California whitewater - Mad River, Coast Ranges, Humboldt County

Humboldt county, Jackshaw Road to Butler Valley-Maple Creek Road section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III-V     10 miles
  The nature scenery of California and the playfulness of the water are reasons enough to come here and paddle. This stretch of Mad River in Humboldt County is 10 miles long and it is classified as a class III-V section by American Whitewater. Whitewater rafting and kayaking spots in California are harder than the national norm, so if you're visiting here do keep in mind that a large number of rivers in this state are not easy. And of course, there are campgrounds nearby. This stretch is long enough for an overnight trip if you take your time, so pack your
    camping stuff. Getting some good exercise and just being out on the river for a while will make you glad you came. If you're coming from Eureka-Arcata-Fortuna it's not a long drive at all to the starting location, please print out a copy of the road map further down the page so
you won’t get lost. No matter if you're whitewater rafting or kayaking around here you'll find a large number of good rivers. This river system has a few good paddling sections and the Jackshaw Road to Butler Valley-Maple Creek Road section is one of them. 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. The beautiful Coast Ranges scenery is an added bonus.

Briefly about the general area:
At Mad River through the long summer days
 
highs are in the 60's with overnight lows in the 50's. During the wintertime the highs are typically in the 50's with winter lows in the 40's overnight here at Mad River. People from Eureka-Arcata-Fortuna love to come to Mad River.
From a precipitation point of view Mad River is a rather common place; the month with most of the rain is November while July is frequently the driest month.

Mad River, Jackshaw Road to Butler Valley-Maple Creek Road road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III-V
Length: 10 miles
Average Gradient: 47 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 40.6627
Longitude: -123.8378

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 40.76499
Longitude: -123.88881

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Current weather conditions at Mad River, Coast Ranges, California
WXPort

Local climate location: EUREKA WSO CI 20 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Howard Johnson Express Inn, Arcata
18 miles away
The Howard Johnson Express Inn Arcata is a two story interior corridor property with heated indoor pool and spa, fitness room and guest laundry. The Howard Johnson Express Inn Arcata is centrally loc...

North Coast Inn, Arcata
18 miles away
The North Coast Inn is located in Arcata, California located on Californias Redwood Coast, approximately 760 miles North of Los Angeles and 275 miles North of San Francisco. The nearest airport is Eu...

Comfort Inn Arcata, Arcata
18 miles away
More than 50 percent of rooms are non-smoking. Beautiful, well-maintained property with friendly staff. All rooms have coffee makers, microwaves, refrigerators, hair dryers, irons and ironing boards. ...



OTHER_INFO
  Coast Ranges Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Coast Ranges.

Coast Ranges Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Coast Ranges.

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

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Mad River.
 Whitewater Near Mad River:
Redwood Creek, Humboldt County , 12 miles away, Class II - 5.4 miles long (Highway 299 to Bair Road)
Van Duzen River, Humboldt County , 13 miles away, Class II-III - 5.2 miles long (Grizzly Creek to Highway 36 bridge)
Eel River, Humboldt County , 18 miles away, Class II - 22.1 miles long (South Fork Eel to Rio Dell)
Trinity River, Trinity/ Humboldt County , 24 miles away, Class II - 39 miles long (Hawkins Bar to Weitchpec)
Trinity River - South Fork, Trinity/ Humboldt County , 25 miles away, Class II-V - 64.6 miles long (East Fork to low bridge off South Fork Road)
Redwood Creek, Humboldt County , 25 miles away, Class III - 25 miles long (Lacks Creek to Orick)
Trinity River, Trinity County , 27 miles away, Class IV-V - 10 miles long (Cedar Flat to Hawkins Bar)
Mad River, Trinity/ Humboldt County , 28 miles away, Class II-III - 12.2 miles long (Ruth Reservoir to Forest Service Road 5 miles below Highway 36)
 Ski Areas Near Mad River:
Mt. Ashland, Oregon , 107 miles away, 1150 vertical feet
Mount Shasta, California , 119 miles away, 1390 vertical feet
Willamette Pass, Oregon , 197 miles away, 1563 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Mad River:
Howard Johnson Express Inn, Arcata , 18 miles away
North Coast Inn, Arcata , 18 miles away
Comfort Inn Arcata, Arcata , 18 miles away
Super 8 Motel - Arcata, Arcata , 18 miles away
Best Western Arcata Inn, Arcata , 18 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Mad River:
Lazy Double B Park, Salyer, 15 miles away
Redcrest Motor Inn Resort, Redcrest, 17 miles away
Eureka Koa Kampground, Eureka, 18 miles away
 Trails Near Mad River:
Grouse Creek Tractor Way, Humboldt County , 14 miles away, 0.8 hiking miles, 896 feet elevation difference
Grouse Creek Tractor Trail, Humboldt County , 16 miles away, 2.9 hiking miles, 2606 feet elevation difference
Pilot Ridge Trail, Humboldt County , 17 miles away, 2.3 hiking miles, 735 feet elevation difference
Dan East Trail, Humboldt County , 19 miles away, 1.6 hiking miles, 2406 feet elevation difference
 National Parks Near Mad River:
Redwood National and State Parks, Crescent City - CA , 60 miles away
 Lakes Near Mad 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