The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog

Options are slimming down somewhat for Class IV river trips for the rest of the spring season–the North Fork of the American and Stanislaus Rivers are officially kaput for 2008.  Heavily dependant on run-off, these rivers don’t have the reliable and lengthy seasons of rivers like the South and Middle Forks of the American and the Tuolumne/Cherry Creek.

Both the Kaweah and the Merced still have great flows because the snowpack that drains into their headwaters are holding out well.  We expect that the Kaweah will run strong for two more weekends.  Located near Yosemite, the Merced should keep on keepin’ on through the end of the month. 

The Main Tuolumne River’s class IV rapids will run strong into September.  Further upstream, the Upper Tuolumne, or Cherry Creek, will also have a long season.  If you want to add a side of Class V extreme adventure to a trip on the Tuolumne, take a long weekend and do them both!

For those of you interested in specific CFS on all of the California rivers we run and other wonky details, check out our flows page.

Bookmark This!

The cycle of cool-hot-cool-hot weather we’ve had in California lately has kept our wetsuits in rotation a little longer than we expected, wool sweaters out in force, and cloudy skies fooling even veteran guides into forgetting their sunscreen.  As long as we’ve been rafting you’d think we’d know that cloud cover is no substitute for zinc oxide or avobenzene…..

Sunburns aside, one result of this funny weather is a stretched out season on the Kaweah River.  Super hot weather could render this update useless in a week, of course, but right now we think we have a good solid two weeks left.  Southern California rafters! Get a carpool together and head north!   Share gas money, get some snacks, and play 21 questions until you get to Three Rivers.  The Kaweah’s class III and IV whitewater have already given us some epic days–big surfs, tube-stands and even a flip or two.  Your group is sure to make some memories of its own . . . The Kaweah is good for that sort of thing.

Bookmark This!

With the Cherry Creek season already underway (we had training boats out there earlier this week and our first commercial group of the season is the 5th) 2008 has the potential to be one of the best summers in a long while to paddle this remarkable section of the Tuolumne River.

The reason we’ll have a longer season this year starts with a reservoir, a broken turbine, and a utility company….. Read more…

Bookmark This!

Clear out your calendar, pack your bags and buy your ticket for the 2008 American River Music Festival held September 19-21.  This is the festival’s second year, and the line-up looks awesome.

Sing the blues and let it all out to the hard-driving guitar of the David Jacob-Strains Trio or relax to the beautiful harmonies of the Dulcimer Girls.  Other roots artists include Canadian John Wort Hannam, and the celtic-sea-shanty-latin-disco pastiche of The Buccaneers.  Local Placerville musician Jonny Mojo will also take the stage with his blend of bluesy-folksy rock.

One of the things that makes this festival special is that the three-day event includes awesome music, camping under the stars, and rafting on the South Fork of the American with us!  I don’t have any details yet, but rumor has it that festival rafters will get serenaded in the river canyon.  Sounds pretty cool…..

Get more info on the American River Music Festival by visiting the festival website.

Bookmark This!

Cherry Creek  has rolled into action a little earlier than we expected this year and our first trip is scheduled for June 5th.  If you want to get in on the inaugeral run there’s still room so call us up (and figure out how to get the day off).   I can guarantee our guides will be in rare form since this is many of their favorite river–you have to work long and hard to become a Cherry Creek guide and it seems like the season is never long enough for them to get their fill.  First trip of the year!  Happy guides, pristine whitewater, black diamond adventure……..get your shift covered, re-route your phone calls, turn off your Blackberry.  And if you’re not sure you’re ready to take the plunge either call us or peruse our  Cherry Creek FAQ page.

Bookmark This!

The American River Trailfest is an annual event that brings the Coloma-Lotus valley community together for a fun day of BBQ, live music, education, face painting and fundraising for a very cool cause–the creation of a long stretch of protected space in the American River canyon.  This land will be set aside for both nature and recreation–hiking, biking, general wandering around….

This event is open to the public–anyone who enjoys whitewater rafting will learn alot about efforts to protect river canyons and have a great time.  All-Outdoors always donates trips to the silent auction and buys lots of tickets  so I’m sure we’ll be out in force at this year’s festival.  If you have kids they will be totally welcome–face painting, live animal education, games and lots of grass to run around mean there are lots of opportunities for families to enjoy.

Adults can make their way down the winetasting area, bid in the silent auction, and eat BBQ.  Dancing is for everyone!

For more info check out the Trailfest website or contact the American River Conservancy.

Bookmark This!

Joe came to All-Outdoors from the snowy slopes of Colorado ski resorts. Apparently he wanted to get a tan after all that time in a parka……Whatever the reason, he joined us a few years ago and pretty much became indispensable from Day One. He keeps the troops in order by day as he manages our busiest operation, the South Fork of the American, and busts out slick dance moves by night. Both professional and always ready to have a good time, Joe is frequently requested by return guests.

Bookmark This!

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may……make hay while the sun shines…..or in this case, before the sunshine melts all the snow in the North Fork American watershed!

Since we’ve had all this unseasonably warm weather we think the North Fork is going to have one last weekend with good flows and it’s coming up!  This class IV river isn’t dam controlled, so it tends to have a rather short season that is completely dependant on Mother Nature.  It’s had a great season so far–we’ve been out there for lots of trips–but it looks like this coming weekend will be it for 2008 and then we’ll pack up our NFA operation for another year.  We still have room on our May 24-5 trips, so if you have time off for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, come up and join us for some high adventure North Fork style.

We have a slideshow and a video of the North Fork so you can get a taste of its emerald water and powerful, class IV hydraulics.  The images are cool–but reality is better, so dig out your sunscreen and get on board.

Bookmark This!

A particularly vicious bag of garbage, sunburns, lost contact lens, epic surfs, hoots and hollers, record-setting heat and one black eye: it was a weekend for the ages. I got into work this morning and the stories started pouring in as our guides returned from awesome days on the North Stan and Tuolumne, the Merced, the North Fork of the American….the Kaweah people are still trickling back and the South and Middle Fork never really left. I guess we were pretty much everywhere but the Futaleufu……

First of all, the heat my god the heat! I’m not a meteorologist, but come on. This is hot. I heard it’s been 20 degrees hotter lately than normal, which is good because for awhile there I thought I was getting hot flashes thirty years early. One result of the heat is, surprize surprize, higher flows on the river because the snow is starting to melt so our guides and guests had extra thrills on the water and needed some serious sunscreen–see sunburn and lost contacts, above. A fun weekend of high adventure was clearly had by all (except for the Office Bound). I don’t think the black eye had anything to do with the snowmelt; it was more a reminder to keep your hand on the T-grip. I guess after ten years of guiding even senior guides forget . . .

Bookmark This!

Those who have been lucky enough to experience the solitude and scenic beauty of the Tuolumne realize the significance of the Wild and Scenic designation this river received twenty-four years ago in 1984. At times, you feel like the only people in the canyon while navigating its magnificent waters. Rafting the Tuolumne on a multi-day trip can present the opportunity to explore the Clavey river and to revel in its warm, granite pools.

One of three entirely free flowing rivers left in the Western Sierra, this tributary is home to spawning wild trout and has been recommended for Federal Wild and Scenic designation to ensure that it remains in its natural state. It boasts thousands of acres of mature forest and the largest stand of quaking aspen in the Southern Sierra. On top of all these precious features, this watershed also supports many at risk species of both plants and animals.

The Tuolumne River Trust is collecting letters to send to Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman George Radanovich to urge them to place the Clavey under this protected status. For more information or to share your experience on the Clavey follow this link to the Trust homepage.

Bookmark This!