The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog

Hello everyone,

This will be the final flow prediction for this season. Dam controlled rivers are beginning their consistent summer release patterns and will flow well through August and into September. The South Fork and Middle Fork will continue through October.

Free flowing, non-dam controlled rivers are finally running out of excess water from melting snows and will no longer have adequate flows for rafting. The final hold out for these rivers is the Merced. Our last trip there is scheduled for this coming Sunday, July 31.

Each week we have poured over 2011 water content reports from the Department of Water Resources to find out how much water is contained in high elevation snow. We have watched weather and temperatures to determine what speed the snow will melt. We have also poured over records we have kept for 35 years that indicate daily flows for all California rivers. After combining all of this information we have made our best guesses each week and it looks like we did not do too bad! Check out the flow report (above).

From this point forward we will see above normal releases on the South Fork, Middle Fork, North Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Cherry Creek. When we say “above normal” we mean 10-20% more than what we normally see in the summer time. This of course is due to the fact that this past winter has been so generous and some remaining snow is still feeding the rivers and reservoirs, along with an abundance of ground water seepage.

This year has turned out to be one of the most interesting and exciting rafting seasons we have had in 49 years of rafting. If you have not had a chance to enjoy it, give us a call and we will set you up on any one of our 5 most popular rivers!

Gregg Armstrong
Owner, All-Outdoors

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Question: What do you get when you mix youthful energy, waterslides, flippin’ boats, surfers, and a touch of testosterone?

Answer: An adventurous day on the water with the world famous AO river guides, Brad and Scott! Add some adventurous guests and you’re raftin’ down the Class IV+ wonder that is the Kaweah.

Our new video from a Kaweah 1-Day trip on July 1, 2011 is quite a show. And the soundtrack ain’t too shabby either… Enjoy!

Were you on this river trip? Or any Kaweah river trip? Share your experience with us and write a Kaweah River review online! 

For best quality, view in HD

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Heading to Yosemite this week?  This is your last chance to add on a Merced River rafting trip to your vacay!  Last trip is Sunday and we’re takin’ kids as young as 13 so bring em on. 

We’ve had a good and long season on the Mighty Mer, as we call her, but yes, it’s true, all good things must come to an end and here we are. At. The End.

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Start reving your class V engines: Cherry Creek is almost up and running.  It’s actually still TOO up and running for now–we are waiting for the water to come down so we can get out there, do some training and warming up, and be ready to take you on the toughest whitewater trip in the continental US!

The magic number we’re waiting for is about 2,000 CFS.  At this point our class V veteran guides plan on being out there this weekend to limber up, and by August 1st, we hope to be open for business.  I’ll keep you updated as we get the latest numbers from Those Who Monitor The Flows–we just have to patient and wait it out.

This trip is very, very challenging and requires an appropriate level of fitness and desire for adventure–please call us with your questions!  You can also check out our Cherry Creek FAQs to get more info on what class V rafting requires.

(Above:  Those are some of our senior guides on a Cherry Creek warm-up trip a few years back!  If that’s not enough whitewater for you I don’t really know what to say!)

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When rafting with All-Outdoors, we stress safety and fun above all else. And in order for both things to be properly maintained, we do ask for paddling participation from all our rafters. The more advanced the river, the more important the teamwork and paddling know-how becomes! Before we put any rafts on the river, we always do a pre-river orientation that covers paddling technique and the commands your guide will use to tell you how to maneuver. Here is a sneak peek at what the guides will tell you, so you can impress them when you get to your trip and be ahead of the game in order to ensure a successful rafting trip!

Forward paddle – This means exactly what it sounds like; paddle in order to move forward! With a stern hand on the top of the T-grip on your paddle, and your outside hand somewhere comfortable along the shaft of the paddle, you are being asked to dig in to the water and propel the boat forward. Paddling is done with your body, so lean forward in your athletic position and crank back until you are leaning back, with the “fulcrum” of the paddling hitting next to your outside hip.

Back paddle – You can imagine that a back paddle would be the exact opposite of a forward paddle. It’s performed in order to move the raft in reverse, usually away from the current to find an eddy to wait above a rapid in. This move is essential when you hit a train of rapids and need to slow down in between to catch a calm spot and plan your line for the ensuing drops. The only difference between the two moves is that you need to dig your paddle in at the ending point of a forward paddle, and propel it forward to a starting point. The body position is the same; you just change from “drive” to “reverse” basically.

Left turn/Right turn – These moves become a lot more important when you get to rivers like the North Fork of the Stanislaus or Cherry Creek, where certain sections of the river get really technical and you have to move around boulders or branches. Once you nail these turns, you’re going to love roaring down big lines anticipating the turns. The left and right turns are the most confusing, because it requires one side of the raft to paddle forward and the other side to paddle backwards in unison to create the actual torque required to run a raft in moving water. So when the guide calls out “left turn,” the left side of the raft will back paddle when the right side goes forward. The right turn is opposite – so if the side of the raft you are sitting on is the way you have to turn, be prepared to back paddle hard and fast.

Paddling in general is definitely built around teamwork. The guide in the back is the captain, calling out commands and anchoring the raft when adjustments have to be made. But as for the rafters, whoever is in front on both sides are the leaders. By that I mean that the people behind them will make their paddle strokes based on what the leaders do. So, learn these commands and get a head start on the rest of the raft so you can stake your place at the front as a leader. I promise our AO rafting guides will be impressed!

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Ahh July… it’s sunny and the whitewater is fabulous. Pretty darn close to feeling like heaven. Nothing’s going to ruin my fun. Not even a rockslide.

Yes, this year our beloved Tuolumne River, had a hiccup. To clarify: the river is wonderful, but Lumsden Rd, the access for shuttles into the Tuolumne Canyon, (a Class IV adventure in itself, haha) had a tough time keeping it together. Literally, it fell apart. Heavy snow caused slides and cracks to form, which closed the road until September.

But we’re troopers, right? Who needs a road when there’s a side trail? Yep, we’re hiking in! It’s a nice little hike, and allows us to experience the canyon in a new way. Why am I telling you this? Well, footage from a recent trip features the hike and we want you to be informed.

So here you go — a new video from our 1-Day Tuolumne trip on June 19, 2011. The river was running about 11,000 CFS that day! Enjoy!

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…hiking the Cinque Terre! Miles and miles of winding, climbing and dipping trails through five cliff side towns on the Northwest coast of Italy isn’t good for the legs and back, but it was worth every step. Just an hour’s train ride from Pisa, I represented All-Outdoors again with my green tee-shirt. We started off hiking from Riomaggerio, the first of the five towns. Eight hours later, we descended to a beach in Monterosso and looked back at the most beautiful coastline I’ve ever seen in my life.

Along the way, we stopped for lunch in Vernazza and met some people from the States. Our server for lunch was also originally from Morocco, our last stop on this voyage. I asked him about the river rafting there because I’ve heard it’s pretty intense; unfortunately, he had nothing to offer me. However, one of the Americans we chatted with had heard of the Tuolumne River and told me he wanted to come from Chicago to raft in California when he could.

The last stretch of the Cinque Terre hike (from Vernazza to Monterosso) was the most brutal, but also the most interesting and stunning. Besides the hundreds and hundreds of marble steps, vista points and winding pathways through thick forest, we found random natural wonders that must be decades, if not centuries old. My favorite spot was a man made bridge we ran into at one point, with a tiny waterfall and stream running through it. I’m not sure if I’m ready to come home yet, but seeing that rushing water definitely sparked that hunger in me again to get back on the river!

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Hello everyone,

This is the week we have been waiting for in regard to getting back to normal flows. Rivers have moved away from high water and closer to “normal” water. They have clearly started down the path to the kind of flows we see every summer. It feels strange to say that and then look at the calendar and realize it is the middle of July!

It has been a wild spring and an even wilder first several weeks of summer. Rivers performed well in 2011 and anyone who has been on them has been thrilled and satisfied by what they have served up… big whitewater and lots of it!

The South Fork of the American is still flowing strong above 3000 CFS. The Middle Fork finally dropped below 2000 CFS and we began offering trips for the first time this year a few days ago. The Merced and Tuolumne are still acting as if it is early to mid-June and flowing higher than normal. The Kaweah is feeling the impact of warm weather and is getting closer to its 2011 life span which will end in a few weeks.

As I’ve mentioned before, after the snow has melted, gravity and ground water seepage take over. Rivers run well for several weeks as if melting snow was still feeding them. This is why we will still be able to run non-dam controlled rivers through the rest of July and even into August.

Check out the chart (right) for specific flow predictions.

Our updated
River Flows page also provides real-time details and information.

 
My advice is take advantage of unusual opportunities and get out there and experience California rivers while they are flowing so well!

Gregg Armstrong
Owner, All-Outdoors

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You and the fam are heading off for an overnight wilderness river trip and your guide has handed you a weird-looking rubber backpack called a “dry bag” and tells you to pack up your stuff.  You look at the pile of items in your trunk and think “I can’t possibly fit all my things in there……” so you say  “oh Mr. Guide Man, can I please have another 5 dry bags?  I need to bring my inflatable couch and three board games and a case of my son’s fav soda, and the wife wants her hair dryer sooooo….”

I know what you’re thinking:  I would never bring such silly things on a river trip.  To which I say, are you sure?  Because we find people just like you trying to bring all kinds of crazy stuff with them on the river all the time.

So, a few suggestions–because packing properly for your trip really will help make it a better experience.  It takes less time, and less room in the car!  It’s less to carry from the boat to your camp site!  It will fit properly in the dry bag and then actually stay dry! Remember that a wilderness river trip is very different from car camping because everything you bring has to be carried in by hand, not driven in by vehicle. 

DO pack the necessary items:

1) The Golden Rule: less is more.  You really don’t need much.  Honest.  Cross our hearts and hope for 45 years of drought.

2)  Clothing: You basically need something to wear on the river, and something to change into at night.  So bring your suit, shorts, sunglasses and sandals, and then bring a t-shirt, maybe a pair of pants, and a cozy hoody for the evening.  That’s it!

3) Sleeping stuff:  bring a sleeping bag, a pad, and use your hoody for a pillow.  A flashlight  or headlamp is key for nightime navigation, but you do not need a tent.  None of our guides use tents, and frankly, most guests who insist on them don’t use them either.  Funny thing is, once you get to camp, all you want to do is relax–not fight with rain flys and tent stakes.  Trust us on this–we’ve been telling people this for 50 years.

4) Personal items:  Bring your toothbrush/paste, sunscreen, and chapstick. And of course essential meds.  Leave your special face cream, exfoliating scrub, wash cloth and hair gel at home.  You won’t use it or miss it, guaranteed.

5) Entertainment:  Sure bring a book or a magazine or a travel-sized chess set or dominoes.  But leave the horseshoes, badmitten, and entire Harry Potter series at home.  You booked your trip to enjoy the canyon, each other’s company, and some peace and quiet, right?  Thought so.  Leave the extraneous time-suckers in the car.

6) Finally, pack your good humor, your love of life, and some good stories or jokes to share–that’s what you’re going to remember long after your trip is over!

DON’T bring huge, heavy, awkward, extraneous items:

Massive mattresses, beach towels, costco-sized toiletries, computers, phones, cases of beverages, electronics, a hibachi grill, hiking boots, your dog, 5 pillows, camp lounge chairs, etc . . . 

(above:  If really want to live in a bubble, why are you rafting in the first place!? Live in the now!)

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Hello again,

California has experienced very warm temperatures this first week of July. This was true for lower elevations in the valleys and higher elevations in the mountains. The results of this swing in temperature from below normal to above normal has caused serious snow melt. Rivers are running at late-May levels even though it is July! We are on the downward gradual trend for 2011 flows, but due to residual snow in the High Sierra, it will take a long time to arrive at “low flows”.

My son was on the eastern side of the Sierra a few days ago; a place we  frequented during family backpacking trips when he was young. To his surprise (and mine) he couldn’t get to the lakes we usually fish at in June and July because he needed snowshoes!!! Even if he did get there, they are still frozen and he would have needed to cut a hole in the ice and experience his first ice fishing… in July!

Take a look at the latest report (left). You’ll see not much has changed in regard to flow predictions. It seems we have been fairly accurate in anticipating the flows. Keeping 35 years of detailed flow records certainly has helped, in addition to good data from our friends in Sacramento at the Department of Water Resources.

In this week’s chart, the key number is the second right-hand column at top: “Percent of normal for this date”. Unfortunately, the Department of Water Resources is no longer calculating this number because normally they don’t have any numbers to report! My guess is that is that we are about 200% or more at this time. This is why this year rivers will continue to act like they are in May and June even though we are in July and August.

2011 continues to amaze and thrill us in regard to flows and whitewater action. Each river has a long way to go before it ceases to excite us!

Gregg Armstrong
Owner, All-Outdoors

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