The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog

Our official 2008 flow prediction came out on April 10, almost a month ago. We predicted a good California rafting season due to a healthy snowpack left from winter (100% of normal). We also noted that once the snow started to melt the runoff would be good and rivers would flow well. What we did not know at the time is that the month of April would be cool and the snow in the high Sierra would remain relatively in tact and preserved for a later melt. This is good news for California rafting!

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Here’s a cool opportunity if you want to spend more than one day enjoying the Coloma Lotus Valley while the grass is still green, flowers are splashed on the hillsides, and the temperatures are still pretending they won’t get fierce as the Sahara in July…..

I digress.  Here’s the idea: Come up to the Gold Country on the Mother’s Day holiday weekend….  On Saturday the 10th the American River Conservancy is hosting a free guided hike exploring the Serpantine Habitat at Traverse Creek.  Naturalist Robert is going to guide the hike, which is mellow and easy.  (For more info on this event and other cool stuff the Conservancy is up to, visit their website.) Then, the next day,  Raft the South Fork American for an adventerous wrap up of a nature filled weekend.

What to do in between you ask?  What, you want even more to do?  Well ok, if it was me, I’d go wine tasting at a local winery (Venezio, Gold Hill, and David Girard are all really close) after the hike, and then have dinner at Cafe Mahjaic in Lotus.  If you stay at the Lotus Inn, which is right next door to the Cafe, you just could not get any more convenient.  If you feel like camping check out Camp Lotus–they’re about a mile away from Cafe Mahjaic.

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We uploaded another Northern California rafting video–of the Middle Fork of the American River. With its remote canyon, class IV whitewater, and raftable rock tunnel, the Middle Fork is a great river for one day trips or over nighters if camping is your style (just remember to leave your flat iron at home).

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After a winter hitting the slopes or (more likely) spending far too much time indoors, the North Fork American River is often one of the first whitewater trips of the year . . . the perfect “welcome back to the river” outing for many AO guides and guests alike. We recently launched a wonderful video of a North Fork rafting trip from last spring:



The American River system has three forks–the North, South and Middle Forks–and all have their charms.  But for springtime rafting trips, the North Fork takes the cake.  It may not have the flood of poppies nature unleashes on the slopes of Mount Murphy in Coloma above the South Fork, and it may not have the celebrity status of the Middle Fork’s Tunnel Chute rapid, but it does have beautiful green water rushing past (more…)

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With the weather starting to warm up and spring fever setting in, the question on our mind is what’s in store for whitewater rafters this year. After compiling data from the Department of Water Resources, and comparing it to information from other seasons, it adds up to good flows across the state for the 2008 California whitewater rafting season.

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Last week we launched some new California rafting videos, shot on our river trips last summer. We just added another one, of Cherry Creek, a river one of our guests described as “transcendent and transformative.”

Whether you’re an arm-chair adventurer or the real deal, check out our new video, which gives you a virtually-guided tour of the Class-V extravaganza that is the AO Cherry Creek trip. We’ve been out on the Creek since the 1980s, and even though we love family-friendly rivers like the South Fork, there are some of us that pretty much live for Cherry Creek I am not one of those people, because I am a wimp, but even I love the video.

After you watch the Cherry Creek video, check out our new “Cherry Creek frequently asked questions” page to learn more about these remarkable trips. Because class V rafting is a challenge, we’ve found that people tend to have lots of questions–so we thought we’d give you quick answers to some of the easy ones. Call us if we missed anything (800-24-RAFTS).

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The 2008 California whitewater rafting season will officially open for business next week, but until then, wet yer whistle and get a taste of what’s ahead in the virtual world of the internet.  Just surf on over real easy like to our website, where we have just posted VIDEOS of our trips on seven California rivers!

Check out all out the videos on the blog:

• South Fork American River - Class III
• Middle Fork American River - Class IV
• Merced River - Class IV
• Tuolumne River - Class IV
• North Fork American River - Class IV+
• Kaweah River - Class IV+
• Cherry Creek - Class V

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Quick note (well not such a quick note actually) to let you all know that  Friends of the River’s California Rivers Festival was a truly fantastic event.

The Festival was held at the Waldorf School in Sacramento on Saturday, March 15th. Blue skies and warm spring weather added to the pleasant atmosphere of the venue. There were plenty of activities for all ages. Kids had a chance to partake in an interactive play about the Klamath Chinook Salmon and learn about the river ecology of various California rivers and the Sacramento Watershed. Kids at heart could tackle current pressing issues through a variety of workshops. Presentations ranged from how to increase safety and fun on river trips, where the best trails for hiking can be found in Sacramento and surrounding areas to more political topics such as the future of the Central Valley and California Water Management, campaigns to protect the precious Ventana Central Coast rivers and Tuolumne River  to the Tap.

One of the many highlights, (not that I’m baised,) was Scott’s slideshow presentation of his trip down the Blue Nile in 2004. The initially planned two week adventure evolved into an epic two month journey through Ethiopia. Scott kept it thoroughly entertaining…”donkey” shot and all.

Two must see films presented this year were “The Source” and “Three Women, Three Hundred Miles.” Our own Lotus local, Charlie Center, filmed and kayaked in “The Source” which takes extreme kayaking to headwater streams around the world. “Three Women, Three Hundred Miles” is exactly that; three women (Julie Munger, Kelley Kalafatich and Rebecca Rusch) running three hundred miles down the Grand Canyon (more…)

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So who went to Friends of the River’s California Rivers Festival this last weekend?  Anyone Anyone?  I’m looking for a report here…..

 Alas, I was unable to go because I am currently too busy to do what I hear are called “fun things” on the weekend because of a little project of mine called a Master’s Thesis, but I am super curious who scored in the gear swap (mmmmm…used neoprene, what could be better?), who hob nobbed with the glamorous icons of the California rafting scene, and most importantly, if the BBQ was delicious. 

How was the Ethiopia slide show? Did Scott show his “donkey” photo?  If you saw it, you know what I’m talking about and if not, let’s just forget I mentioned it, shall we?

 I’m pretty sure AO had some representative attendees so I’ll let you know how the day went and who went home with the best vintage wetsuit…

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The California Rivers Festival is just around the corner–it’s coming up this weekend, on March 15th. If you’re going to be in the area stop by and check it out. This Friends of the River sponsored event will be lots of fun–you can check out the swap meet, sit in on lectures, learn about safe boating (especially important during the upcoming spring season with its higher flows and colder water) bid at the silent auction, and network with the pros. You can also learn about FOR’s many efforts on behalf of California’s whitewater rivers. They have led the charge on education, conservation, and preservation for many years. Get all the details here.

And don’t forget that AO’s own Scott A will be presenting his beautiful photographs from his expedition to Ethiopia’s Blue Nile river a few years ago at this year’s California River Festival. (Above: lining boats on the Blue Nile River)

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