BRT Insights - WW Kayaking & Hiking

Comprehensive guide for class II, III & IV whitewater rivers and creeks in California for rafting, kayaking, river tubing and canoeing.

Maps, trip reports, etc. produced by me are included together with comprehensive links to all significant California class II, III & IV whitewater paddle boating resources produced by others, both online and in print. Guides for boating on some creeks are on pages of their own, while many other creeks are listed on the pages for the major rivers into which they run. California River Guides listed alphabetically.

Jump to: North Coast, Klamath Basin, Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Great Basin, SF Bay Area & South Coast, Kayak Surfing, Wild & Scenic.

North Coast.
• North Coast river overview.
• Listed from north to south: Smith River, Klamath River - see below, Redwood Creek, Mad River, (Eel River, Black Butte River, Outlet Creek, Ten Mile Creek, Van Duzen River), Bear River, Mattole River, Noyo River, Big River, Albion River, (Navarro River, Rancheria Creek), Garcia River, Gualala River, (Russian River, Mark West Creek, Austin Creek). Ocean Surf Kayaking on the California Coast.

Klamath Basin.
• Klamath River Regional Overview.
• Listed from west to east: (Klamath River, Indian Creek, Elk Creek, Clear Creek [Siskiyou County]), (Trinity River, Coffee Creek, Indian Creek, Canyon Creek, New River, Hayfork Creek), Cal Salmon River, Scott River, Shasta River.

Sacramento Valley Basin.
• Sacramento River Tributaries Overview.
• West side of Sacramento Valley listed from north to south: Clear Creek (Shasta County), Cottonwood Creek, Elder Creek, Thomes Creek, Stony Creek, Grindstone Creek, Cache Creek, Bear Creek (Colusa County), Putah Creek.

• North side of Sacramento Valley Listed from west to east: Sacramento River, McCloud River, Pit River.

• East side of Sacramento Valley [= west side of Sierra] listed from north to south: Bear Creek (Shasta County), Battle Creek, Antelope Creek, Mill Creek, Deer Creek, Butte Creek, (Feather River, Indian Creek, Spanish Creek), (Yuba River, Lavezzola Creek, Pauley Creek), Bear River, American River, Cosumnes River, Mokelumne River.

San Joaquin Valley Basin.
• San Joaquin Regional Overview.
• San Joaquin River tributaries: Calaveras River, Stanislaus River, Tuolumne River, Merced River, Chowchilla River, (Fresno River, Coarsegold Creek), San Joaquin River, (Kings River, Big Creek, Helms Creek, Sycamore Creek), Kaweah River, Tule River, Kern River.

Great Basin (partly in Nevada). [= east side of Sierra]
• Great Basin Overview.
• Listed from north to south: Susan River, (Truckee River, Donner Creek & Little Truckee River), Carson River, Walker River, (Owens River, Reversed Creek, Rush Creek, Mammoth Creek, Hot Creek), Colorado River.

SF Bay Area & South Coast California.
• Central & South Coast Rivers Overview
• Listed from north to south: (SF Bay Area, Petaluma River, Napa River, Alameda Creek, Coyote Creek, Guadalupe River), Pescadero Creek, San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, Pajaro River, (Salinas River, Nacimiento River, San Antonio River, Arroyo Seco), Carmel River, Little Sur River, Big Sur River, (Sisquoc River, Manzana Creek, Cuyama River, Santa Maria River), Santa Ynez River, (Santa Clara River, Elizabeth Lake Canyon Creek, Piru Creek, Sespe Creek), Los Angeles River, San Gabriel River, San Antonio Creek, Santa Margarita River.

Surf Kayaking in Rivers and Ocean - California & Nevada.
• Kayak Surfing and Playboating in Rivers and Ocean - CA-NV Overview.

Wild and Scenic Rivers.

• Wild and Scenic Rivers in CA - Additions.
• CA's Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.
• CA Rivers in USA Wild and Scenic Program.

California River Directory - recreation and conservation in the river canyons.

Each river watershed listed above has a section in the California River Directory. No matter which recreation brings you there, maybe you want to know where to camp or what other kinds of recreation are available in the vicnity. Recreation and conservation go together because those who enjoy recreation there are probably also interested to preserve our rivers and their watersheds.
(California River Directory - Recreation & Conservation. Click on a river watershed. Set display options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=kayaking-canoeing, 2=rafting-oarboating, 3=environment-conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=other-resources)

Postscripts.

• These guides focus on enjoying and appreciating the class II, III & IV whitewater river runs that are most often paddled by the majority of whitewater boaters. Many other whitewater guides were written by class V boaters and for class V boaters, so I have decided to make something with a very different emphasis. Some class I or class V runs will occasionally be included in my paddlesports guide, but mostly just to document that there are not class II, III or IV runs in those areas.

• 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.

• These guides feature the California rivers protected in the USA National Wild & Scenic River Program and the California Wild & Scenic River Program.

• Many creeks are listed in the guide, either on the page for the river into which they drain, or on pages of their own. Guides for a few remaining whitewater creeks and minor rivers will be added as my time permits.

• Please let me know about your trip reports from paddleboating on California rivers and I will post or link to them. Please let me know about any additional websites that should be listed in the California River Directory or the California Whitewater Guides.

More about:
• Disclaimer - How to use this whitewater river paddleboating guide.
• Securing paddleboater's legal rights to whitewater boating in California and Nevada.
• California River Maps - Atlas & Gazetteer by Delorme, 2008.
• Rafting, Canoeing, and Kayaking Guides for California Whitewater Rivers - BRT Insights. The geographic list of whitewater runs above has been reorganized. The runs are listed alphabetically and listed by whitewater class ratings.
• California Rivers Report, Seven Major Hydrologic Basins: The Trust for Public Land.
• California County Maps - mapsofworld.

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

Labels: guide, subtopic