California whitewater - American River - South Fork, Northern Sierra Nevada, El Dorado County

El Dorado county, Lotus Campground to Folsom Lake section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III+     15 miles
  The starting point is not too far from Sacramento—Arden-Arcade—Roseville, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. The scenic beauty of El Dorado County and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream are reasons enough to come here and paddle. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking there are lots of good places for that around here. This stretch of American River - South Fork in California is 15 miles long and has been rated as a class III+ section by American Whitewater. The campgrounds here
    at American River - South Fork are pretty good. Great exercise and just being out on the river for a while are sure to keep you coming back for more. The average California whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be harder to run than those in other states, so keep in mind
that many of the sections here are not safe for beginners. If you'll be staying in a hotel you're in luck, lodging is available very near the river, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. The wild scenery of the Northern Sierra Nevada is great. If you have the time you can make this a two day trip, so pack your camp stove. This river system is full of great paddling sections, the Lotus Campground to Folsom Lake section is just one of them.

Briefly about the general area:
A perfect place to take a look at in
 
close proximity to American River - South Fork is Norton Ravine. Through the long summer days at American River - South Fork highs are commonly in the 90's while overnight lows are commonly in the 60's. Daytime highs during the wintertime are in the 50's while the cold winter nights at American River - South Fork are in the 30's.
American River - South Fork gets a normal amount of annual rainfall; the month with most of the rain is January, and the driest of the months is July.

American River - South Fork, Lotus Campground to Folsom Lake road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III+
Length: 15 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 38.80459
Longitude: -120.907

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 38.7731
Longitude: -121.03691

Paddler input for American River - South Fork, California:

Submit Input:
Your Name:
Write or Paste Input here:

Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines




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

Local climate location: AUBURN 13 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Travelodge Of Auburn, Auburn
9 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...

Holiday Inn Auburn, Ca, Auburn
9 miles away
The Holiday Inn Auburn Hotel is located in the foothills of the Sierra Mountain along historic Hwy. 49, rich in history of early settlers and the gold mining era. Coloma, just minutes away, will take ...

Best Western Golden Key, Auburn
9 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 ...



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 - South Fork, California
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on American River - South 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 Sacramento—Arden-Arcade—Roseville, California
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Sacramento—Arden-Arcade—Roseville, California, the metro area neareast to American River - South Fork. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near American River - South Fork.
 Whitewater Near American River - South Fork:
American River - South Fork, El Dorado County , 3 miles away, Class II-IV - 20.5 miles long (Route 193 to Folsom Lake)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 8 miles away, Class II - 3 miles long (Confluence with Middle Fork to Folsom Lake)
American River - Middle Fork, Placer / El Dorado County , 8 miles away, Class I(II) - 7.1 miles long (former Greenwood Bridge to Mammoth Bar)
American River - Middle Fork, Placer/El Dorado County , 11 miles away, Class II-IV(V+) - 17 miles long (Oxbow Bend to Drivers Flat Road)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 13 miles away, Class II-III - 5 miles long (Colfax-Foresthill Road Bridge to Ponderosa Way Bridge)
Cosumnes River, El Dorado / Amador / Sacramento County , 14 miles away, Class II-V - 20 miles long (Highway 49 to Highway 16)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 16 miles away, Class IV-V - 4.8 miles long (Colfax-Iowa Hill Road to Colfax-Foresthill Road Bridge)
Bear River, Nevada / Placer County , 16 miles away, Class II-V - 11 miles long (Highway 174 Bridge to Lake Combie)
American River - South Fork, El Dorado County , 16 miles away, Class IV-V - 7 miles long (Slab Creek Dam to White Rock Powerhouse)
Cosumnes River - Middle Fork, El Dorado County , 17 miles away, Class IV-V+ - 11 miles long (Outingdale to Highway 49)
 Ski Areas Near American River - South Fork:
Royal Gorge, California , 48 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Soda Springs, California , 50 miles away, 652 vertical feet
Boreal, California , 52 miles away, 500 vertical feet
Sugar Bowl, California , 52 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Donner Ski Ranch, California , 53 miles away, 750 vertical feet
Alpine Meadows, California , 55 miles away, 1802 vertical feet
Squaw Valley, California , 55 miles away, 2850 vertical feet
Tahoe Donner, California , 58 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Homewood, California , 58 miles away, 1650 vertical feet
Granlibakken, California , 60 miles away, 300 vertical feet
 Hotels Near American River - South Fork:
Cafe Mahjaic, Lotus , 4 miles away
Sierra Nevada House, Coloma , 6 miles away
The Restaurant at The Sierra Nevada House, Coloma , 6 miles away
Best Western Cameron Park Inn, Shingle Springs , 7 miles away
Power's Mansion Inn, Auburn , 9 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near American River - South Fork:
Ponderosa Park Campground, Lotus, 5 miles away
American River Resort-coloma, Coloma, 6 miles away
Coloma Resort and RV Park, Coloma, 6 miles away
 Golf Courses Near American River - South Fork:
Bass Lake Golf Course, Rescue , 5 miles away
 Lakes Near American River - South Fork

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