Class V season on Cherry Creek in 2008

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…..

First of all, Cherry Creek is the upper section of the Tuolumne River (sometimes it’s called the “Upper Tuolumne,” but Cherry Creek has a nicer ring to it, I’m sure you’ll agree).  If you’ve ever been on one of our Tuolumne trips, you might remember Merall’s Pool, where the boats put in to begin your river trip–that’s about 8 miles downstream of the confluence of Cherry Creek and the Tuolumne.  One of the three uppermost reservoirs is aptly named “Cherry Reservoir.” Last year the water authorities needed to do some work on the dam (ok I don’t know if it was a turbine or what….) so they brought the water levels down really low. That meant that this year, there was lots of room to store all the water from the 2008 storms.  Lots of storage room means that the dam doesn’t spill over.  This in turn means that we don’t have to wait for the water to “come down” to raftable flows on Cherry Creek–instead of the vagaries of Mother Nature, all the flows this year can be controlled by the dam authorities, resulting in very consistant and reliable water all summer long.  We usually have to wait until about July to start rafting Cherry Creek, so this year we have a whole extra month! 

Class V whitewater trips will be available on Cherry Creek from now (early June) through Labor Day.  Flows will be consistant on the Main Tuolumne as well, so if you want to make a weekend out of it, book a couple days on the Tuolumne and cap if off with the “piece de resistance”–an unforgettable day on Cherry Creek, the most challenging whitewater river in California.  On the fence?  Not sure if “the most challenging” river is for you?  Call us or look at out our “FAQ for Cherry Creek” info.  It will give you a better idea of who will have a great time on a Class V whitewater river, what to expect from this level of rafting, and why we’re qualified to guide you on a river this challenging.