California whitewater, Fresno River Madera county, Goldside Drive off road 600 to Road 600 section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS III-V     3 miles   The Goldside Drive off road 600 to Road 600 stretch of Fresno River in California is 3 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class III-V section. The average California whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be harder to run than those in other states, so if you're not from around here don't forget that quite a few of the sections here are not easy. The put-in location is a short drive from Madera, as you can see on     the road map further down. The wild scenery of the Central Sierra Nevada is great. If you're a camper you can camp at one of the great campgrounds nearby. This is a somewhat short section so you'd better be prepared to walk your kayak back to put-in a few times. Getting a good workout and just hanging out with mother nature are great reasons to come. No shortage of good hotels, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. This river system is full of great paddling stretches, the Goldside Drive off road 600 to Road 600 stretch is just one of them. Some people prefer whitewater rafting and some kayaking, either way this is an area with   plenty of spots for that. The scenic beauty of California and the cool fresh water are reasons enough to come here and paddle. Briefly about the general area: Visiting Yosemite National Park is just something you need to do if you haven't yet. A fine spot near Fresno River is French Gulch, and if the weather is glorious, you can go for a hike along the Chilnualna Fall Trail. This river has so much to offer. At Fresno River you always meet someone from Ahwahnee. Summer at Fresno River comes with high temperatures in the 80's; the night is a tad colder of course, ordinarily in the 50's. Fresno River, Goldside Drive off road 600 to Road 600 road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Fresno River.   Whitewater Near Fresno River: Fresno River, Madera County, 2 miles away       Class III-V - 3 miles long (Goldside Drive off road 600 to Road 600) Fresno River, Madera County, 2 miles away       Class IV-V(V+) - 11 miles long (Road 600 to Road 415) Coarse Gold Creek, Madera County, 5 miles away       Class IV-V - 5 miles long (Coarsegold to Spinelli Road) Chowchilla River, Madera County, 6 miles away       Class III-IV - 7 miles long (Road 810 to Road 800) Fresno River, Madera County, 7 miles away       Class IV-V+ - 12 miles long (Road 415 to boat ramp Close to dam at Lake Hensley) Big Creek, Mariposa County, 11 miles away       Class IV-V+ - 1 miles long (Chowchilla Mountain Road to South Fork Merced River) Willow Creek, Madera County, 13 miles away       Class V - 3 miles long (Chilkoot Campground to Bass Lake) Willow Creek, Madera County, 13 miles away       Class V - 3 miles long (Greys Mt. Campground to Chilkoot Campground) Merced River - South Fork, Mariposa County, 16 miles away       Class III-IV - 7.4 miles long (Snyder Gulch to Route 140 Bridge) San Joaquin River, Fresno-Madera County, 18 miles away       Class IV+ - 1.9 miles long (Kerchoff #1 PH to Kerchoff #2)   Ski Areas Near Fresno River: Badger Pass, California , 18 miles away, 540 foot drop, 5 lifts, 10 runs Sierra Summit, California , 40 miles away, 1679 foot drop, 11 lifts, 45 runs Dodge Ridge, California , 49 miles away, 1600 foot drop, 10 lifts, 59 runs June Mountain, California , 50 miles away, 2580 foot drop, 7 lifts, 37 runs Mammoth Mountain, California , 53 miles away, 3100 foot drop, 27 lifts, 156 runs Bear Valley, California , 67 miles away, 1900 foot drop, 11 lifts, 67 runs Kirkwood, California , 77 miles away, 2000 foot drop, 15 lifts, 65 runs Sierra at Tahoe, California , 84 miles away, 2212 foot drop, 12 lifts, 46 runs Heavenly, California , 89 miles away, 3500 foot drop, 31 lifts, 94 runs   Marinas Near Fresno River: Pines Marina, Bass Lake , 12 miles away Millerton Lake Marina, Friant , 20 miles away   Hotels Near Fresno River: Americas Best Value Inn Yosemite South Gate, Oakhurst , 5 miles away Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn, Oakhurst , 6 miles away Comfort Inn Yosemite Area, Oakhurst , 6 miles away Sierra Sky Ranch, An Ascend Hotel Collection Member, Oakhurst , 7 miles away Tenaya Lodge, Fish Camp , 10 miles away   Campgrounds Near Fresno River: Sierra Meadows Country Club, Ahwahnee, 2 miles away High Sierra RV Park, Oakhurst, 6 miles away Yosemite South-coarsegold Rnch, Coarsegold, 6 miles away   Trails Near Fresno River: Chilnualna Fall Trail, Mariposa , 14 miles away,  7 hiking miles, 2879 feet elevation difference Hite Cove Trail, Mariposa , 17 miles away,  14.4 hiking miles, 1185 feet elevation difference   Public Lands Near Fresno River: Yosemite National Park, Yosemite National Park - CA , 14 miles away Devils Postpile National Monument, Mammoth Lakes - CA , 69 miles away Millerton Lake State Park, California , 19 miles away Sierra National Forest, California , 33 miles away   Golf Courses Near Fresno River: River Creek Golf Course, Ahwahnee , 1 miles away Ahwahnee Golf Course, Oakhurst , 3 miles away   Lakes Near Fresno River Bass Lake, Madera , 14 miles away Manzanita Lake, Madera , 16 miles away Bare Island Lake, Madera , 19 miles away