Information on some of the morst exciting tips you can take in your Kayak in North California.
Cache Creek - North Fork to Bear Creek
These secluded canyons provide a warm Class II stream with fine camping, big wildlife, and very few people. The crystal clear wather of the North Fork Cache Creek comes from Indian Valley Reservoir some 11 miles upstream. Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District operates Indian Valley Reservoir and Clear Lake to provide irrigation flows to Capay Valley farmers. The irrigation demand provides boating flows through the wilderness run, Rumsey Canyon, and Capay Valley. Without snowmelt, the water is relatively warm in the spring and almost tepid in summer. Watch along the banks for remarkable wildlife, like bear or elk. We saw bear scat and scratched trees Close to our camp, and another paddler saw the bear! The Department of Fish and Game protects Tule elk in the game preserves along the upper sections of Cache Creek. Overhead, we saw osprey and a bald eagle pair soaring the canyon in summer. Several bald eagle pairs are offten visible in winter when they feed on the carp in the creek. Note that the Wilson Valley area is closed from April 1 to June 30 for elk calving.
Bear River - Colfax to Dog Bar
This quiet stream has fun riffles when releases are high enough. At one time heavily exploited, the Bear River has made an aesthetic return. Ridgetops along the Bear seem close-by since the canyon is only 300 to 400 feet deep instead of the thousand after thousand of feet of other Sierra gold country canyons. Ponderosa pine, black oak, and Douglas fir clothe the slopes. At Taylor Crossing, the mining equipment and mounds of black and white rock are relics from the gravel quarry days. Homes above the Nevada County riverbanks now appreciate canyon views. Nevada Irrigation District releases water from Rollins Reservoir to stock the Bear River Canal and Lake Combie. The bit going to Lake Combie flows in this river reach. Placer County operates the popular Bear River Park and Campground. Make camping reservations well in advance.
Yuba River
A clear and dependable float for beginners, the Yuba River scampers through immense dredge tailings of the Yuba Gold Fields. Above Daguerra Dam, the landscape is typical California foothills: oak trees and grasslands. They are lovely with wildflowers in the spring, but toast to California brown in the hot summers. Contrasting with the foothills are the mile-wide Yuba River Gold Fields. In years past, giant machines floated over the geologic river channel, dredging down to bedrock all the cobbles and gold. Mining companies kept the gold and left the never ending rows of dredge tailings that line the river. Some mining continues today. Below Daguerra Dam, orchards, farms, and homes eventually border the river. High levees protect the city of Marysville. Wildlife watchers will appreciate this river. Striped bass, steelhead, and shad spawn in the spring and salmon return in the fall. Overhead soar hawks and occasional ospreys, while turkey vultures and gulls line the banks. All wait for a fish dinner. A special treat in this part of the Central Valley is the annual migration of North American waterfowl. Hundreds of high-flying birds often fill late afternoon fall and winter skies as they return to the wildlife refuges and grain fields in the Sacramento Valley.
Truckee River - River Ranch to Floriston
This modest-size whitewater stream drops from the fir forests close to Tahoe to deep canyons entering Nevada. Easy access, steady whitewater, streamside camping, and lovely surroundings attract paddlers to the Truckee River. From River Ranch to the town of Truckee, California Highway 89 parallels the river. Forest Service campgrounds alternate with private cabins beside Class II whitewater. Below Donner Creek, the Truckee River bends east through the town of Truckee in a Class III boulder slalom. Then the river cuts through a canyon with easier, well-spaced rocks. The scenery gets better as the canyon deepens on the way to Gray Creek. Below Gray Creek the channel drops steeply into a Class IV boulder-hopping challenge.