A good stretch of river for some easy kayaking is the section from Knights Ferry to Orange Blossom on Stanislaus River. It is all class 1 with a short class 2 section in the beginning call Russian Rapid. Many web sites have written about this part of the river so I won't repeat them. I do want to point out that the Stanislaus River water flow varies depending on the time of year, usually with higher flows in the spring and lower in the late summer. The river is controlled by a dam higher up so there is water till late in the season (fall).
Excellent description of the river. Make sure to scroll down to see the pictures:
http://cacreeks.com/stan-oak.htm
Good description and advice on maximum flow rate for kayaks/canoes:
Paddling Tips: There is only one short rapid (Russian rapid) just below Knights Ferry. Inadvisable in an open boat above 500 cfs, all canoes get swamped above 800cfs. This is a blind rapid with a well-marked short portage trail river left. The trail can be paddled at 1100cfs.
http://www.paddletrips.net/stringofpearls.htm
This is the only picture of Russian Rapid I could find:
This California Water Department site has river flow info for Stanislaus River, measured at the release point at Goodwin Dam. Use the Spill cfs for reference:
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryDaily?s=gdw&d=today
Here is a discussion about high flow leveals in this section of the river:
http://www.dreamflows.com/forums/viewTopic.php?topic=712
Happy paddling
Kevin T
Inflatable Kayak Report
Excellent description of the river. Make sure to scroll down to see the pictures:
http://cacreeks.com/stan-oak.htm
Good description and advice on maximum flow rate for kayaks/canoes:
Paddling Tips: There is only one short rapid (Russian rapid) just below Knights Ferry. Inadvisable in an open boat above 500 cfs, all canoes get swamped above 800cfs. This is a blind rapid with a well-marked short portage trail river left. The trail can be paddled at 1100cfs.
http://www.paddletrips.net/stringofpearls.htm
This is the only picture of Russian Rapid I could find:
www.rivertrip.com/trips.cfm?cat_main_id=1&cat_sub_id=5&classID=4
This California Water Department site has river flow info for Stanislaus River, measured at the release point at Goodwin Dam. Use the Spill cfs for reference:
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryDaily?s=gdw&d=today
Here is a discussion about high flow leveals in this section of the river:
http://www.dreamflows.com/forums/viewTopic.php?topic=712
Happy paddling
Kevin T
Inflatable Kayak Report
Here is a map with river access points and flow gauges for a 50 mile stretch of the lower Stanislaus River.
ReplyDeleteStanislaus River Lower Run Guide for kayaking, rafting, innertubing & canoeing. & Stanislaus River Lower Run Directory - Recreation & Conservation.