Kaweah River above Terminus Reservoir

The Kaweah is one of my favorite rivers in California. It is a refreshing change from more-northerly snowmelt standards like the North Fork Yuba, North Fork American, and the Merced. For south bay residents, the drive is surprisingly short. You will find many excellent rapids in a short distance.

Since the 1990s, when barbed wire was installed at Gateway Bridge, and parking was prohibited near Dinely Bridge, there were severe access problems on this run. Most of the land along the river is private property. The situation greatly improved in 2005 when boaters acquired Three Rivers Hideaway, an RV park and motel with attached campground that reminds me of Camp Lotus on the South Fork American: nice. Phone 559-561-4413. Here are suggestions for class III, class IV, and class V runs using the Three Rivers Hideaway campground as base.

• Class V- run: With shuttle person, drive uphill within sight of the National Park toll booth, drop off boats, say goodbye to your shuttle driver, walk downhill 1/4 mile, cross the river on a bridge, and put in on the left bank. Several V- drops and one possible portage occur in the .6 mile (170 fpm) before the East Fork confluence. Your choice of take-out.
• Class IV run: Kayakers can ask campground operators for permission to start at the commercial put-in, provided they don't interfere with rafting groups. Powerhouse might be considered class V, but can be sneaked on the left. For a satisfying day, take out at the Chevron station below The Slickies.
• Class III+ run: Put in at the Three Rivers Hideaway campground, and proceed to the reservoir. You might want to portage The Ledges and sneak The Slickies. Holiday (Washing Machine) has been rated class IV but didn't seem it to me.

For up-to-date information about all forks of the Kaweah, see Bill Pooley's superb Kaweah River Page website. For information about boating this river segment with a commercial outfitter, see California Whitewater Rafting. To help improve access problems everywhere, support the AWA.

The rapids on the Kaweah are lots of fun! There are many long boulder slaloms and some tricky hydraulics in the granite bedrock. Scenery is good until the South Fork confluence, despite the semi-urban setting. We met many locals, who were very friendly to us. As usual, people want to know how much those handsome self-bailing inflatable kayaks cost. One man said he can understand why people resent the commercial rafters: passengers often hoot and holler in the rapids. Many good rapids occur in the midst of a residential area, and there is as yet no Quiet Zone like on the South Fork American.

River Notes

The 1st rapid below SCE plant #3 is a very steep class IV, all white. The 2nd rapid starts at a weir dam and ends with a class IV right turn. The next two are just class III. The 5th is a 5-6' falls best run on the right, class IV. The 6th is a class V- usually run on the left at higher flows, or the right at lower flows; possible portage on the right. Followed by a class II+ rapid. The 8th is a class IV- double drop. The 9th is a class III bedrock slide. The 10th is a class III where a brown house on the right bank marks a scout/portage below. The 11th is a badly undercut class V+ drop usually portaged on the left. The 12th, within sight of Gateway bridge, is a class IV pour-over closely followed by the 13th, a complicated class IV+ S-turn. The 14th and 15th are class III boulder drops that take you under the bridge.

After Gateway bridge (also called Pumpkin Hollow bridge) gradient tapers off to 120 fpm for the first mile. Several difficult rapids occur, but pools between are longer. Gateway (class IV) is a steep boulder slalom shortly below the bridge. After an unnamed class III+ is The Chute (class IV), a big drop into a hole. Headwall (class III+) comes soon, ending at a highway retaining wall. After a lull comes Osterizer (class IV+), a long and steep boulder garden.

The commercial rafting put-in is on the left below Osterizer. Willows (class IV) follows shortly, a long but not steep boulder garden. A mile below the end of Willows, after half a dozen class III rapids, comes Powerhouse, which should be rated class V- especially at low flows when entrapment rocks come into play; possible sneak routes on far left. Only .2 mile below, after a class III, comes Cyanotic (class IV+). It is a long and complicated rapid with many possible routes. Four more class III rapids occur in next half mile. The last, just before Three Rivers Hideaway, is called Screaming Right Turn. After that comes Elowin (or Basura Blanca), a series of class II-III drops that is nearly continuous to the bridge.

Below Dinely Bridge, five or six more class III rapids occur before Suicide Falls (class IV), which can be sneaked on far right or left, depending on flows, although most people prefer the falls in midstream. The hole in the middle of Suicide Falls is frowning with keeper sides, although the center ski jump, if properly executed, is fairly low risk. Look here for pictures. Just around the corner is The Chair, which the 3rd edition (only) Cassady calls “a good surfing wave.” This is misleading. At most flows it is a very deep hole. Our first time trying to "surf" it ended in a double swim. If approached as a hole it's semi-avoidable. The North Fork Kaweah enters on the right after .4 mile. In another .2 mile comes The Ledges (class IV) at moderate flows. It's a nice slalom for kayaks, but somewhat tight for rafts.

Above the first ledge of The Chutes	The second (bigger) ledge of The Chutes

The Slickies follows, which Cassady calls The Ledges 2nd drop. It is an unusual rapid, with a shallow granite slide on the right into a keeper hole at the bottom, and a bruiser vortex just to the left. At high flows it could be rated class V- for consequences. You have to be precise making the correct line! At flows above 800 or so, a sliding granite falls on the far left offers a sneak route, chosen in the pictures below.

Scouting the keeper hole of The Slickies	Cheating by taking the lefthand chute

Rapids taper off suddenly at the North Fork Road bridge. Scenery remains good for a while, but worsens after the South Fork confluence. However it's almost worth suffering the reservoir paddle just to run class III+ Holiday, AKA Washing Machine, where my paddling partner Andy did a nice endo in the hole below the bend. Unfortunately I was winding the disposable camera and couldn't get a photo.

Working right after the first wavetrain	Andy just before his nice nosestand!

Despite the crush of people at Slick Rock reservoir access, Andy's bicycle was not stolen or vandalized. It just goes to show that Hispanics may be more honest overall than poor white trash.

Overall we always agreed it's worth the drive from San Jose, which is usually under 4 hours. Unlike the Kings, the Kaweah is quickly reached from highway 99.

*** Three stars, Billy Bo Jim Bob sez check it out.

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