Is There Service At Rock Creek Reservoir

Stretch:	Cresta Dam to Poe Reservoir, Stone Creek Dam to Powerhouse
Difficulty:	class 4 then Ii (IV), form III then V (portage?) and then Four
Distance:	five miles on Saturday, viii miles on Lord's day
Flows:	rafts and kayaks 800 - 1600 cfs, perchance 4000
Guess:	catamenia approximates schedule dam release
Gradient:	48 fpm average, 50 fpm average, much steeper in places
Put-in:	below Cresta Dam, 1630' and below Stone Creek Dam, 2160'
Accept-out:	at Poe Reservoir, 1390' and at Rock Creek Powerhouse, 1760'
Shuttle:	5 miles (10 minutes) and eight miles (15 minutes) 1-way
Maps:	USFS Plumas NF, AAA Feather and Yuba Region
Flavor:	June to October, depends on PG&E releases
Agency:	USFS, private
Notes:	© 1999-2004 Bill Tuthill, photos from Kevin Lewis, klewis@snowcrest.net

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Thanks to AWA volunteers who worked on FERC relicensing, these companion runs take get a mecca for advanced boaters during the last full weekend of June thru September (October in wet years). On Saturday, 1000-1600 cfs (800-1000 in dry years) are released from Cresta Dam, and on Dominicus the same corporeality from Rock Creek Dam. The Cresta run starts with 2 miles of incredibly scenic granite-dome class Four, and ends with 3 miles of class II before a final (avoidable) class IV. The Rock Creek run starts with 4 miles of grade Three, continues after a possible portage (or grade Five+) into the 2 mile grade V- Tobin department, and ends with 2 miles of class III-4.

If you do not own a boat and want to raft this with a commercial outfitter, blazon Due north Fork Plumage into the text box below and click Search.

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The Plumage Festival 2010 will be held September 24-26th. Check the Chico Paddleheads website for details. Almost years have weekend releases in belatedly summertime. July and August releases (only usually not September) may exist subject to a i-week delay in case a "rut storm" occurs. PG&E is required to provide at least 48 hours notice if their weather forecast predicts an unusually hot menstruation. Final minute news will be posted on the AWA website so cheque before driving at that place. Afterwards 2002 releases, Caltrans and CHP were very concerned nearly boater prophylactic, and felt everyone was lucky that there was no major accident. Of item concern was the parking of private vehicles near Cresta put-in. This year, everybody should use the shuttle bus if possible, otherwise we might lose scheduled releases.

Nutrient and fellowship are bachelor at the Tobin Resort.

Other Runs on the Plumage

In his 1974 guidebook Sierra Whitewater, Charles Martin wrote off several runs on the North Fork Feather with a quote from Carl Trost, "the PG&E giveth and the PG&E taketh abroad." Martin did depict a course Four bound run on the East Branch, 10 miles from Virgilia to Belden, the section containing that now infamous rapid, Five-in-a-Hole.

In their 1998 third edition guidebook, Holbek and Stanley describe 3 additional runs on the North Feather (two on the west branch, and ane downstream): the upper Due west Branch (3.3 miles of grade 4-V from Whiskey Flat bridge to Dean Road), the West Branch thru Ben & Jerry'southward gorge (4 miles of class V+ from Dean Rd. to Oroville reservoir), and the Poe run (2 miles of class 5-, 5.5 miles of class Iii, no reservoir).

Additionally when Oroville Reservoir is depression after a string of drought years, another run becomes uncovered, with a runnable 35' dam, many miles of class 3-IV, and many miles (grunt) on the reservoir. Rumors indicate at that place might be some other run in a higher place Lake Almanor.

Cresta Run Mile by Mile

On days of scheduled releases, AWA has operated (and may continue to operate) a shuttle bus. It's best to park nigh Poe Reservoir or Cresta Powerhouse and pay for shuttle, because parking at the put-in is very tight. When the bus arrives at Elephant Butte tunnel below Cresta Dam, deport kayaks down a steep granitic trail to the river. Rafts should be lowered by rope, preferably not into the bramble-filled tunnel below. This put-in might be improved somewhen; stay tuned.

Form 3 rapids begin immediately, with large waves acquired past bedrock and boulders. Gradually the coulee narrows and rapids become more than constricted. At mile 1.one comes County Line Falls (class 4), the most difficult rapid on this run, where a sign marks the edge of Plumas and Butte counties. If you did non pre-watch information technology during the shuttle, sentinel left using the highway. Left side routes become sticky at higher flows, when a tongue fortunately develops on the far right. Below County Line, constricted rapids continue but gradually ease.

At mile 2 is a highway turnout with enough of parking, providing a practiced take-out for those who want to re-run the form 4 stretch, or a put-in for those who want to float some mellow class II. Shortly beneath this turnout, the river turns away from the route, providing several prissy lunch stops with a imitation impression of wilderness. There is a very good surfing hole on river left in there somewhere.

At mile five comes the final class 4 rapid, an extremely constricted boulder pile, which in 2002 was best run on the far right. Left-of-heart looks like a good route from the top, but ends in a stone plug. Kayaks could take out in a higher place this rapid and carry to the parking lot, but that would exist a long distance to deport rafts. Take out on the left upwards a concrete beach, or keep thru some rapids to more difficult take-outs on Poe Reservoir.

Rock Creek Run Mile by Mile

On days of scheduled releases, AWA has operated (and may continue to operate) a shuttle bus. It's best to park near Cresta Reservoir or Tobin and pay for shuttle, because parking at the put-in is very tight. When the bus arrives below Rock Creek Dam, yous can either carry boats downwardly a steep trail to the river, or carry and lower them down a shorter concrete embankment shortly downstream, beingness careful not to impairment your craft on the sharp concrete or rebar. These put-ins might be improved eventually; stay tuned.

The first 4 miles are relatively apartment with occasional class II-III rapids. Two rapids stand up out as near hard, both visible from the road. The outset is a stone debate-falls with a choice of several drops. The second is a boulder pile at the bottom of an isle-left channel, in 2002 best run shut to the island (a somewhat blind route).

At mile 4 there is a dirt road slanting downwardly to the river, where form III boaters tin take out, and grade V boaters put in. Before long afterwards come the black and silver (Raider) bridges, which mark the first of a grade Five or Five+ section. Y'all must scout this section, either from the route or the river. Near the commencement is a river-wide ledge that could flip boats, then considering the dangerous swim ahead, you lot should set safety. The complicated boulder field ahead is sometimes run in the centre, cutting to the right partway down, simply you lot must decide for yourself. At some flows the correct side contains an interesting undercut curvation formation. Entrapment hazards grow; hikers without PFDs regular die at low flows.

The course V rapids ease somewhat before the green span appears overhead. Sometimes boaters portage the whole department and put in at the green bridge, where river access is unfortunately not ultra-convenient. Form III-Four rapids proceed almost all the way to Poe Reservoir, making a great terminate to the trip. At that place is a off-white amount of parking at a sandbar near the head of the reservoir.

River Photographs

One outcome of FERC relicensing was that PG&E leaves more water in the river to go on fish alive, but not really enough for fun boating. Another effect is that whitewater releases are scheduled for weekends, so California finally catches upwards to the east declension! Earlier hydro evolution, this section of river probably never dropped below 600 - 700 cfs! The pictures below bear witness the run at well-nigh 280 cfs, when the class Five+ rapid (big boulder jumble) described as a portage in the Holbek/Stanley book becomes more approachable. Although the Holbek/Stanley book says minimum flow is 800 cfs, you run across hardshell kayaks running it here at 35% of that catamenia.

The river is adequately flat from Rock Creek Dam downward 3 or 4 miles to the start of the Tobin section, where 2 bridges are painted contrary Raider colors, blackness and argent. Once boaters hitting Tobin, the bottom drops out and the fun begins. There are some ugly, dangerous spots in there; it is no identify for swimmers. Subsequently 2 miles of practiced stuff, the gradient eases just fun drops continue.

For high-water (monthly weekend release) pictures, run into raft.org'south Northward Feather gallery.

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Source: https://cacreeks.com/feath-n.htm

Posted by: lomeliyousintor.blogspot.com

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