Between the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada, California has the best, most accessible whitewater in the world. Snowmelt as well as dam-release provides plenty of year-round whitewater throughout the state. Sierras' snowmelt gives way to springtime/early summer runs such as the Merced, Kings, N. Fork American, and Kaweah. In the summer, dam-released flows on classic rivers such as the South Fork of the Fork American, Kern, and Tuolumne attract thousands of rafters and kayakers every year. And the flows from the Coast Range rivers such as the Smith, Eel, or Russian are dependent on winter rains.
Coast Range
- North Fork of the Smith River | Class IV | 13.9 Miles | 44 fpm
- North Fork of the Smith River | Headwaters | Class IV+ | 10.3 Miles + 0.5 Mile Hike | 83.5 fpm
- Diamond Creek Class IV+ | 15.3 Miles | 105 fpm
- Hardscrabble Creek Class IV | 4.9 Miles | 188 fpm
- Middle Fork of the Smith River | Oregon Hole Gorge | Class IV+/V | 2.27 Miles | 49 fpm
- Middle Fork of the Smith River | Below Patrick Creek | Class III (one IV) | 3.2 Miles | 48 fpm
- South Fork of the Smith River | Classic and Gorge | Class III-V | 11.4 Miles | 30 fpm
- South Fork of the Smith River | Upper | Class IV (one V) | 6.5 Miles | 62 fpm
- Goose Creek | Class IV+ to V | 5.6 Miles | 86 fpm
- Lower Klamath River | Class III | 100+ Miles | 13 fpm
- Scott River | Class V | 13.5 Miles | 59 fpm
- Cal Salmon | Class V | 10.2 Miles| 47 fpm
- Trinity River | Pigeon Point | Class III
- Redwood Creek | Lacks Creek to Orick | 26 Miles | 30 fpm
Sierra Nevada (Sacramento River Drainage)
- North Fork of the Feather
- Middle Fork of the Feather | Devil's Canyon | Class V | 33 Miles | 69 fpm
- Middle Fork of the Feather | Bald Rock Canyon | Class V+ | 6.5 Miles | 108 fpm
- North Fork of the Yuba
- South Fork of the Yuba
- North Fork of the American River | Chamberlain | Class IV+ | 9 Miles | 34 fpm
- North Fork of the American River | Giant Gap | Class V | 14.5 Miles | 54 fpm
- Middle Fork of the American River | Class IV | 16 Miles | 23 fpm
- Rubicon River | Class V | 20.3 Miles | 108 fpm
- South Fork of the American River | Class III+ | 20 Miles | 23 fpm
Sierra Nevada (San Joaquin River Drainage)
- Stanislaus River | Camp 9 | Class III | 9.5 Miles | 30 fpm
- North Fork of the Stanislaus River | Class IV+ | 5 Miles | 70 fpm
- Tuolumne River | Class IV+ | 18 Miles | 35 fpm
- Cherry Creek | Class V | 8.6 Miles | 105 fpm
- South Fork of the Tuolumne River | Class V | 6 Miles | 137 fpm
- North Fork of the Tuolumne River | Class V | 12 Miles | 182 fpm
- Merced River | Class IV | 28 Miles | 34 fpm
- Kaweah River | Class IV+ | 10 Miles | 56 pfm
- Kings River
Southern California
- Upper Kern
- Lower Kern | Class IV | 11.7 Miles | 37 fpm
- Forks of the Kern | Class V | 17 Miles | 60 fpm
California has over 1,400 dams. Some rivers, such as the Stanislaus, have been lost (almost) forever because of these dams. Because of the the myriad dam projects, however, there are often paved roads leading to put-ins. Shuttles are often longer than in, say Oregon, but there's less of a chance of a popped tire out in the middle of nowhere.
