C-Forum

Is fall an ok time to paddle around here (california)? THis may seem like a dumb question but really umm i know when i was up north it was all spring runoff from the snow but around here....anyways do you all paddle in the fall at all?
I've been up north for a while and I think i still got some snow stuckmy ears but all I've been hearin is that the American river is the only place to go? Is the Kern any good? How bout Truckee? I know a lot of the members on this site are from out east so any help is cool? Oh and my main question is : I see tons of raftin sites and ads but caN we go in the same places as them for good river runs and rodeo fun??????

Man this sites the coolest. Everyone always helps out so much!!!Thanx

Hey, Bryce;
Check out
boatertalk.com
and post a question there, there should be tons of kayakers in northern California that should know some little creeks and stuff. And ask about the Sacramento River; there's supposed to be a good playboat spot right near downtown. It's been years since I've done the Truckee, but I recall that there was one fairly challenging, fairly consistent run just outside of Reno. Make sure that you go with someone who knows what they're doing; as I recall, there's a takeout right before a dam overflow!
Some of my friends are trying to talk me into paddling this weekend. We might be doing a short section on the lower Kern on Sunday; it’s the same one that Kalin did when he came out here, so he can tell you about it. It's about a six hour drive from San Francisco, and it would only be for a day with a group of old-timers on a not too challenging class 2+ run, but if you're dying to paddle, you're more than welcome to come along. I can probably bring a few extra boats for you to try on at the put-in if you want.
I sent you my e-mail through this site, so get in touch with me there.

Any whitewater run listed on raft/kayak pages is do-able if you approach it with the proper respect.
Hope that this helps, and don't give up hopes of getting more consistent paddling in northern California. It's not the East Coast by any means, but you can still get some decent stroking going on;
Ric Taylor

I don't know whether it's still available, but look for Guide to the Best Whitewater in the State of California by Lars Holbek and Chuck Stanley. It lists about 200 runs on 40 rivers. Of course California has the same problem as New England - seasonal flows - but many rivers run all the way into August.