Paddling Northern California

by Charles Pike

Overview

Northern California is a paddler's paradise, and this updated and revised guide has all the information you need to plan a variety of excursions. Whether you want to canoe down relaxed rivers or glide across tranquil lakes, squirtboat on frothing whitewater or sea kayak on the Pacific Ocean, this book describes more than 70 paddling trips along 868 miles of California waterways, encompassing 53,400 square miles between Monterey and the Oregon border. Detailed maps include access points and landmarks; flow charts indicate optimum floating seasons; tide information for the ocean trips will help you ride with the current; and full-color photos throughout will inspire you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493043583
Publisher:	Globe Pequot Publishing
Publication date:	08/30/2019
Series:	Paddling Series
Edition description:	3rd Edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

For more than 50 years, Charlie Pike has enjoyed paddling wide rivers, lazy float streams, lakes big and small, roaring whitewater, tidal estuaries, and Pacific Coast headlands. Where ever he has lived – upstate New York, New England, Missouri, Arkansas, or the West Coast, he has enjoyed paddling. In each location he has organized training sessions and paddling trips with whitewater kayaks, rafts, canoes, and sea kayaks. His paddling adventures have led him to enjoy waters as diverse as kayaking the Grand Canyon, floating the Allagash River in Maine and canoeing the Stikine River in Alaska and British Columbia with his two grown sons. Before retiring, Charlie researched and developed water efficiency programs for local, state and national water organizations. He still seeks more paddling experiences to enjoy.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Lay of the Land 1

Scales of Paddling Difficulty 3

Planning Your Trip 6

Safety on the Water and Paddling Etiquette 10

Minimum Impact Camping 12

Controlling Invasive Species 14

Wild and Scenic Rivers Protection 16

Marine Mammal Protection Act 17

How to Use This Guide 19

Map Legend 22

Coastal Region 23

1 Mendocino Coast 24

2 Big River 31

3 Albion River 33

4 Navarro River 35

5 Navarro River Estuary 40

6 Estero Americano 42

7 Tomales Bay 45

8 Drakes Estero 51

9 Elkhorn Slough 55

10 Monterey Bay-Cannery Row 59

11 Smith River 63

Coastal Mountains 69

12 Trinity River-Lewiston to Junction City 70

13 Trinity River-Junction City to Cedar Flat 77

14 Trinity River-Hawkins Bar to Willow Creek 83

15 Eel River-Alderpoint to McCann 87

16 South Fork Eel River-Sylvandale to Weott 92

17 South Fork Eel River-Leggett to Redway 95

18 Lake Sonoma 102

San Francisco Bay Region 106

19 Marin-China Camp Shoreline 107

20 Marin-San Pablo Strait to Raccoon Strait 110

21 Marin-Angel Island 114

22 East Bay-Richmond to Emeryville 118

23 East Bay-San Leandro Bay and Alameda Island 122

24 Lafayette Reservoir 125

25 Lake Del Valle 127

26 Lexington Reservoir 129

Central Valley 131

27 Sacramento River-Redding to Balls Ferry 132

28 Sacramento River-Balls Ferry to Red Bluff 137

29 Sacramento River-Red Bluff to Woodson Bridge 142

30 Sacramento River-Woodson Bridge to Colusa 146

31 Feather River-Oroville to Wildlife Refuge 152

32 Yuba River 156

33 Cache Creek-North Fork to Bear Creek 162

34 Cache Creek-Rumsey Canyon 166

35 Cache Creek-Capay Valley 171

36 Lake Natoma 173

37 American River Parkway 177

38 Mokelumne River below Camanche 184

39 Stanislaus River-Knights Ferry to McHenry Recreation Area 189

40 Tuolumne River-La Grange to Waterford 194

41 Tuolumne River-Waterford to Shiloh Bridge 199

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta 204

42 Suisun Slough 205

43 Sherman Island Lake 210

44 Big Break 215

45 Franks Tract and Sand Mound Slough 219

46 Delta Meadows 223

47 Cosumnes River Preserve 230

Sierra Region 234

48 Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park 235

49 Eagle Lake 238

50 Juniper Lake 242

51 Mountain Meadows Reservoir (Walker Lake) 245

52 Antelope Lake 247

53 Round Valley Reservoir 249

54 Feather River, Middle Fork-Sloat to Nelson Point 251

55 Little Grass Valley Reservoir 253

56 Lake Spaulding 255

57 Lake Valley Reservoir 258

58 Bear River-Colfax to Dog Bar 261

59 American River, North Fork-Colfax to Lake Clementine 265

60 American River, North Fork-Lake Clementine 271

61 American River, North Fork-Auburn to Folsom Lake 274

62 American River, North Fork Arm-Folsom Lake 279

63 Sugar Pine Reservoir 283

64 French Meadows Reservoir 285

65 American River, Middle Fork-Greenwood Bridge to Mammoth Bar 288

66 American River, South. Fork-Chili Bar to Folsom Lake 292

67 Mokelumne River-Electra Run 299

68 Truckee River-Tahoe City to River Ranch 303

69 Truckee River-River Ranch to Floriston 307

70 Lake Tahoe 313

71 Carson River, East Fork 320

72 Mono Lake 324

Appendix A Flows, Tides, Waves, and Storms 329

Appendix B For More Information 333

Appendix C Further Reading 345

Appendix D California Paddling Organizations 347

Paddling Index 348

About the Author 350