Gear Review: The Latest and Greatest Whitewater Guidebooks
I love my library of whitewater guidebooks with classics like Charles Martin's Sierra Whitewater, Dick Scwhind's West Coast River Touring, Grant Amaral's Idaho the Whitewater State, and John Garren's Oregon River Tours. Another favorite is The Best Whitewater in California by Lars Holbek and Chuck Stanely that lived in my truck for 10 years.
Paper guidebooks were bibles for rafters and kayakers in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Google Earth, YouTube, and blogs changed everything with an abundance of quickly accessible tools, maps, videos and descriptions. Well the guidebook is back! A handful of cutting edge whitewater paddlers have recently put countless hours into producing some of the best guidebooks ever made.
Modern Whitewater Guidebooks
The New School Guide to Northern California Whitewater
Dan Menten has been paddling around the rivers of California's North Coast since 2000. While most California guidebooks have focused on the whitewater of the Sierra Nevada, Dan has dedicated his efforts to documenting the Smith, Klamath, Scott, Trinity, Salmon, Mad, Van Duzen, Eel, and a couple Southern Oregon watersheds. This book is a fun read with some great stories, maps, and tons of beautiful photos.
Please support Dan's hard work by buying from him directly at New School Publications.
Paddling Pacific Northwest Whitewater
This is the most comprehensive and beautiful guide Oregon and Washington whitewater ever published. Nick Hinds, Ryan Scott, Jacob Cruser, and Scott Waidelich have been exploring rivers and creeks of the Northwest for the past 10 years and have put together this beautiful Falcon Guide. You could leave this in your truck to plan your next whitewater trip or put it on your coffee table for ongoing inspiration. If you paddle in the Northwest you need this book.
Field Guide to Oregon Rivers
Tim Palmer has spent his life exploring, photographing, and writing about the rivers of the United States. This guidebook received a National Outdoor Book Award and details 120 rivers of Oregon. If you're a hard core whitewater paddler this may not be the book for you. If your a hiker, canoeist, kayaker, rafter, or simply want to learn more about all the rivers in Oregon then this is definitely the book for you. Instead of focusing on rivers that have the best whitewater he focuses on all aspects of Oregon's rivers with natural history, hiking trails, conservation information, maps, and stunning photos.
