Middle Fork of the American
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California, USA
Middle Fork of the American Rafting Guidebook
Unique in the Western Sierra rivers, the Middle Fork of the American River is the only one where you can check “rafting through a tunnel” off of your bucket list. Also, a wonderful combination of technical whitewater, big whitewater, and beautiful scenery make this stretch of river one of the most exciting you can find. Scattered throughout this section are also artifacts of this river’s mining history, as well as artifacts related to the history with the native population.
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Indian Bar Rafting Access to Greenwood Bridge Take-Out
The Middle Fork of the American River has one main Put-In at Indian Bar, and several take-outs downstream, however the most common is from Indian Bar to Greenwood Bridge.
Mile 0 – Indian Bar Rafting Access:
River Right. The Put-In for this section is just below Oxbow Reservoir.
Mile 0.03 – Alarm Clock/Good Morning:
Class III. Quickly after the Put-In, Alarm Clock appears, and can give you trouble if you’re not on your toes. The river bends left, so enter left to avoid a bummer start to your day.
Mile 0.2 – North Fork of Middle Fork Confluence:
River Right. The North Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River tumbles in from river right.
Mile 0.41 – Junkyard:
Class II. Read-and-run rapid.
Mile 0.85 – Carl’s Crash/Guide Slammer:
Class III. There is a big wave at the top of this rapid, runnable at most flows but hold on. There is a tongue to the left of this wave if you want to stay dry.
Mile 1.04 – Organized Chaos/Santa’s Mustache:
Class III. Enter center-right at this rapid.
Mile 1.33 – Last Chance:
Class III. Run Last Chance down the middle, watch out for holes on the left side. Be ready to eddy out immediately on river right to scout Tunnel Chute Rapid.
Mile 1.39 – Tunnel Chute:
Class IV. The entrance to this narrow rapid is Class II. This chute can be tricky, as the current is swift and pushes you towards the right wall. Work to stay off the wall. Just below the Chute is the tunnel itself. Recommended scout on the right side.
Mile 1.89 – Soul Train/Berry Picker:
Class II. Enter far right on this rapid, which will bring you into the branches on the right side. This is better than getting stuck on the rocks on river left, especially at lower water.
Mile 2.17 – Old Gold Tunnel:
River Left. Just after Berry Picker rapid, you’ll see an old mining tunnel that was used for mining Gold in the 1800s. This is another reminder of the region’s mining past.
Mile 2.24 – Cathedral:
Class III. River splits into multiple channels. Work left here to avoid getting pushed into wall on river right.
Mile 2.84 – Cache Rock Camp:
River Left. This is a smaller camp located on river left just above a small rapid.
Mile 3.02 – Bus Crash:
Class III. Sharp left bend in the river with all current pushing into a flip wall on river right. Work left to avoid flipping off this rock.
Mile 3.1 – Bus Crash Jump Rock:
River Right. This jump rock is located just below Bus Crash rapid on river right.
Mile 3.32 – Three Queens:
Class III. Read-and-run rapid, large wave on river left.
Mile 3.96 – Kanaka Falls:
Class IV. Enter boulder-ridden Kanaka Falls rapid left of center. Be especially wary of 2 boulders awaiting at the bottom of this rapid on river right. Watch out for a hole in the center of the channel. In general, stay left. Can be scouted on river left.
Mile 4.11 – Surf Ledge Hole:
River Left. Just below Kanaka Falls on River left is a fun Surf Ledge. Below this point is mostly Class II-III whitewater until arriving to Chunder Rapid, which is a Class IV just about Ruck-a-Chucky Falls.
Mile 5.8 – Dardanelles Creek:
River Right. Dardanelles Creek enters the Middle Fork of the American River from river right.
Mile 7.6 – Camp 1:
River Right. This camp is located on river right. It’s also a popular stop as there is a composting toilet located here.
Mile 9.95 – Upper Ford’s Bar:
River Right. Similar to the last camp, Upper Ford’s Bar also has a composting toilet.
Mile 10.16 – Otter Creek:
River Left. Otter Creek enters the Middle Fork of the American River from river left.
Mile 10.34 – Lower Ford’s Bar:
River Left. Lower Ford’s Bar is located on river left just downstream of Otter Creek. Look for the long cobble bar.
Mile 10.73 – Camp 3:
River Right. This is the final camp on the river that includes a composting toilet.
Mile 13.32 – Canyon Creek:
River Left. Canyon Creek enters the Middle Fork of the American River from river left.
Mile 13.47 – Chunder:
Class IV. This rapid is all about the entrance. There are numerous boulders just above water level, as you come to the crux of this rapid, thread the needle through two large boulders center right, then work left to stay away from large boulder on river right. Below this rapid is another sleeper rock to be avoided in the center channel.
Mile 13.55 – Ruck-A-Chucky Falls:
Class VI. Portage Ruck-A-Chucky Falls on River right. Some people will ghost boat down this rapid, but there are obvious consequences to this.
Mile 13.62 – Cleavage:
Class IV. There is a large hole on river right, and a pour over on river left form this quick Class IV rapid. The stronger hole is on the right side. Find the line in between these features (left of center). Fun surf wave at lower flows. Becomes river-wide hole at higher flows.
Mile 13.69 – Parallel Parking:
Class IV. Parallel Parking is a technical rapid. There is a narrow chute just to the left of a large boulder in the center of the current. Work hard left to avoid flipping off this rock. After passing this rock, there is another wave just downstream.
Mile 13.85 – Tequila Slammer:
Class III. Avoid the fin rock that’s just right of center.
Mile 14.15 – Texas Chainsaw Mama:
Class IV. Texas Chainsaw Mama is another technical rapid, with the main focus being to avoid the house-sized boulders in the center of the channel. After passing the first of these boulders, work hard left to avoid the second boulder, and enter the left channel. This rapid gets its name after the undercut rock on river left.
Mile 14.48 – Pop Quiz:
Class III. Somewhat similar to Texas Chainsaw Mama, large boulders in the center of the channel force you left, but there’s a lot room. This is the last rapid in this section.
Mile 15.16 – Greenwood Bridge / Drivers Flat Take-Out:
River Right. This is the most commonly used take-out for this section. Downstream are a few scattered Class IIs & IIIs if you want some cool-down rapids.
Mile 21.97 – Mammoth Bar Take Out:
River Right. Very important to take out here to avoid Murderer’s Bar Rapid (Class V+) downstream. This is a mandatory portage rapid, so it’s easiest just to take out at Mammoth Bar. Take-out is on river right