American River Middle Fork near Auburn

This is a good beginner run in mid to late summer, when blackberries ripen along the water, and when other rivers have lost their natural flow. An added bonus is proximity to population centers. With few people on the river, and being well away from any road, this section has a nice wilderness feel. Moreover, the blackberry harvest is bountiful in mid to late summer.

Oxbow powerhouse usually releases 1150 cfs around the clock, except for occasional unpredictable days with no release. In drought years there are additional days without releases, often Sundays, and they tend to start power generation in early morning hours. Note that higher water takes about 6 hours to travel 16 miles to your put-in. If you check the OXB flow on the web before driving to the river, you are virtually assured of adequate water.

The run immediately upstream is described in the Tunnel Chute writeup. For information about the middle fork, see the coloma.com website.

I've run this section only once, on a Sunday of a drought year with about 200 cfs in the river (perhaps we put in too early), so my memory of only very easy rapids could be off-target. Randy Hodges says there are two or three class II rapids. With open canoes, Barry Nelson says there are five:

We've done this run (down to Murderer's Bar) quite a few times in canoes, hardshell kayaks and IKs. At typical 1150 cfs summer flows, there are about 5 class II rapids in the upper half, with just a few play waves. About a third of the way into the run, there is a big hole on river left. It's very easy to miss on river right, even without scouting. This run is not for the beginning canoeist: some whitewater skills are required. However, it is a great run for a solid beginning kayaker -- easier than the lower North Fork. I've taken a first time IK paddler down with nary a mishap. In the lower half, there are a few easy wave trains. The pools flatten out and afternoon upstream winds sometimes slow your progress. With a leisurely lunch, it makes a great day and seems far longer than the mileage suggests.

mile
0

Put in at the site of former Greenwood Bridge, which was washed out when Hell Hole Dam failed far upstream during the winter of 1964. This dam has been rebuilt with the same design and could fail again, hopefully not in the summer while you are on the river.

3

American Canyon creek enters on the left. This was the site of a large settlement during the gold mining era. Good swimming holes and a scenic waterfall upstream.

4

Maine Bar creek enters on the left.

5.6

Brown's Bar Canyon enters on the left.

7.1

Mammoth Bar on the right bank, where you can see clouds of dust and hear the roar of dirt bikes. This is a Bureau of Reclatation multiuse area. Do not blunder downstream into Murderer's Bar rapid!

7.2

Hazard! Murderer's Bar Rapid, class V
The river pours thru a narrow cleft in the rocks, directly into an undercut midstream rock, then continues around rocks in a narrow channel below. Portaging is possible on either side. Ian Buckley sent this great portaging advice, which he got from a local on the last release day of 2001:

 

"As you approach the entrance to Murderer's Bar, most of the current runs river left into a narrow channel that forms the rapid. To the right of this channel through the rocks, you can see an intimidating metal grating wrapped onto the rocks. Right of this, near the right shore, is a small 3' gap between rocks with a little current at the typical 1100 cfs flow. Pass through this gap into a small pool where you can safely exit your boat. From here it is possible to clamber down among large boulders and eventualy lower boats 10' down a rounded boulder into a shallow still pool, from which you can safely re-enter the main channel below the class-V crux section. Some fun drops remain."

9.2

Class II-III rapid, the hardest on this run (except for the portage).

9.3

Confluence of the north and middle forks American.

9.4

Highway 49 bridge, last good take-out before Auburn Dam construction debris, including a diversion tunnel (1995), and Folsom reservoir.

To reach put-in from there, return to Old Foresthill Road, turn right, and continue another 5.5 miles (7 miles from highway 49). Turn right onto Driver's Flat Road, and follow this dirt road about 1.5 mile down to the river. Greenwood Bridge site can also be reached from Foresthill via McKeon Way, a dirt road that is longer but less steep than Driver's Flat Road.

Here is a trip report sent by Chris Cullen, a gracious reader:

I did this run [late July 2001] with two friends in a Coleman Scanoe. We put in at Ruckachucky campground and took out at Mammoth Bar. The flow was pretty low (not sure of exact volume), which required some careful maneuvering in several rocky areas. I'd say that we went though at least ten sets of rapids that were above class one because of the maneuvering that had to be done. Both of my friends were pretty heavy and without much experience. I was in the back and happen to be the lightest, so we were a bit nose-heavy. We plowed through most sets of rapids, getting swamped three times, but managed to paddle to shore to dump. I let my buddy take the back and steer and we promptly nailed a rock and ended up capsizing. Other than that, it was a walk in the park. This is beautiful country with several possible camp spots on the way. The run takes you fairly far from roads. The shuttle was not too bad, if you don't mind the 2 mile dirt road toward the campground down Driver's Flat road.

It was interesting in a canoe, but would be a bit tame for rafters compared to the upstream stuff. It would be a good kayak run for a confident beginner. We had a great time and will definitely do it again!

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