BRT Insights - WW Kayaking & Hiking

Flatwater Guide for Kayaking, IKing, Canoeing, Innertubing & Rafting - California, Nevada & Arizona

Coconino County AZ, Clark County NV, Mohave County AZ. San Bernardino County CA, Riverside County CA, Imperial County CA, La Paz County AZ, Yuma County AZ, USA.

A. Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry (Class I, 15 miles.) (Coconino County, Arizona)
• Flow data: USGS Colorado River at Lees Ferry AZ.
• Outstanding big canyon scenery with no permit requirements.
• Paddling along a peaceful stretch of Colorado River in Glen Canyon - Seattle Times 22may2010.
• Kayak Powell - outfitter and kayak rentals. Glen Canyon river map.
N 36.93490 W 111.48437 - Glen Canyon Dam
N 36.86575 W 111.58573 - Lee's Ferry

B. Grand Canyon NP - Lee's Ferry to Lake Mead (Class III-IV, ~300 miles)
• Permit required - long waiting list for private boater permit or take commercial trip.
N 36.86575 W 111.58573 - Lee's Ferry
N 36.86575 W 111.58573 - Diamond Creek

C. Black Canyon Run, Lower Colorado River, Nevada & Arizona (Class I/II, 11 miles.)
• Deep canyon, hot springs, hiking in side canyons.
• Permit required - waiting list is usually not too long.
• Online boating guides & guidebooks - see below.
• Flow data: USGS Colorado River below Hoover Dam.
• Coordinates of landmarks (see map below):
N 36.01528 W 114.73779, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead Reservoir (A)
N 36.00825 W 114.74323, Black Canyon, Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
N 35.86944 W 114.66225, Willow Beach Marina.

D. Davis Dam to Parker Dam Run, Lower Colorado River, California & Arizona (Class I, 88 miles.)
"Attractions include a variety of birds and animals, Indian petroglyphs, historical sites, parks and marinas, marshes, mountain peaks and canyons."
• Online boating guides & guidebooks - see below.
• Flow data: USGS Colorado River below Davis Dam.
• Coordinates of landmarks (see map below):
N 35.19587 W 114.57060, Davis Dam, Lake Mohave Reservoir (B)
N 35.11092 W 114.63959, Big Bend Of The Colorado State Recreation Area.
N 34.84762 W 114.61487, Needles, CA.
N 34.65778 W 114.45823, Topock Gorge, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge.
N 34.29555 W 114.13945 Parker Dam, Lake Havasu State Park.
N 34.23565 W 114.17816, Parker Strip.

E. Blythe to Yuma Run, Lower Colorado River, California & Arizona (Class I, 100 miles.)
"Lands along the shoreline are owned and managed by various entities, public and private."
• Online boating guides & guidebooks - see below.
• Flow data: USGS Colorado River below Palo Verde Dam.
• Flow data: USGS Colorado River below Imperial Dam.
• Flow data: USGS Colorado River below Laguna Dam.
• Coordinates of landmarks (see map below):
N 33.73351 W 114.51037, Palo Verde Dam.
N 33.60533 W 114.53187, Blythe, CA (C)
N 33.31762 W 114.71375, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.
N 33.11110 W 114.70104, Imperial National Wildlife Refuge.
N 33.03817 W 114.67220, Picacho State Recreation Area.
N 32.88305 W 114.46583, Imperial Dam.
N 32.82767 W 114.49977, Laguna Dam.

F. Yuma to the Gulf of California, Sea of Cortez (Class 0, bring hiking boots.)
• The Colorado River last reached the Sea of Cortez in 1998. (AspenTimes 24oct2010.)

Lower Colorado River road map & topographic map for paddleboaters.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Click on Map button for road map, Topo button for topographic map.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks in the Colorado River valley.
• Names of landmarks below (A, B, etc.) - DoubleClick or point on the red markers.

Online Boating Guides & Guidebooks - Lower Colorado River.

• Online river guides: Paddle Boating on the Lower Colorado River. Display options: alphabetical 100. See boating guides & river flows in Section 1.
• Guidebook: Paddler's Atlas of U.S. Rivers West, 1993. (pg. 32)

Directions, Distance, Driving Time & Road Conditions.

• Mapquest provides directions, distance & time from your house to the river.
    * From Davis, CA to Las Vegas, NV - driving time 8 hours 58 minutes - 585.81 miles.
• California Road Conditions (Delays or closures due to weather, construction, etc.)
    * California Travel Information - highwayconditions.com.
    * Road Conditions - California Dept Transportation.

Local weather in Needles, California.

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Colorado River paddleboating trip reports NEEDED!!

All boaters please send your trip reports from whitewater paddleboating trips on Colorado River. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here. Guest author articles may be posted here.

A. Glen Canyon trip reports.
• Paddling along a peaceful stretch of Colorado River in Glen Canyon - Seattle Times 22may2010.

C. Black Canyon trip reports.
• Kayaking the Colorado River Black Canyon - Niebrugge Images 08nov2010.
• Kayaking the Colorado River Black Canyon - Fat Adventures 30oct2010.
• Black Canyon by Kayak video - JeffreyFortuna 26oct2010.
• Black Canyon Colorado River kayaking - NikkiV Beauty and the Blog 27sept2010.
• Ring of Repugnance - Black Canyon 2010 sandmarks. Photos - sandmarks.
• Canoeing the Colorado River below Hoover Dam - InnovaKayak 28june2010.
• Kayaking in Black Canyon - Norcal Yak 08june2010.
• Colorado River Kayak - Steve Sieren 30may2010.
• Video: 3 day kayak trip down the Colorado River - thiago1029 - 12may2010.
• Black Canyon Colorado River Paddle - Out There 01may2010.
• Black Canyon River Trip video - thiago1029 01may2010.
• Black Canyon Colorado River kayaking - Where the Streets Have No Name: 29april2010.
• Black Canyon - California Kayak Friends 27april2010
• Black Canyon Hobie Adventure Island Torqeedo video - TheLbaker007 13april2010.
• Black Canyon Colorado River pictures - Riverstrider 08april2010
• Black Canyon Colorado River - Kayaking / Canoeing - prathmann 09mar2010.
• Black Canyon Colorado River Canoe Trip: Hoover Dam To Willow Beach - squidoo feb2010.
• Trip Reports Archive 2009 and older - Lower Colorado River paddle boating.

D. Topock Gorge - Davis Dam to Parker Dam Run trip reports.
• Colorado River kayaking Topock Gorge to Castle Rock - America by RV 14nov2010.
• Colorado River Topock Gorge - cPaula 27nov2009.
• Lower Colorado River Kayak & Camp - Picacho SRA - soazpaddlers 18oct2009.
• Kayak Topock Gorge on the Colorado River - azcentral.com 03sept2009.
• Lower Colorado River - Davis Dam to Parker Dam - soazpaddlers feb2006.
• Lazing along the lower Colorado River near Needles CA - Sunset march2001.

E. Blythe to Yuma Run trip reports.
• Lower Colorado River tubing, canoeing and kayaking - YumaSun 16june2009.
• Lower Colorado - Picacho SRA - soazpaddlers 27nov2008.
• Lower Colorado River- Clip to Fisher's Landing - bernie-n6fn April 2004.
• Lower Colorado River - Picacho State Recreation Area, CA - soazpaddlers.

Miscellaneous trip reports.
• Lower Colorado River Tour video - Arizona Game and Fish Department.
• Lower Colorado River Kayak pictures from kayaking photos - hkellogg4 14nov2006.
• Colorado River Experience 2005 pictures from deserts photos - hkellogg4 22feb2005.

Outdoor Activities & Environmental Protection in Lower Colorado River Canyon.

• Lower Colorado River Watershed Directory - Conservation & Recreation. Websites for Lower Colorado River valley. (Display options: alphabetical 100. Section 1=kayaking, 2=outfitters, 3=environment-conservation, 4=fishing, 5=hiking-camping, 6=local-websites)

More About California Nevada River Paddleboating:
• Nearby streams: Owens River, Reversed Creek, Rush Creek, Mammoth Creek, Hot Creek.
• Back to: Great Basin Rivers in California & Nevada - Regional Paddleboating Guide.
• California Nevada Statewide Guides for Whitewater River Paddleboating.
• How to use whitewater river paddleboating guides - BRT Kayaking.

IceRocket Tags: socal, Southern California, river map, kayaking, river tubing, float tube.
Tags: Colorado River, California, Nevada, Arizona, kayaking, paddlesports, river, rafting, canoeing, paddle boating.

Labels: guide

Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing & River-tubing Guide - South-West Side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The San Joaquin River watershed drains the south-west slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains into the California Delta and San Francisco Bay.

San Joaquin Region Rivers and Creeks listed north to south:

• Calaveras River (A) N 38.09161 W 120.87210
• Stanislaus River (B) N 38.27026 W 120.27085
• Tuolumne River (C) N 37.87816 W 120.29467
• Merced River (D) N 37.60464 W 119.96942
• Chowchilla River (E) N 37.26026 W 119.94633
• Fresno River, Coarsegold Creek (F) N 37.34846 W 119.75153
• San Joaquin River (G) N 37.07179 W 119.56101
• Kings River, Big Creek, Helms Creek, Sycamore Creek (H) N 36.87924 W 119.14746
• Kaweah River, St. Johns River (I) N 36.43827 W 118.90623
• Tule River (J) N 36.13011 W 118.81577
• Kern River (K) N 35.75160 W 118.42163

San Joaquin River Regional Map for Paddleboaters.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks for San Joaquin watershed rivers & creeks.
• To see the names of landmarks displayed below (A, B, etc.) point on the red markers.

San Joaquin River Region Guidebooks for Paddle Boating.

• Paddling Northern California by Charlie Pike, 2001. (Tuolumne River.)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Stanislaus
River, Tuolumne River, Merced River, San Joaquin River.)
• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (Stanislaus River, Tuolumne River, Merced River, San Joaquin River, Kings River, Kaweah River, Tule River, Kern River.)
• California Whitewater - A Guide to the Rivers, 3rd Edition 1995. (Stanislaus River, Tuolumne River, Merced River, San Joaquin River, Kings River, Kaweah River, Kern River.)
• Western Whitewater From the Rockies to the Pacific, 1994. (Tuolumne River, Merced River, Kings River, Kern River.)
• Paddler's Atlas of U.S. Rivers West, 1993. (Tuolumne River, Kern River.)
• Sierra Whitewater - A Paddler's Guide to the Rivers of California's Sierra Nevada, 1974. (Stanislaus River, Tuolumne River, Merced River, Kings River, Kaweah River, Kern River.)
• Down the Wild Rivers- A Guide to the Streams of California, 1972. (Stanislaus River, Tuolumne River.)

Online Guides for San Joaquin River Region Paddleboating:

• California Rivers Rafting, River-tubing, Canoeing & Kayaking Directory. (Click on "All Tags" then click on a river. Display options - alphabetical 100. See online paddleboating guides & river flow sites in Section 1.)

San Joaquin River Region& paddleboating reports NEEDED!!

• Please send your trip reports from boating trips on San Joaquin Region creeks & rivers. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.

Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in San Joaquin River Watershed.

• California River Directory - Watershed Conservation & Recreation. Websites for California river canyons. (Click on "All Tags" then click on the desired river. Display options - alphabetical 100. Section 1=kayaking, 2=rafting, 3=environment-conservation, 4=fishing, 5=hiking-camping, 6=local-websites)

More Information on California Rivers & Creeks:
• Whitewater River Boating Guides & Maps for Kayaking, River-tubing, Canoeing & Rafting in California. See the river guides for all the other regions in California and Nevada.
• Instructions for river guides - whitewater rafting and kayaking - BRT Insights.
• Securing our legal rights to whitewater paddleboating in California and Nevada.
• Some San Joaquin Region rivers & creeks have been protected in the USA National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program and/or the California State Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, river tubing, float tube, river map.
Tags: Calaveras River, Stanislaus River, Tuolumne River, Merced River, San Joaquin River, Kings River, Kaweah River, Tule River, Kern River, California, river, rafting, canoeing, paddle boating, paddlesports, kayaking, wild and scenic.

Labels: guide

California whitewater paddleboating - spring-like flows in June - how great is that!

KimF, BruceH, TedD & I decided to kayak all the way to take-out at the top of Lake Clementine on the NF American River Shirttail Run (guide & map) (Placer County, California, USA). After some confusion about which fork of the river we were running we finally got our shuttle cars together. Thank goodness for cell phones! The road to take-out at Upper Lake Clementine on river-left is shorter and in much better condition than the Ponderosa Way Road on river-right. Then we drove back to Auburn, CA and ran a normal shuttle on river-right via Yankee Jim's Road to put-in. Another group ran their shuttle entirely on river-left. They said that side of Yankee Jim's Road is in terrible condition, so they didn't recommend doing the shuttle that way even if it is shorter.

Once we got on the river we immediately had some carnage and some rescue practice. Fortunately we all got it together in time for Rapid 3 1/2, although the one who unexpectedly found the sneak route to the extreme right of the boat-eating hole on river-right gave the rest of us a big scare.

Click on the photo to see a larger version; use the back button to return.

• photo 11-12 - On the beach at put-in; panorama of 2 photos.

• photo 18 - TedD white knuckles and white water!

Kim did some great surfing at Surf City. This time I was able to witness a bit of it, but couldn't get stabilized in an eddy sufficiently to get any photographic proof. We had lunch and reapplied sunscreen just a little ways downstream from Surf City. The narrow section of river had some good waves, but there were routes to hit the waves or miss them wherever needed. We all missed the next big hole, but again I couldn't get stabilized in time to get any pictures of our group boating past it.

It was a real treat to kayak past the Ponderosa Way bridge where I had always taken out when running this section of river in the past. This lower section of river does not have a lot of whitewater, but there is one more boat-eating hole. Salsa Rojo is a scarey ledge hole that is almost river-wide. Some of us ran a narrow channel on river-right that bypasses the hole. Those who run the main channel need to be very vigilant to sneak past the hole on river-right. Bushes that have grown up along the river channel in the past 3 drought years obscure the view of the hole until you are very close to it (almost in it!!). This lower section of river is also quite pristine and beautiful because there are no roads or structures built in the canyon.

We reached take-out at ~3:30 PM and our flow of 1640 cfs reached the gauge just downstream shortly thereafter.

• photo 37 - BruceH sunny side up!

• photo 54 - KimH surfer supreme!

• See more photos: NF American River Shirttail Run photo gallery.
• Camera: Olympus 720SW water-resistant camera.
• Photos edited with IrfanView software & PanoStitcher software.

On the way home our shuttle vehicles scattered again. Those who missed the rendezvous missed some really great beef & veggie burgers at Ikeda's in Auburn, CA.

More about:
• American River NF Shirttail Run, kayaking class II+, trip report 15may2010.
• Whitewater Kayaking Trip Reports in California - BRT Insights.
• California Whitewater Rivers - Comprehensive Guide for Paddleboating Class II to IV.

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

Labels: trip

Rafting, Kayaking, Rowing, Canoeing & Innertubing Guide - East Side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Lahontan Region rivers (Susan River, Truckee River, Carson River, Walker River, & Owens River) drain from the east slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains into the Great Basin. The Colorado River watershed runs along the east side of the Great Basin and drains into the Salton Sea.

Lahontan Region Rivers & Creeks, listed north to south:

• Susan River. (A)
• Truckee River, Donner Creek & Little Truckee River. (B)
• Carson River Wild & Scenic, Silver Ck, Hot Springs Ck, Markleeville Ck, Pleasant Valley Ck. (C)
• Walker River Wild & Scenic. (D)
• Owens River Wild & Scenic, Reversed Creek, Rush Creek, Mammoth Creek, Hot Creek. (E)
• Colorado River Lower - Black Canyon, Davis to Parker, & Blythe to Imperial. (F)

Great Basin CA NV river map for paddleboaters.

• Instructions for online interactive topographic river maps & road maps.
• Full-Screen River Map - landmarks for Great Basin CA NV rivers & creeks.
• To see the names of landmarks displayed above (A, B, etc.) - DoubleClick or point on the red markers.

Great Basin CA NV Guidebooks for Paddle Boating.

• Paddling Northern California by Charlie Pike, 2001. (Truckee R, Carson R.)
• Ann Dwyer's Easy Waters of California North, 2000. (Truckee R, Carson R, Walker R, Owens R.)
• Best Whitewater in California, Third Edition 1998. (Truckee R, Carson R, Walker R.)
• California Whitewater - A Guide to the Rivers, 3rd Edition 1995. (Truckee R, Carson R.)
• Paddler's Atlas of U.S. Rivers West, 1993. (Owens R, Lower Colorado R)
• Sierra Whitewater - A Paddler's Guide to the Rivers of California's Sierra Nevada, 1974. (Walker R.)

Online guides for Lahontan Region CA NV paddleboating:

• California Rivers Rafting, Rowing, Canoeing & Kayaking Directory. (Click on a river. Sort alphabetically. 1=whitewater, 2=rafting-rowing,
3=conservation, 4=fishing, 5=camping-hiking, 6=local-info)

Great Basin CA NV paddleboating reports NEEDED !!

• Please send your trip reports from boating trips on Great Basin creeks & rivers. Stories, pictures & videos from boating trips will be linked here.

Environmental Protection & Outdoor Activities in Great Basin CA NV River Canyons.

• California River Directory - Watershed Conservation & Recreation. Websites for California river canyons. (Click on the desired river; sort alphabetically. 1=kayaking, 2=rafting-rowing, 3=environment-conservation, 4=fishing, 5=hiking-camping, 6=local-websites)

More Information on California Rivers & Creeks:
• How to use whitewater river paddleboating guides - BRT Insights.
• Securing our legal rights to whitewater paddleboating in California and Nevada.
• Statewide Guides & Maps for California Whitewater Kayaking, Rowing, Innertubing, Canoeing & Rafting.
• Some Great Basin rivers & creeks have been protected in the USA National Wild & Scenic Rivers Program and/or the California State Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.

IceRocket Tags: kayaking, rowing, river tubing, float tube, topographic map, river map.
Tags: Susan River, Truckee River, Carson River, Walker River, Owens River, Colorado River, California, Nevada, river, rafting, canoeing, paddle boating, paddlesports, wild and scenic.

Labels: guide

Identifying the public right-of-ways and public easements that enable paddleboaters to legally access our navigable rivers and creeks.

I advocate respecting the private property rights of local land owners while taking full advantage of the public's rights to access navigable rivers and creeks wherever that is legally permitted. Thoroughly researching your paddleboaters' legal rights in advance is critical to the success of many whitewater river paddleboating trips.

a) California's Public Right to Float describes the legal rights of the boating public to float on navigable streams which are all owned by the public.

b) River access is best done from public lands or from the property of tourism-related businesses. Where these are not available whitewater boaters often use state or county road bridges as river access points. There are typically public right-of-ways around these bridges to allow maintenance and safety inspections. These provide legal paths that paddleboaters can use to access the rivers. Contact the state or county government to determine exactly where the private property ends and the public right-of-way begins. Thoroughly knowing your boater's legal rights in advance is critical whenever you are confronted by local landowners or county sheriff officers.

c) Regardless of what is legal, some local landowners are determined to prevent all public access to rivers via public bridges adjacent to their property. Contact the local boating club, local boating equipment store, online boater discussion forums and read my whitewater river guides for information about river access locations where boaters and local landowners have had disagreements.

d) I will update my whitewater river guides whenever I learn about any locations where boaters have encountered river access problems, or alternative access points where there were no problems or fewer problems. Many of the river access locations in my whitewater river guides are estimated from old published sources or guessed from map inspection. Use your best judgment and all sources of information about where to secure safe and legal access to the rivers. Please contact me to send in your whitewater paddleboating trip reports. Help inform the boating community about your good or bad experiences at various river access points and help make these whitewater river guides more useful.

California Whitewater River Paddleboating Guides.

• California Whitewater Boating Rivers & Creeks Guide - Geographic List.
• California Whitewater Boating Rivers & Creeks Guide - Alphabetical List.

Labels: guide