California whitewater - Bear River, Northern Sierra Nevada, Nevada / Placer County

Nevada / Placer county, Highway 174 Bridge to Lake Combie section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS II-V     11 miles
  Whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state is often more difficult than elsewhere, so you'd better keep in mind that a lot of the rivers here are not suitable for beginners. The scenic beauty of Nevada / Placer County and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream beats anything. The starting location is a reasonable drive from Truckee-Grass Valley, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. Whitewater paddling here in the Northern Sierra Nevada is a great experience. You might have to settle for a hotel
    a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way in this general area you'll find lots of paddling spots.
You can enjoy this stretch more if you take your time, so go ahead and pack your camp stove. Getting a good workout and just hanging out with mother nature have a lot of people coming here. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. This section of Bear River is 11 miles long and it is classified as a class II-V section by American Whitewater. Bear River doesn't have a lot of paddling stretches, the Highway 174 Bridge to Lake Combie stretch is the only one.

Briefly about the general area:
Bear River mostly gets a great deal
 
of precipitation; most of the rain falls through January, and July on the other hand is the driest. Summer brings highs in the 80's to Bear River while overnight lows are regularly in the 50's. The cold days of the winter come with highs in the 40's with winter lows in the 20's overnight here at Bear River.
If you crave a little side visit, try Hidden Valley.

Bear River, Highway 174 Bridge to Lake Combie road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: II-V
Length: 11 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 39.13119
Longitude: -120.95771

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 39.03409
Longitude: -121.0274

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Current weather conditions at Bear River, Northern Sierra Nevada, California
WXPort

Local climate location: NEVADA CITY 4 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Golden Chain Resort Motel, Grass Valley
6 miles away
The Golden Chain Resort Motel is a quiet, restful place. Nestled amongst the Ponderosa Pines at 2400 feet above sea level, we are located above the fog and below heavy snows, only 2.5 miles south of G...

Golden Chain Grass Valley, Grass Valley
6 miles away
The Golden Chain Resort Motel is a quiet, restful place. Nestled amongst the Ponderosa Pines at 2400 feet above sea level, we are located above the fog and below heavy snows, only 2.5 miles south of G...

Stagecoach Motel, Grass Valley
8 miles away
Located four blocks from scenic historic downtown Grass Valley in the heart of the gold country....



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 Bear River, California
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Bear River, 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 Bear River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Bear River.
 Whitewater Near Bear River:
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 5 miles away, Class IV-V - 4.8 miles long (Colfax-Iowa Hill Road to Colfax-Foresthill Road Bridge)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 6 miles away, Class II-III - 5 miles long (Colfax-Foresthill Road Bridge to Ponderosa Way Bridge)
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 , 9 miles away, Class II-IV(V+) - 17 miles long (Oxbow Bend to Drivers Flat Road)
American River - North Fork, Placer County , 11 miles away, Class II - 3 miles long (Confluence with Middle Fork 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)
Yuba River - South Fork, Nevada County , 13 miles away, Class IV - 4 miles long (Edwards Crossing to Purdon Crossing)
Yuba River - South Fork, Nevada County , 13 miles away, Class IV-V - 4 miles long (Purdon's Crossing to Route 49)
Yuba River - South Fork, Nevada County , 15 miles away, Class IV-V - 7.2 miles long (Route 49 to Bridgeport)
American River - South Fork, El Dorado County , 16 miles away, Class III+ - 15 miles long (Lotus Campground to Folsom Lake)
 Ski Areas Near Bear River:
Royal Gorge, California , 42 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Soda Springs, California , 44 miles away, 652 vertical feet
Boreal, California , 46 miles away, 500 vertical feet
Sugar Bowl, California , 47 miles away, 1500 vertical feet
Donner Ski Ranch, California , 48 miles away, 750 vertical feet
Alpine Meadows, California , 52 miles away, 1802 vertical feet
Squaw Valley, California , 52 miles away, 2850 vertical feet
Tahoe Donner, California , 53 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Homewood, California , 57 miles away, 1650 vertical feet
Granlibakken, California , 58 miles away, 300 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Bear River:
Golden Chain Resort Motel, Grass Valley , 6 miles away
Golden Chain Grass Valley, Grass Valley , 6 miles away
Stagecoach Motel, Grass Valley , 8 miles away
Stage Coach Motel Grass Valley, Grass Valley , 8 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites GOLD MINERS INN-GRASS VALLEY, Grass Valley , 9 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Bear River:
Bear River Campground, Colfax, 0 miles away
Orchard Springs Resort, Colfax, 2 miles away
Long Ravine Campground, Placer County, 5 miles away
 Trails Near Bear River:
South Yuba Trail, Nevada County , 14 miles away, 2.3 hiking miles, 929 feet elevation difference
Green Valley Trail, Placer County , 15 miles away, 2.8 hiking miles, 2371 feet elevation difference
Humbug Trail, Nevada County , 15 miles away,  4 hiking miles, 1041 feet elevation difference
Euchre Bar Trail, Placer County , 18 miles away, 3.3 hiking miles, 1947 feet elevation difference
American Eagle Trail, Placer County , 20 miles away,  1.8 hiking miles, 190 feet elevation difference
 Golf Courses Near Bear River:
Darkhorse Golf Club, Auburn , 5 miles away
 Lakes Near Bear River

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