Big Kimshew Creek V-V+



Perhaps the most notorious commonly run creek in California, Big Kimshew Creek flows out of the Northern Sierras into the East Branch Feather River near the town of Paradise outside of Chico. Plagued by a short season and tricky shuttle roads, Big Kimshew Creek is as well known for both denying access to traveling kayakers and its big waterfalls.

Ben Stookesberry, Ryan Knight, Chris Korbulic, Big Kimshew at its finest.


This was to be my third attempt at Big Kimshew, snow and/or gates stopping us on the previous attempts. The window in Kimshew can be short, most years it only has flows for a few weeks after the roads clear of snow, and often the flow winder is even shorter. This year, however, we knew we were in luck. Taylor Robertson had worked his connections and found out that not only were the gates open, but the road was plowed due to active logging operations. Not only did we have guaranteed flows and access, but the ideal trip leader for a day on Big Kimshew, Taylor is renown as the “Mayer of Kimshew” with over six runs in just one season, and years of experience no one knows the lines better.

Having this and other members experience on the creek was key, because of a leisurely start and rolling deep with a group of ten people, we knew that downstream movement would the tone for the day.

Right off we had to figure out a decent shuttle option, how to get ten people, boats and gear to the put in? One large Ford pickup, courtesy Devin Knight.


The shuttle on Kimshew can be complicated, but this was Taylor’s third Kimshew mission of the week and Ben's second day in a row, so we were set. The shuttle starts off as Reston Road, and then follow “200R” until the only spot on the drive Big Kimshew is visible from.

Jesse Coombs can’t help but smile at the first glance of the goods.


Parking at the overlook, we quickly unleaded and headed fifty yards further down the road to a steep game trail that led to the lip of the island portage, cutting off a mile of “boogie water” and shortening the day to six miles. Boogie water on Kimshew is better than most runs, and soon enough were scouting “LJ’s” a tricky tight slot into several sticky holes, where Taylor styled through, Ben pulled a quick roll and I surfed one of the holes for too long before working my way out and running the rest of the drop. Whew, I was awake after this one!

Typical boogie water on Big Kimshew Creek.


Not too long after “LJ’s” was the unnamed twenty footer, it has a nice lead that requires a strong drive to the right.
Taylor Robertson


Jesse Coombs


After the twenty footer it was a blur of lines, I just tried to stay as close to Taylor’s lead as possible, and after countless clean slides and boulder gardens were arrived at Kimshew Falls. Kimshew Falls is a beautiful forty foot cascade leading into a gorge with several mandatory slides and falls in the twenty foot range. It has a big recovery pool, but is not a place to swim…not that anywhere on Kimshew is.

Chris Gabrielli, Kimshew Falls, fired up!


Jesse Coombs


Chris, Taylor and Jesse below Kimshew Falls and above the bedrock section.



Below Kimshew Falls the next mile is unbelievable, bedrock slide and waterfall back to back until triple drop.
Pedro Oliva, unnamed slide above Triple Drop.


Ben Stookesberry styling the slide.


Triple Drop is well known as the most commonly portaged rapid on Big Kimshew Creek, and is a massive slide dropping over several tiers and then into the wall, making a hard left turn and creating an inescapable eddy on the right. Ben and Chris gave it a good scout before deciding to run it.

This slide is steeper and longer than it looks. Ben Stookesberry makes it look too easy.


From the top I could tell that Chris liked it, and I’m sure Ben’s smooth line didn’t hurt.

Chris Korbulic giving ‘er one last look.


Chris Korbulic at the top of Triple Drop.


Not getting as far right in the entrance as Ben, Chris ended up in the eddy on the right. Thankfully Devin had set safety before hand and was there to help Chris out of the eddy.

Good safety, Devin Knight helping Chris Korbulic.


Looking back up and evaluating his line.


Ben Stookesberry, thinking “whew that looked spicy!”



While the rest of the group finished portaging Tripe Drop, we paddled with speed down through several narrow sticky slot drop holes and a few great slides that are between Triple Drop and Frenchys.

Jesse Coombs, typical Big Kimshew read and run.


Devin Knight enjoying some scenery…


The lead in to Frenchy’s 40 is every bit as large as the above drop, and although only a class IV move, it’s right at the lip of a tricky forty footer, making it a common portage.

We all portaged around the lead in, and a few of us chose to run the waterfall while most portaged. Frenchy’s 40 is a tricky drop, the wall is only ten to fifteen feet from the landing, and while it’s temping to go left, doing so involves a auto boof flake into green water, a hit taken yesterday that Ben described as one of his worst….ever.

Taylor Robertson leading the charge over Frenchys.


Devin Knight hitting the ideal line on the forty footer.


While getting photographs I was distracted by this unusual looking lizard.


Watching Taylor, Devin and Jesse style Frenchys, I decided I was motivated and seal launched in from river left, ferried across and locked in. Following Devin’s advice, I left the eddy high up and came down just left of center, pulling up my right knee about halfway down the drop, plugged in deep to the soft pillow and resurfaced upright with a huge grin.

Even though the waterfall seems like the end of the run, several significant drops lie below it, including one portage around a very sticky hole that has been run. The scenery on Big Kimshew Creek is amazingly diverse, from pure California scoured granite to West Virginia dense forest overhanging the river, it seemed to have it all. Eventually we came around a corner and eddied out with our takeout bridge in site, a site for sore eyes and muscles. The last drop on Kimshew is as classic as the rest of the run, a nice fifteen to twenty foot falls, boofed melting into a fold.

Devin Knight finishing up a great day on Big Kimshew


Chris Gabrielli, afternoon light & delight.



On the whole Big Kimshew is a classic for class V boaters, but expect to walk away tired and quite possibly sore from taking a few hits, we had three swims, two broken paddles and one broken boat with ten people on the water. Shuttle logistics are quite impossible to explain, besides going to the confluence of the West Branch and Big Kimshew, backtracking to Reston road, following it and “200R” as far as possible. The flow window is short, and it generally flows during the peak of snowmelt in May. If you go without a kayaker that has done Big Kimshew, I recommend completing the shuttle the day before and camping at the put-in, expect a long day with lots of scouting, great rapids, slides, falls and scenery.