Yosemite National Park - Write a Letter 27aug2007. Guest author: Bob Hackamack.
Foolish land developments will lead to destructive developments on California rivers 22aug2007.
Funding update for Folsom Dam and Sacramento flood control 16aug2007.
Sacramento River Flood Control Needs an Urban/Rural Strategy 12july2007.
Rep. Matsui wants farms to continue serving as flood buffer for Sacramento 09july2007.
California governor proposes curbs on development in floodplains 06june2007.
Flood control breakthroughs in California 01june2007.
Raising Shasta Dam - Another Multi-Billion Dollar Proposal 26march2007.
West Sacramento Flood Peril 25march2007.
Sacramento Flood Control - Federal Funding Approved for Levee Repairs 22march2007.
Folsom Dam Upgrade - Work Underway to Get the Necessary Funding 17march2007.
Restore Hetch Hetchy Valley 16march2007.
Auburn Dam Opponents Ranked in Google 14march2007.
Auburn Dam - annotated bibliography 27feb2007.
Auburn Dam Opponents in the Blogosphere 23feb2007.
Auburn Dam - High Costs and High Risks 18feb2007.
Auburn Dam Price Tag Soars While Expected Benefits Decrease 01feb2007.
Folsom Dam Project Needed for Sacramento Flood Control 21jan2007.
Water Development Plans for California 15jan2007.

2006 Archive - River Conservation for California and Flood Control for Sacramento CA.

More about: Water Supply Policy Sacramento CA and California River Conservation.

Labels: conservation

Negotiations continue on removal of 4 hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River - Siskiyou County California & Klamath County Oregon.

"Representatives of diverse communities in the Klamath Basin, working with federal, state, and county governments, have developed a Proposed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement to rebuild fisheries, sustain agricultural communities, and resolve other longstanding disputes related to the allocation of water resources." "The Klamath Settlement Group is presently negotiating with PacifiCorp in an effort to reach agreement on the removal of the utility’s four lower dams in the Klamath Basin, referenced as the 'Hydropower Agreement.' Dam removal is a necessary part of the overall restoration effort, and the Hydropower Agreement along with the Proposed Agreement released today has the potential to provide a comprehensive solution for the Basin." (Klamath Restoration Initiative, press release pdf)

This sounds like great progress and I'm hopeful that they can reach their goal of finalizing all of the necessary agreements by February 2008. In the past the agricultural and logging interests have had too much control over our rivers and watersheds. It is great to see a compromise agreement that hopefully will also protect the interests of fishermen, wildlife and the environment. Maybe we are entering a new era of smarter management of our water supplies.

For more information:
• Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement - klamathtribes.org 04feb2008.
• Klamath Restoration Initiative - Ed Sheets Consulting 15jan2008.
• Four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River may be removed 11dec2007.
• Klamath River Restoration Directory - environment, fishing, agriculture.
• Water Supply Policy Sacramento CA and California River Conservation - BRT Insights.

Tags: dam, water, water supply, water policy.

Labels: conservation

"Beautiful and ever in motion, rivers inspire the imagination,

with the immmense scale of a canyon-carving torrent or the miniature world of a fingerling salmon or a tiny water strider."

A series of authors tell short stories about their travels paddling on Wild and Scenic rivers across the USA in canoes, rafts and kayaks. They describe the rivers together with the people and the wildlife that inhabit the river canyons. There are discussions of the history of the rivers, as well as current and future controversies about conservation vs. development of our rivers. Richly illustrated with the beautiful pictures for which National Geographic is famous, the book tells a compelling story of what is special about our rivers and what is lost when a river is drowned under a reservoir.

More about:
* California Rivers Protected in the National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program.
* Reviews - Books, Videos, & Websites for Whitewater River Kayaking.
* River Conservation, Flood Protection and Water Policy in California.

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

Labels: book, conservation

Kayak paddling adventures on whitewater rivers in California!

C to G Run, SF American River, kayaking class II+, 02sept2007.
Boca to Floriston Run, Truckee River, kayaking class II+ (IV), Aug 19, 2007.
Gorge Run, American River SF, kayaking class III, Aug 11, 2007.
Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+, Aug 5, 2007.
Pigeon Point Run, Trinity River, kayaking class III, 29july2007.
Upper Run, McCloud River, kayaking class III, 28july2007.
Hiking for a view of the whitewater along the lower McCloud River, 27july2007.
Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+, 22july2007.
C to G Run, SF American River, kayaking class II+, 15july2007.
Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking class II+, July 7, 2007.
Kayaking on a class I+ river by moonlight, 30june2007.
C to L Run, SF American River, kayaking class II, 23june2007.
C to G Run, SF American River, kayaking 09june2007 (II)
Rumsey Run, Cache Creek, kayaking 02june2007 (II+)
C to G Run, SF American River, kayaking 12may2007 (II)
Shirttail Run, NF American River, kayaking 07may2007 (II+).
Shirttail Run, NF American River, kayaking 28april2007 (II+).
C to G Run, SF American River, kayaking 11march2007 (II).
Midwest Paddle Adventures uses GPS to document river trips.
Hiking with GPS at Cache Creek, Jan 3, 2007.

Kayaking trips: Recent trips, 2008 trips, 2007 trips, 2006 trips.

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

Labels: trip

Whitewater winter boating far out in the boondocks of northern California

DonB, DonnaF, BillV, BillJ, SueC, LeeA, MarcusH, JimH & I met at Hendy Woods St Pk at 10 AM. We shuttled up to put-in our kayaks at the Mountain View Road bridge at Rancheria Creek (Mendocino County, California, USA). The inflatable group launched just before us at put-in (raft & 2 IKs). The nearest gauge downstream on the Navarro River reported 700 cfs, but far upstream we were boating on only a fraction of that amount. The creek would still be runnable at even a little lower flow, but that would make it difficult to finish the run before dark on a short winter day.



More photos from the Rancheria Creek whitewater kayaking trip.
JimH photos from Rancheria Creek kayak adventure - big files, long downloads.

Class II++ Whitewater Kayaking Extravaganza

At the first good play spot I got a nice surf, but some torso muscles I hadn't used since my last trip in Sept screamed so loudly at me that I did little or no surfing the rest of the day. Fortunately my forward paddling engine was fine, so I was able to eddy out, take pictures of the group running a rapid, then jet up to the front to look for the next photographer's eddy.

Lots and lots and lots of nice class II rapids are spread throughout the miles and miles and miles of this run. Many were just easy riffles, but there were numerous rocky jumbles where views were a little obstructed and some river reading skills were needed to find the best safe route through the rapids. The big flood of the previous week cleared almost all of the fallen wood out of the creek, but you can't just paddle carelessly down this kind of wilderness creek. The whitewater was definitely class II+ in many places and I'm giving it an extra unofficial "+" because the run is very long, very busy and very isolated.

We had a swimming contest throughout the day. Judges are still tabulating the scores, but there will be many awards given including most swims, most scary swim, most nonchalant swim, etc. Fortunately we were all warm, upright and in our boats by the time we reached take-out.

Almost like kayaking in Oregon

The spectacular green forest and mossy green coverings on the rocks made it look a lot like some of the rivers I've run in Oregon. There were some tiny ferns and even some Spanish mosses hanging from the tree branches in places. In the sun at put-in it seemed warm, but mile after mile of narrow, deeply shaded canyon and cold splashy water made me really glad to have a drysuit. It was so dark in this steep, narrow canyon that my camera was often firing the flash. I got an unusually large number of blurry pictures because long exposures were needed in the low light, while subjects and photographer were moving too fast and bouncing around too much.

Take-out at the end of a really great day of paddling on the creek

Especially in the later part of the day we did a lot of paddling downstream to ensure that we got to takeout before dark. We passed the inflatable group late in the day when they were taking a rest stop. The canyon widened out and then we paddled under the footbridge and the Ray's Road vehicle bridge. With my paddling engine running on empty I'm sure I wasn't the only one who dreamed that we could take-out there. Once we realized that we would get to take-out just before dark we started wondering if the inflatables would be paddling out in the darkness. Fortunately they got to take-out just at dusk with not a moment to spare!!

Waiting in the dark and the cold for our shuttle drivers to return I was lucky to have borrowed a coat & hat from JimH to supplement my inadequate take-out clothes. Note to myself (Hey, its January you goofus and you're up in the mountains!!).

We stopped for some great food and even greater beer at Anderson Valley Brewing Company in beautiful downtown Boonville CA. Their stout beer was especially great, but with a long drive to get home it had to be one small one and then out of there. I got home before 11 and slept like a log. Today I'm nowhere near as sore as I expected to be, but it was great to warm up in the hottub this morning and stretch out the kinks in a few stiff, sore spots. Thanks to DonB for organizing such an outstanding whitewater river trip!!

More about:
Rancheria Creek Guide - Fish Rock Run & Mountain View Run.
Trip Reports - Kayaking Whitewater Rivers in California.
California Whitewater River Guides.

Tags: whitewater, river, kayaking, paddle boating.

Labels: trip

Whitewater River Guide & Maps - California.

Recent Flows on Rancheria Creek.

Rancheria Creek - At Mountain View Road - Dreamflows. Estimated river flows.

Navarro River near Navarro - CDEC. Real-time river flow data.
Navarro River near Navarro - USGS. Real-time river flow data.
Rancheria Creek flow is approximately 1/3 of the flow on the Navarro River. The gauge is located over 10 miles downstream from the Hendy Woods State Park take-out, so the flow on which you have been boating will not be measured at the gauge until many hours after your take-out time.

River Difficulty vs. Flow Rate.

class . . flow (cfs)
II+ . . . ????

Description - Rancheria Creek - Fish Rock Run & Mountain View Run.

This is a wintertime rainy season run in the Coast Range along the north coast of California. The scenery on this wilderness run is most excellent! From Mountain View to Ray's Road bridge there are a multitude of nice class II rapids spread throughout the run. (Mendocino 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 Philo, CA - driving time 2 hours, 49 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.

Unfortunately there is no blue line on the topographic map for Rancheria Creek when the map is zoomed in for the magnified view. Thus it is helpful to use the Satellite or Hybrid views in Acme Mapper to see the location of the creek.


Full-Screen Topographic Map - Rancheria Creek.
Markers on the topo map show locations of some landmarks listed below (A & B).
Point or DoubleClick on the markers to see their names.

More 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 38.91914 W 123.29063, Hwy 128 junction Fish Rock Rd, put-in (A).
* N 38.93990 W 123.31425, unnamed road - alternate creek access?
* N 39.00571 W 123.36376, Boonville CA
* N 39.01258 W 123.37226, Hwy 128 junction Mountain View Rd (Manchester Elk Rd).
* N 38.99397 W 123.43466, Mountain View Road creek access, upper run take-out, lower run put-in (B).
* N 39.06131 W 123.43698, Hwy 128 bridge & Indian Creek County Park (potential take-out?)
* N 39.05372 W 123.44135, Anderson Ck - Rancheria Ck confluence.
* N 39.05812 W 123.44238, Indian Ck - Rancheria Ck confluence (Navarro River).
* N 39.05858 W 123.44411, Vanzandt Resort Ray's Road bridge.
* N 39.06659 W 123.44290, Philo, CA.
* N 39.06622 W 123.44204, Ray's Road junction Hwy 128 in Philo.
* N 39.074877 W 123.466582, Hendy Woods St Pk, take-out(C).
* N 39.08592 W 123.48456, bridge nr Hendy Woods St Pk entrance on Philo Greenwood Rd, take-out.
* N 39.17101 W 123.66632, CDEC & USGS gauge on the Navarro River.

Local weather in Philo, California.

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Online River Guides & River Flow Data for Paddle Boating.

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

Printed Guidebooks - Rancheria Creek Whitewater.

• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 86-87)
• California Whitewater - A Guide to the Rivers, Third Edition 1995. (pg. 158-161)
• West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (pg. 166)
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.

Whitewater River Trip Reports.

• Rancheria Creek photos - liquidfusionkayaking 06may2010.
• Rancheria Creek photos - liquidfusionkayaking 01may2010.
• Rancheria Creek Fish Rock Run photos - liquidfusionkayaking 07feb2010.
• Rancheria Creek photos - liquidfusionkayaking 05feb2010.
• Rancheria Creek photos - liquidfusionkayaking 23jan2010.
• Rancheria Creek, Mountain View Run, kayaking classII+ 13jan2008.
• Rancheria Creek pictures from kayaking - marold 15april2006.

River Recreation Links - Rancheria Creek.

• Rancheria Creek Directory - Recreation & Conservation - Mendocino County California USA. Website resources for the Rancheria Creek and Navarro River watershed. (Display options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=whitewater, 2=rafting, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)

More about:
• Using these guides to white water river paddleboating - BRT Kayaking.
• Rivers & creeks nearby: Navarro River, Garcia River, Gualala River, North Coast Rivers Region.
• Whitewater River Guides for California.

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

Labels: guide

Basic techniques for river running, play boating and slalom racing.

Gear for kayaking and paddle stroke techniques. The first 4 chapters (Getting going, Boating basics, Propulsion and turning strokes, Recovery strokes and maneuvers.) describe the gear needed for kayaking and the basic paddling strokes needed to control the boat. Techniques for river running and play boating. The last 5 chapters (Reading whitewater, Whitewater maneuvers, Play paddling, The next step, Slalom racing.) are a mixture of river running, play boating and slalom racing techniques.

Although the kayak designs have changed dramatically in the years since this book was first published, the basic paddling strokes and river running techniques in the book are as useful as ever. This is still a great book for learning the basic skills needed to perform well, have fun and stay safe while kayaking. The new boat designs have revolutionized playboating techniques. After mastering the introductory techniques in this book the aspiring playboater will need to graduate to a more modern book to learn the new play techniques.

(**** - my rating 4 stars out of 5 - recommended!)

More about: Reviews - Books, Videos, & Websites for Whitewater River Kayaking.

Tags: whitewater, river, kayaking, paddle boating.

Labels: book

Interactive online maps are so incredibly great for pre-trip planning and post-trip documentation!!

Acme Mapper provides maps that can be displayed on other websites, blogs, etc. in an iframe or can be accessed via a hyperlink. See the instruction sheet from Acme - Using Acme Mapper and the BRT Insights - mapping instructions.

1. Setting up your map.

* At Acme Mapper choose Map, Satellite or Topo style of map
* Click on Markers button and clear out all previous markers
* Find, zoom and pan to view the desired section of map
* Mark and name the desired landmarks on the map
* Re-zoom and pan to position the map exactly as needed

2. Hyperlinking to your map.

* At Acme Mapper click on Link to this page
* Copy the URL from the address box in the web browser software
(warning URLs will be long especially if you have added markers to your map)
* This URL will recreate the map position and markers that you have set in step 1 above.
* You can hyperlink to this URL on other web pages or in blog posts, etc.

3. Posting your map on a blog or website.

* Use the following iframe code to display your map on a blog or another website
* Use the long URL generated in step 2 above.

[iframe src="http://www.acme.com/mapper/" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="535" scrolling="auto" width="682"] [/iframe]

(In the iframe code above replace the URL with the URL for your map generated in step 2 above. And replace the square brackets [ ] with angle brackets < >.)

See examples of Acme maps used on my blog:
* California Whitewater River Guides - BRT Insights.
* Hiking Trip Reports - BRT Insights.

Tags: topographic map, rivers, kayaking, whitewater, hiking, trail.

Labels: guide, map

Encyclopedia of Whitewater Rivers in the Western USA

This is a giant 590 page book of dreams about where to go on your next whitewater vacation.

"A river guide for raft, kayak, and canoe." The book is divided into 6 regions covering 11 states in the western USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming). Detailed descriptions are given for 115 rivers and brief notes for an additional 38 rivers. Each of these rivers may contain multiple river runs, so it adds up to an even larger total number of runs described. The book is densely packed with great information for river boaters, as well as a few pictures and maps.

Disclaimer.

Cassady, Cross & Calhoun wrote: "Disclaimer. This book is a guide to the West's finest rivers, not an instruction manual on how to run them. A guide book can no more teach you how to run a river than a road map can teach you how to drive. Before you run any river, you should learn whitewater skills and safety techniques from a qualified instructor.

River sports are inherently hazardous, involving potential risks that include loss of equipment, injury or death. You are responsible for your own safety, and you assume all risk for your actions. This book does not constitute a recommendation for any person to run any river, and it is no substitute for experience, skill, prudence, common sense, and first-hand observation.

We have tried to make this book as accurate as possible; however, there will inevitably be mistakes and omissions regarding the location, rating, or description of rapids or other features. Our river descriptions do not point out every rapid or hazard. Whitewater difficulty ratings for rivers and rapids are inherently imprecise and subjective. The authors have not run or seen every river in this guide; some of our information, though based on the best available sources both written and oral, is second-hand.

Rivers and rapids are constantly changing, so descriptions that were accurate when they were written may no longer be correct when you run the river. Fluctuations in water levels can dramatically alter the difficulty of any river or rapid. In addition, obstacles and hazards like rocks, falls and logs can and will shift and change from year to year. New dangers may arise or develop at any time. Be prepared. Always trust your own eyes and your own judgement first and foremost. Scout carefully before running any river or rapid, and seek additional advice and information from people who have recently boated the river you are considering.

Boaters should not rely exclusively on the information contained in in this book; they should consult local guide books, local river runners, and government agencies. For more information on river safety, refer to the Introduction in this guide.

We do not guarantee the accuracy of information on land ownership and public access. When in doubt about land ownership and legal access, inquire locally. Nothing we say should be construed as an invitation to trespass.

The authors and publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever with respect to personal injury, property damage, loss of time or money, or any other loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book."

Rating.

The book is over 10 years old now. The rivers don't change much over that time span, so the information in the book is generally still very useful. The book was written before online flow sites and online maps were popular on the Internet, so it doesn't provide any links for whitewater resources on the Internet.

The authors have selected some of the most popular rivers in each region to include in the book, but many fine rivers were not included. Only a 10 volume set of books could cover every boatable river over such a wide area. This book is useful to pick out a region and some major rivers to explore, but then travelers may want to get a specialized guide that provides more comprehensive coverage for the additional rivers in the region of their boating trip. (**** - my rating 4 stars out of 5 - recommended!)

More about: Reviews - Books, Videos, & Websites for Kayaking on Whitewater Rivers.

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

Labels: book

Interactive online maps to locate whitewater rivers, shuttle roads, put-ins & take-outs, rapids, campgrounds, trailheads, etc.

Acme Mapper provides an incredible trip planning resource, providing topographic maps, road maps and satellite maps. These are great for advance planning of trips and for trip reports after the adventure.

• The maps are interactive - click and drag on the map to adjust the location.
• Point or DoubleClick on the red markers 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 the spinning globe to minimize the green box.
• Click on Google logo for road map & local business search (gas, food, camping).

Complete instructions:

Using Acme Mapper.

Quick instructions:

* Find the map location for a set of coordinates or a named location
enter the coordinates in the Find box
click on the Find button - the map will be re-centered on the coordinates
OR
enter name of the desired location into the Find box
(use 2 letter abbreviations for States in the US
(e.g. Sacramento, CA or Lake Tahoe, CA)
click on the Find button - the map will be re-centered on the desired location

* To find the coordinates for a map location
double-click on the desired map location, the map will center on that location and the coordinates will be in the brown box next to the Mark button

* Click on the Map (= road map), Satellite, and Topo (= topographic map) buttons to switch between different styles of map.

* Only the largest rivers are visible on the road map. View rivers and creeks using the topo map.

* Click on the Google logo to switch to the Google Maps interface. This includes a local business search function (gas, food, camping, etc.) and driving directions together with the same road map and satellite map that the Acme Mapper interface provides (but no topo map). Google Maps also has a search box that will accept either place names or coordinates.

* Print your map if needed to carry with you on the journey.
Use File menu - Print preview to check the map orientation before printing
Then print it out!!

More about:
Whitewater River Guides - California.
Posting Topographic Maps from Acme Mapper on your Site.

Tags: rivers, kayaking, whitewater

Labels: guide, map

Happy New Year - whitewater river kayaking on a January day in California

After a wild storm on Friday that knocked out power many places around northern California the weather report said that two more storms would follow immediately. Unfortunately the second and third storms fizzled, so the anticipated giant flows never materialized. The big flows of Friday night had dropped back down by Sunday, but there was still a little flow remaining from the Friday storm.

On Sunday JimH, SueS and I went first to the Napa River at Yountville and decided that it was probably runnable at the 850 cfs that we saw, but too narrow and brushy to be interesting. It seems clear that the river is no more than class II whitewater, but the strainer hazards are definitely class III.

After phoning home to get some more flow info from the Internet we decided to go to Cache Creek (Yolo County, California, USA). Cache Creek was running at 650 cfs which is towards the bottom of the runnable range. Bear Creek was too low to run at 130 cfs, but with a little more water it might get into the lowest end of its runnable range. Maybe it will need at least 300 cfs to float down without too much boat abuse, scraping and/or hiking.


SueS running the right side at County Line Rapid - Cache Creek Rumsey Run.

More photos from the trip at Picasa Web Albums.

Once we got to Cache Creek I realized I had some gear issues, so I put on the rabbit ears for the rest of the day. While Jim & Sue ran the river I drove upstream along Bear Creek (Colusa County, California, USA). I road scouted the 4 miles of Bear Creek north of Hwy 20. It is a beautiful V-shaped canyon with a pretty clean wide-open river channel and very little brush along the river. With no snowpack or reservoirs upstream this creek flows only during & after the winter and spring rainstorms, but these apparently are frequent enough to keep the brush flushed out of the canyon. Hopefully we can catch a runnable flow and boat it one of these days. It looked like it would be a great class II run when it has some more flow. From the steel girder bridge put-in at the Wilbur Springs Road there are 5 miles of Bear Creek down to take-out at Cowboy Camp. Then there is a new river access point just downstream from the second bridge on Bear Creek, so boaters who don't want to run the 3 big Ursa rapids can put-in below them and run the last section of Bear Creek down to its confluence with Cache Creek. Then I drove back downstream and took some pictures at Mother Rapid on Cache Creek. Just as I was driving away I saw Jim & Sue coming down river, so I raced back in time to get some photos of them from high up on the Hwy 16 bridge as they ran the rapid.

Hopefully Jim & Sue will make some comments on the boating part of the day.

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

Tags: rivers, kayaking, whitewater.

Labels: trip

Whitewater River Guide & Maps - California.

Recent Flows on Eel River.

* Eel River At Outlet Creek - chart of real-time estimated flow - Dreamflows.

River Difficulty vs. Flow Rate.

class . . flow (cfs)
III . . . ????

Description - Eel River - Outlet Ck to Dos Rios Run.

This is a wintertime rainy season run. A wide river in a wide canyon. Moderate scenery. Close access to the road makes this a good training run and enables various alternate put-ins and take-outs. When the Eel River flow is high the run can be extended by putting in on Outlet Creek at Hwy 101. The "remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other similar values" of the Eel River are protected within the USA National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program. (Mendocino 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 Dos Rios, CA - driving time 3 hours 24 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 coordinates.
• 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.


Full-Screen Topographic Map - Eel River - Outlet Creek to Dos Rios Run.
Markers on the topo map show locations of some landmarks listed below (A & B).
Point or DoubleClick on the markers to see their coordinates.

More 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 39.55257 W 123.42513, Outlet Creek at Hwy 101 - alternate put-in.
* N 39.62711 W 123.34471, Outlet Ck - Eel River confluence, put-in (A).
* N 39.71473 W 123.35196, take-out (B).
* N 39.71541 W 123.35282, Dos Rios.

Local weather in Dos Rios, California.

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Online River Guides & River Flow Data for Paddle Boating.

• Eel River Kayaking & Rafting Directory.
(Display options - alphabetical 100. See section 1.)

Printed Guidebooks - Eel River Whitewater.

• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (pg. 96-111)
• West Coast River Touring - Rogue River Canyon and South, 1974. (pg. 141)
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.

Whitewater River Trip Reports NEEDED !!

• I'm happy to post or link to well-written, whitewater boating trip reports from guest authors, especially if boating pictures are included. Please contact me to submit your trip report.
• Eel River + Rain = FUN!!! - Liquid Fusion Kayaking 11may2010
• Eel River Kayaking - Chris The Photog 08may2010.


• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 13may2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 05may2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 03may2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 28feb2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 02feb2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 31jan2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 29jan2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 15jan2010.

• Eel
River Outlet Creek to Dos Rios photos - liquidfusionkayaking 14jan2010.

River Recreation Links - Eel River.

• Eel River Directory - Recreation & Conservation. Website resources for the Eel River watershed. (Display options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=whitewater, 2=rafting, 3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)

More about:
• Using these guides to white water river paddleboating - BRT Kayaking.
• Nearby rivers & creeks: Mad River, (Eel River, Black Butte River, Outlet Creek, Ten Mile Creek, Van Duzen River), Bear River (Humboldt County), North Coast Rivers Region.
• Whitewater River Guides for California.

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

Labels: guide