Silver Fork of the South Fork American River V-V+



All kinds of opinions float around about this run, from highly positive mentions of big rapids and some slides to dismal stories of a steep, sieve filled boulder gardens. The latter reports made the run low on my must run list.


Matt Thomas and I were camped off Icehouse Road, a little sore from a full day on Golden Gate. We decided it would be nice to take it easy the next day. In the morning we met up with Scott Ligare and Thomas Moore, somehow fooling ourselves into believing Silver Fork would be a quick easy day...

The shuttle was nice and quick, and a picturesque put in had us in a relaxed frame of mind, except perhaps Thomas, who was aware of what we were about to drop into.

Matt Thomas scouts the first rapid of Silver Fork.


As we came to the first horizon line two things were rapidly ostensible. It was a big rapid, and flows were high. I was still recovering from a sprained ankle & bruised heel, and relied on beta from Matt Thomas.

Thomas Moore was willing to probe, and sold us on the rapid.


Matt Thomas finishes the first rapid, it was considerably larger than it looked from the top.


A short pool vanished around the corner, and as we made the turn gradient picked up and we bombed through a set of slides, trying to avoid large holes when possible and melting through some mandatory seams.

During a brief surf Thomas realized the river was higher than he had ever seen it, and the lines weren't the same. Scouting more drops was in order, and we quickly portaged around a nasty hole.


Once done with our portage, the river dropped over an unusual slide with a big toilet bowl eddy on the left, and then dropped again.

Thomas Moore lines up just left of center for the toilet bowl slide.


Matt Thomas carries momentum into the second part of the drop that hides a somewhat retentive hole.


We made a quick portage around the next rapid due to the high flows creating a massive hole just upstream of a sieve, it might have gone but the risk vs reward factor was too low for my taste.

The river took a quick bend to the left, then got incredibly steep and not clean. Thomas mentioned that with less water you can push down into some lower eddies, but we deemed it prudent to start our portage a little higher up.

A quick ferry avoids lots of extra climbing in the steep section, and Matt Thomas gets it done.


Looking back upstream at Carwash. There is a big rapid leading into this, and according to the rumor mill the whole set has been run, but no one has stayed in their boat either.


"Bruised Balls Falls" is immediately downstream of Carwash. It has been run many times, but is notorious for a shelf in the bottom, and famous for a run that resulted in a broken bulkhead and damaged goods.

Matt Thomas and Thomas Moore debating the line for bruised balls.


We all decided to play it safe with the high flows, although arguably the waterfall might be safer with more padding. Looking back upstream with the falls at the top of the photo.


Below Bruised Balls we were able to stay in our boats for the majority of the run out, which consisted of steep mank and not so steep mank, all the way to the confluence with the South Fork American. Somewhere in the mix of the boulders was a very exciting slide to auto boof over a meaty hole, quite fun and out of character.

Thomas Moore firing away in the steep boulder gardens.


I know I will be back on Silver Fork again, yet do not consider it classic. Some do.

Because of water levels it was not the quick run we were expecting, the three miles and change took us longer than eight had on Golden Gate. If flows are medium and a group member knows the line it is reportedly a quick run.

If I remember correctly we had around 800cfs at Kyburz.

Silver Fork Put-In

Silver Fork Take-Out

Yuba Gap V-V+


Chris Korbulic in the Yuba Gap.


Legend of Yuba Gap has surfaced during many shuttle drives on the upper echelon of California kayak runs. I first heard of the run from Devin Knight, one of the few who had done the run prior to the 2009 flow study. He referred to Yuba Gap as one of the best runs he had ever done, full of locked in gorges, bedrock slides and long boulder gardens, all in a wilderness quality setting. Calling any run a "best" in California is a big statement, considering Big Kimshew, the South Branch, Upper Middle Cosumnes and many others, the state has many of the best day runs in North America. So why has the Yuba Gap escaped the media blitz and notoriety of it's fellows?


It's not that Yuba Gap is the most remote run, the put-in is only five minutes off highway 20, and the shuttle is straight forward. It's not the amount of portaging as only two are mandatory, and none are technical or require rope work. It is a longer day, but possible to do in a day even if you have never seen it, and only a four hour run if someone knows the lines.

Water, or lack of, has kept Yuba Gap a secret for so long. The run previously only had water from the unpredictable Lake Spaulding spill, and no gauge. Everyone that wanted to do the run had driven to it at least several times to find too much water, or fish flows. Generally the lake would spill 1,200 for a few days then get shut off, offering no window at all. Thanks to the hard work of American Whitewater, we had our first flow study on the South Fork Yuba in 2009, with a release of 300cfs for three days on Yuba Gap.

The run is seven miles long, from Bowman Lake Road to Golden Quartz day use area. All the flow comes from Lake Spaulding, and although the run has a short shuttle, it's very remote and once past the initial gorges, hiking out would be an epic undertaking.

Our first day we were lucky enough to meet up with Little Dave, Charlie Center and Lane Jacobs, who had all done the run before. What followed was an intense routing fest with our over sized group of ten. The following day we went back with a nice three pack of Chris Korbulic, Taylor Cavin and myself. We set slightly mellower pace, taking time to get a few shots but still moving fast.

At the put in a steep "trail" leads to the river, and we floated a short pool to the first boulder garden. This rapid sets the tones for rapids on the run, a blind boulder garden, that while not exactly manky is only clean if you are dead on line.

A pool below the boulder garden reveals a tall horizon line, and if you don't know the lines, it's time to scout the whole gorge. Thankfully we knew the lines from day one, relayed the info and boofed into the gorge.

Yuba Gap has the best start of any run I have ever done, a 15' boof onto a pillow with a short slide after it, then a perfect calm pool, followed by a 20-30' high slide, a ledge and another nice big slide into a pool where the walls spread out and offer egress from the gorge. There is nowhere to get out at river level, so perhaps one day I'll hike down and get shots from the gorge rim. If you are gripped and not enjoying the run at this point, it's time to hike out, it only picks up in difficulty downstream.

A multi-move boulder garden leads into one of the longer portages down the left, ending at "Emerald Pools" and the start of the second gorge. Smaller slides lead into the first scout of the day.

Taylor Cavin finishes the hourglass slide in an unusual style - upright.


Devin had raved about the hourglass slide, and the feature was intimidating as it pinched int a 10' wide slot before opening up again, but the friction climb portage was even more intimidating.

With a big pillow on the right, and an even larger pillow on the left, it's hard to stay upright through the hourglass.

Chris Korbulic getting a face full of the first pillow.


There is a nice big recovery pool before the next drop, a slide that mandates a quality plug into the depths.

Litte Dave


Four drops from 10'-30' high are required to finish the second gorge, many of which can't be scouted at river level. If the run has regular flows, an afternoon lap & hike back up could be done on this section.

Below the gorges, the river turns to big boulder gardens, interspersed with bits of bedrock and the steepest gradient of the section. A few portages are mixed in with the long, complex and occasionally sievey boulder gardens.

A quick portage around the Island on Yuba Gap.


Taylor Cavin enjoys a great end of the portage.


This side of the Island has only been run once by Lane Jacobs.


Steep boulder gardens, follow, until another quick portage around the entrance to a nice big slide. I consider this section the crux of the run.

Chris Korbulic is ready to bounce...


Taylor Cavin bounces down the same goods.


More boulder gardens link together after the slide, and then the river bends left and enters one last gorge of two big drops. The first is the cleaner of the two, a mandatory boof into a large pillow. The second drop is a twenty five foot high waterfall. Tragically there is a rock on the right side of the landing, and there is a line to the left of it, but it's barely more than a boat width wide.

Taylor Cavin runs the first drop of the final gorge.


On both of my runs those who portaged went up and over on the left. During the portaged we inspected other options, and agreed that next time we would run the first drop (or portage at river level) and portage the top half of the second drop on the right, allowing us to run the slide at the bottom of it and shorten the portage by a considerable amount.

Lane Jacobs running the first tier.


Charlie Center getting left on the twenty five footer.


Below the gorge the river opens up, and there are optional portages around a few questionable drops that some run, then a bunch of IV-V boulder garden boogie, a quick portage around two mean holes with undercuts, and one final moderate effort portage.

The Crane Falls.


Large caves await a missed line, and we all chose to portage both days, although the rapid has been run.


Once past the crane, the river relaxes into a class IV character with the occasional easy V for the next two miles to take out.

With only two mandatory portages, you can go as big as you want in Yuba Gap, although most portage at least five times. Consistent class V for five miles won't leave you wanting at the end of the day. With a prospective future of reliable releases, Yuba Gap is sure to become a modern classic.

Take out at Golden Quartz Picnic Area, and put in at Langs Crossing on Bowman Lake Road.

Six pack on the Previa!


Flows can be found on the new gauge on Dreamflows. 300 is ideal.