California whitewater - Chowchilla River, Central Sierra Nevada, Madera County

Madera county, Road 810 to Road 800 section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III-IV     7 miles
  The average California whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be harder to run than those in other states, so better not forget that a lot of the rivers here are not suitable for beginners. If you're coming from Madera it's not a long drive at all to the put-in location, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. The Road 810 to Road 800 stretch of Chowchilla River in California is 7 miles long and is a class III-IV section of whitewater according to American Whitewater. No matter if you're whitewater rafting
    or kayaking this is an area with plenty of rivers for that. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. The Central Sierra Nevada scenery is wonderful. Chowchilla River doesn't have a lot of paddling stretches, the Road 810 to Road 800 stretch is the only one.
The natural beauty of California and the water flowing gracefully down Chowchilla River beats anything. On this section you do get some distance, good for a one day paddling trip. Not too many hotels nearby, you'll have to drive a bit to get to one, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Great exercise and spending some quality time in nature have a lot of people coming here.

Briefly about the general area:
Just can't get enough of the Central Sierra Nevada. A tour to Specimen Springs will fill your soul with brilliant
 
feelings, and nearby you stumble on magnificent spots like Leland Gulch.
The warmest time of the year at Chowchilla River arrives with high temperatures in the 80's. Once the sun is down it descends down to the 50's. During the winter highs are in the 40's; nighttime lows at Chowchilla River during the wintertime generally sink into the 20's. Chowchilla River gets a typical amount of annual rainfall; the month with most of the rain is January, and July on the other hand is the driest.

Chowchilla River, Road 810 to Road 800 road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III-IV
Length: 7 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.33679
Longitude: -119.81961

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.28799
Longitude: -119.86811

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Current weather conditions at Chowchilla River, Central Sierra Nevada, California
WXPort

Local climate location: CHERRY VALLEY DAM 25 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Best Western Yosemite Way Station, Mariposa
13 miles away
Stay at this Mariposa, California hotel in historic Gold Country near the scenic Sierra Foothills and in close proximity to hiking in Yosemite National Park. The Best Western Yosemite Way Station Mo...

Super 8 Motel Mariposa /Yosemite National Park Area, Mariposa
13 miles away
Gateway to Yosemite National Park Enjoy Skiing, Fishing, Hiking, Golfing Complimentary Super Start Plus Breakfast Outdoor Seasonal Pool (summer only) Microwave/Refrigerator available Located...

Comfort Inn Mariposa, Mariposa
13 miles away
Shops and restaurants within walking distance. California State Mining and Mineral Exhibition 2 miles. Hotel located in historic Gold Country on year round highway to Yosemite National Park. Boating, ...



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

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

All California Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in California.
Books about whitewater paddling on Chowchilla River, California
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Chowchilla 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 Madera, California
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Madera, California, the metro area neareast to Chowchilla River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Chowchilla River.
 Whitewater Near Chowchilla River:
Fresno River, Madera County , 6 miles away, Class IV-V(V+) - 11 miles long (Road 600 to Road 415)
Fresno River, Madera County , 8 miles away, Class IV-V+ - 12 miles long (Road 415 to boat ramp Close to dam at Lake Hensley)
Fresno River, Madera County , 8 miles away, Class III-V - 3 miles long (Goldside Drive off road 600 to Road 600)
Coarse Gold Creek, Madera County , 10 miles away, Class IV-V - 5 miles long (Coarsegold to Spinelli Road)
Big Creek, Mariposa County , 17 miles away, Class IV-V+ - 1 miles long (Chowchilla Mountain Road to South Fork Merced River)
Merced River - South Fork, Mariposa County , 18 miles away, Class III-IV - 7.4 miles long (Snyder Gulch to Route 140 Bridge)
Merced River, Mariposa County , 20 miles away, Class II-V - 29 miles long (El Portal to Route 49 at Lake McClure)
Willow Creek, Madera County , 20 miles away, Class V - 3 miles long (Chilkoot Campground to Bass Lake)
Merced River, Mariposa County , 20 miles away, Class IV - 17 miles long (Red Bud to Bagby Reservoir)
Willow Creek, Madera County , 21 miles away, Class V - 3 miles long (Greys Mt. Campground to Chilkoot Campground)
 Ski Areas Near Chowchilla River:
Badger Pass, California , 23 miles away, 800 vertical feet
Sierra Summit, California , 48 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Dodge Ridge, California , 49 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
June Mountain, California , 58 miles away, 2590 vertical feet
Mammoth Mountain, California , 61 miles away, 3100 vertical feet
Bear Valley, California , 66 miles away, 1900 vertical feet
Kirkwood, California , 77 miles away, 2000 vertical feet
Sierra at Tahoe, California , 83 miles away, 2212 vertical feet
Heavenly, California , 89 miles away, 3500 vertical feet
Homewood, California , 100 miles away, 1650 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Chowchilla River:
Best Western Yosemite Way Station, Mariposa , 13 miles away
Super 8 Motel Mariposa /Yosemite National Park Area, Mariposa , 13 miles away
Comfort Inn Mariposa, Mariposa , 13 miles away
Best Western Yosemite Gateway Inn, Oakhurst , 14 miles away
Comfort Inn Oakhurst, Oakhurst , 14 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Chowchilla River:
Park Sierra, Coarsegold, 10 miles away
Yosemite South-coarsegold Rnch, Coarsegold, 10 miles away
Mariposa Fairgrounds, Mariposa, 11 miles away
 Trails Near Chowchilla River:
Hite Cove Trail, Mariposa County , 17 miles away,  14.4 hiking miles, 1185 feet elevation difference
 National Parks Near Chowchilla River:
Yosemite National Park, Yosemite National Park - CA , 19 miles away

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