California whitewater - American River - Middle Fork, Northern Sierra Nevada, Placer/El Dorado County

Placer/El Dorado county, Oxbow Bend to Drivers Flat Road section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS II-IV(V+)     17 miles
  The starting point is not too far from Truckee-Grass Valley, please print out a copy of the road map further down the page so you won’t get lost. The beautiful scenery of California and the cool fresh water are reasons enough to come here and paddle. The Oxbow Bend to Drivers Flat Road section of American River - Middle Fork in Placer/El Dorado County is 17 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class II-IV(V+) section. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. The beauty of the Northern Sierra Nevada is a great plus
    for this river. This is not the only paddling stretch in this river system, there are others too. Not too many hotels nearby, you'll have to drive a bit to get to one, and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. A bit of exercise and just hanging out with mother nature
have people coming from far and near. If you have the time you can make this a two day trip, so go ahead and pack your sleeping bag. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way around here you'll find a large number of good places. The sections for whitewater rafting and kayaking here in California are often more challenging than in other states, so don't forget that many of the rivers here are not very forgiving.

Briefly about the general area:
Through the warmest time of the year highs here at
 
American River - Middle Fork get into the 80's. When the night sets in temperatures sink down into the 50's. The winter brings highs down to the 40's, and through the dark hours in the wintertime at American River - Middle Fork temperatures fall to the 20's. Having a great time in the Northern Sierra Nevada is painless.
Big Snyder Gulch is near American River - Middle Fork and is beyond doubt a great site to stop by, and Ruck-A-Chucky Rapids is always fun to check out. American River - Middle Fork is a reasonably wet place ordinarily with a large amount of rain; through January this area sees the most rain while July is the month with the least amount of precipitation.

American River - Middle Fork, Oxbow Bend to Drivers Flat Road road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: II-IV(V+)
Length: 17 miles
Average Gradient: 23 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 39.00416
Longitude: -120.74723

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 38.91666
Longitude: -121.04028

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Current weather conditions at American River - Middle Fork, Northern Sierra Nevada, California
WXPort

Local climate location: NEVADA CITY 13 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Best Western Golden Key, Auburn
11 miles away
Located in the heart of Gold Country, a 'treasure' awaits you at the Best Western Golden Key in Auburn. You can explore oak and pine forests as well as discover the history and excitement of the Gold ...

Travelodge Of Auburn, Auburn
11 miles away
A 2005 President's Circle Award Winner, the Travelodge of Auburn is a newly renovated property located on I-80 in the historic city of Auburn. Auburn is famous for gold panning, antiques, river raftin...

Comfort Inn Central, Auburn
12 miles away
The Comfort Inn Central is ideally located just 30 miles from Sacramento with easy access from local freeways. Hotel is close to Thunder Valley Casino, the American River Canyon, the Sierra Nevadas an...



OTHER_INFO
  Northern Sierra Nevada Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Northern Sierra Nevada.

Northern Sierra Nevada Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Northern Sierra Nevada.

All California Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in California.
Books about whitewater paddling on American River - Middle Fork, California
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on American River - Middle Fork, California.
Find a whitewater outfitter in California

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Truckee-Grass Valley, California
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Truckee-Grass Valley, California, the metro area neareast to American River - Middle Fork. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near American River - Middle Fork.
 Whitewater Near American River - Middle Fork:
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 4 miles away, Class II-III - 5 miles long (Colfax-Foresthill Road Bridge to Ponderosa Way Bridge)
American River - Middle Fork, Placer / El Dorado County , 5 miles away, Class I(II) - 7.1 miles long (former Greenwood Bridge to Mammoth Bar)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 6 miles away, Class IV-V - 4.8 miles long (Colfax-Iowa Hill Road to Colfax-Foresthill Road Bridge)
Bear River, Nevada / Placer County , 9 miles away, Class II-V - 11 miles long (Highway 174 Bridge to Lake Combie)
American River - South Fork, El Dorado County , 10 miles away, Class II-IV - 20.5 miles long (Route 193 to Folsom Lake)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 11 miles away, Class IV-V - 14.5 miles long (Euchre Bar to Colfax-Iowa Hill Road)
American River - South Fork, El Dorado County , 11 miles away, Class III+ - 15 miles long (Lotus Campground to Folsom Lake)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 11 miles away, Class II - 3 miles long (Confluence with Middle Fork to Folsom Lake)
American River - Middle Fork, Placer County , 12 miles away, Class IV-V - 2.1 miles long (Mosquito Ridge Road to confluence with Middle Fork)
American River - South Fork, El Dorado County , 15 miles away, Class IV-V - 7 miles long (Slab Creek Dam to White Rock Powerhouse)
 Ski Areas Near American River - Middle Fork:
Royal Gorge, California , 38 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Soda Springs, California , 40 miles away, 652 vertical feet
Boreal, California , 43 miles away, 500 vertical feet
Sugar Bowl, California , 43 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Donner Ski Ranch, California , 43 miles away, 750 vertical feet
Alpine Meadows, California , 47 miles away, 1802 vertical feet
Squaw Valley, California , 47 miles away, 2850 vertical feet
Tahoe Donner, California , 49 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Homewood, California , 51 miles away, 1650 vertical feet
Granlibakken, California , 52 miles away, 300 vertical feet
 Hotels Near American River - Middle Fork:
Best Western Golden Key, Auburn , 11 miles away
Travelodge Of Auburn, Auburn , 11 miles away
Comfort Inn Central, Auburn , 12 miles away
Holiday Inn Auburn, Ca, Auburn , 13 miles away
Historic Cary House Hotel, Placerville , 14 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near American River - Middle Fork:
Sky View Terrace Mobile Home, Foresthill, 2 miles away
Starlight Cafe, Foresthill, 5 miles away
Orchard Springs Resort, Colfax, 8 miles away
 Trails Near American River - Middle Fork:
Green Valley Trail, Placer County , 13 miles away, 2.8 hiking miles, 2371 feet elevation difference
Bake Oven Trail, Placer County , 14 miles away,  9 hiking miles, 2032 feet elevation difference
Nevada Point Trail, El Dorado County , 15 miles away, 5.3 hiking miles, 2771 feet elevation difference
Euchre Bar Trail, Placer County , 16 miles away, 3.3 hiking miles, 1947 feet elevation difference
American Eagle Trail, Placer County , 17 miles away,  1.8 hiking miles, 190 feet elevation difference
Italian Bar Trail, Placer County , 20 miles away,  4 hiking miles, 2437 feet elevation difference

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater