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California whitewater - San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz
county,
Felton to Ocean at Santa Cruz section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
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CLASS III-IV 6 miles
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We're novices and found Felton-Santa Cruz to be a fun if slightly scary run about ten years ago, the weekend after heavy rains.
There is a water gauge under the bridge from Hwy 9 into Henry Cowell State Park. We believe the river is runnable when this gauge reads about 4. 65 feet, though we didn't find out about the gauge until after our trip.
The put-in is in the Felton town park under the old covered bridge. From there to the steel RR bridge the river is very tranquil and a pleasant paddle aside from glimpses of toilet paper and other |
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debris stuck in the willows by high water. Just below the road into Henry Cowell there is an inflatable dam that could cause problems for rafters if it happens to be up when you go over. I don't know how high it inflates; not very, I think. After passing under the steel RR bridge
| | (used by the tourist train from Roaring Camp to the Boardwalk), the river drops into a very scenic canyon with a good section of class III+ whitewater and one hole that flipped our standard-floor raft, in the granite gorge before the Rincon, where the river bends to the left to go around a hogsback ridge. The Rincon (Spanish for bend in the river), a pretty place to pull out for a picnic and some hiking, is part of Henry Cowell State Park and is the last chance to exit easily on public property before Santa Cruz. An old road goes up to a large parking | |
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area on Hwy 9 here.
Approaching the Rincon the river spreads out and may be too shallow to float; we had to walk a short distance. Also, at the remains of a concrete diversion dam, teh river splits into two channels. The left-most is the one to take as the right will leave
you high and not-quite-dry, though I suppose this may change from year to year.
Where the river goes around the Hogsback there is a lot of large woody debris, including a narrow area with strainers that could be quite dangerous. Recently the county has announced that woody
debris will no longer be cleared from county streams in an effort to restore our nearly extinct steelhead populations, and this may make the situation even worse. I don't know whether it will be practical to portage around the woodpile at the point where the river make its final
bend toward Paradise Park.
Past the Hogsback, the river goes through a number of very mild rapids, often in narrow willow-lined channels. A special treat is the opportunity to pass under the 1867 Powder Mill Flat covered bridge at Paradise Park, not normally seen by the
public as the community is a private enclave of the Masons.
One last note is that Santa Cruz city's water intake is in the river, on the right as I recall, just as one emerges from the canyon below Sycamore Grove (location of a long-gone resort now frequented mainly by homeless
campers and drug dealers). I don't remember the intake as being dangerous, but I mention it just in case.
Says Chehalumche
I have lived in and around the San Lorenzo River for over 15 years and I have never ONCE heard of ANYONE rafting this river. It is dammed in Ben
Lomond and becomes a creek by April. Don't come here for the rafting! There are lots of other things to do though!! Says Dianne
Whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state is often more difficult than elsewhere, so keep in mind that quite a few of the sections here are
not easy. The wonderful California scenery and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream are reasons enough to come here and paddle. A good workout and just being out on the river for a while will make you glad you came. The Felton to Ocean at Santa Cruz stretch
of San Lorenzo River is 6 miles long and it is classified as a class III-IV section by American Whitewater. This river system has a few good paddling sections and the Felton to Ocean at Santa Cruz section is one of them. The starting location is a reasonable drive from Santa Cruz-Watsonville,
if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. This is a pretty decent length section, you can easily run it on an afternoon. There are some good hotels near the river, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. When
you're paddling down a Santa Cruz Mountains river like this one you always get great scenery along the way too. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this is an area with not too many other places for that. There's camping available near San Lorenzo River.
Briefly
about the general area:
On a splendid day it's a splendid idea to spend the day at Santa Cruz Beach; Cathedral Redwoods is a great local forest. The high level of rainfall makes San Lorenzo River a rather wet place; most of the rain falls all through January, and July on the
other hand is the driest. For the duration of the warm days of summer, highs regularly are in the 70's at San Lorenzo River. Once the sun is down it sinks down to the 50's. All through the winter the highs are generally in the 50's with winter lows in the 30's overnight here at
San Lorenzo River.
Coming to this river is always a good idea. All the outdoors amusing stuff in the Santa Cruz Mountains will keep you coming back repeatedly. If you want to hit the beach, Cowell Beach is in close proximity, and delightful hiking is available along the Rincon Fire Road Trail.
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San Lorenzo River, Felton to Ocean at Santa Cruz road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.
QUICK STATS
AW Class:
III-IV
Length:
6
miles
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Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.0527
Longitude: -122.0713
Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.9659
Longitude: -122.01171
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Paddler input for San Lorenzo River, California:
It's a good run but with a very short season. On days of very heavy rain during the rainy season it's a real whitewater river but most of the year it's a collection of stillwater pools connected with rocky unrunnable wet thingies. This picture is how it looks most of the year but during heavy rains the water is way higher.
- Bob
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Santa Cruz Mountains Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Santa Cruz Mountains Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Santa Cruz Mountains.
All California Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in California.
Books about whitewater paddling on San Lorenzo River, California
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on San Lorenzo 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California, the metro area neareast to San Lorenzo River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
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| These outdoors activities are available near San Lorenzo River. |
| | Whitewater Near San Lorenzo River:
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San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz
County
, 6 miles away, Class II - 9.1 miles long (Boulder Creek to Felton) |
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Pescadero Creek, San Mateo
County
, 20 miles away, Class II - 9 miles long (Portola State Park to Memorial County Park) |
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| | Ski Areas Near San Lorenzo River:
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Dodge Ridge, California
, 158 miles away, 1600 vertical feet |
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Bear Valley, California
, 160 miles away, 1900 vertical feet |
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Kirkwood, California
, 165 miles away, 2000 vertical feet |
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Sierra at Tahoe, California
, 168 miles away, 2212 vertical feet |
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Badger Pass, California
, 168 miles away, 800 vertical feet |
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Royal Gorge, California
, 170 miles away, 1600 vertical feet |
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Soda Springs, California
, 172 miles away, 652 vertical feet |
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Alpine Meadows, California
, 172 miles away, 1802 vertical feet |
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Sugar Bowl, California
, 173 miles away, 1500 vertical feet |
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Homewood, California
, 173 miles away, 1650 vertical feet |
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| | Beaches Near San Lorenzo River:
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Cowell Beach, Santa Cruz County
, 3 miles away |
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Santa Cruz Beach, Santa Cruz County
, 3 miles away |
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Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz County
, 3 miles away |
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Twin Lakes Beach, Santa Cruz County
, 4 miles away |
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Wilder Beach, Santa Cruz County
, 4 miles away |
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| | Hotels Near San Lorenzo River:
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University Inn, Santa Cruz
, 0 miles away |
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Best Western Inn, Santa Cruz
, 2 miles away |
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NATIONAL 9 PLYMOUTH ST, Santa Cruz
, 2 miles away |
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Comfort Inn Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz
, 2 miles away |
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Inn at Pasatiempo, Santa Cruz
, 2 miles away |
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| | Trails Near San Lorenzo River:
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Rincon Fire Road Trail, Santa Cruz
County
, 1 miles away, 1.6 hiking miles, 205 feet elevation difference |
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Summit Trail, San Mateo
County
, 18 miles away, 3 hiking miles, 506 feet elevation difference |
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Sequoia Nature Trail, San Mateo
County
, 18 miles away, .4 hiking miles, 32 feet elevation difference |
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Butano Ridge Loop Trail, San Mateo
County
, 18 miles away, 4.2 hiking miles, 1656 feet elevation difference |
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Coyote Ridge Trail, San Mateo
County
, 19 miles away, 1.2 hiking miles, 549 feet elevation difference |
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| | National Parks Near San Lorenzo River:
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Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail, San Francisco - CA
, 44 miles away |
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Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco - CA
, 51 miles away |
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| | Golf Courses Near San Lorenzo River:
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Pasatiempo Golf Club, Santa Cruz
, 1 miles away |
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Scotts Valley Golf Course, Scotts Valley
, 2 miles away |
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De Laveaga Golf Course & Lodge, Santa Cruz
, 3 miles away |
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Whether you are visiting for business or pleasure, we hope you take advantage of all the UCSC Inn has to offer. After your busy day, relax beside the pool or in our spa. Or perhaps you'd like to work ...
2 miles away
