Sacramento River thru Box Canyon

This classic run is one of the most scenic class IV rivers in California, with the bonus of having good whitewater from beginning to end. As Chuck Stanley writes, “no one will soon forget paddling behind Mossbrae Falls, a beautiful fern-covered spring that showers into the river.” Natural flows are smoothed out by Siskyou reservoir, but because the release from Siskyou dam is not available on the web, forcing you to estimate using the Delta gauge downstream, you might arrive to find flows higher or lower than you like. One guideline is that the Box is near optimum when the Delta gauge is between 1500 and 2000 cfs, but it is certainly runnable above and below those levels. Box Canyon is often combined with a high-water trip down the upper McCloud.

For the first third, the river flows thru what remains of Box Canyon (the rest is under Siskyou reservoir), a vertical gorge almost a hundred meters deep. Stop to scout whenever you cannot see to the bottom of a rapid, because strainers and logjams can pose substantial risks. If you are in the area, check the gauge pictured below, about 20 meters upstream of the northernmost parking at Cantara Loop access.

Good levels for Box Canyon are between 4'6" to 5'6" on this gauge. Below that flows get skimpy, and above that they get pushy. After Box Canyon ends, a railroad follows the river; some paddlers might be interested in this engineering marvel.

The put-in for this run is not obvious. Just downhill from the golf course on the east side of the dam, there is a wide path leading along the river. Hike your boats on this path until you reach a place where a large number of boulders have been dumped, like a rockslide, to prevent erosion. Just before the trail curves left to traverse these boulders, turn right onto a narrow path leading along a ridge. This path soon curves left and starts descending the hill steeply. Some considerate people recently installed a fixed rope to assist you on your descent to the river. Inflatable boats are best carried uninflated; except at highest flows, flat spots are available at the bottom.

Photos © 2005 Darin McQuoid.

Yellow kayak at bottom of steep roped descent	Looking from put-in back up at Siskyou dam

Kayak negotiates drop below sidestream	One of the rapids downstream near Sims Flat

Triple Drop or Mears Creek Falls (class IV-V)	Gauge at Cantara Loop, 4.5' to 5.5' runnable

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Put in on the left side below Siskyou Dam road bridge, probably lowering your boats on a rope. Almost continuous class IV rapids begin immediately. Stop to scout as necessary.

1

Ney Springs Fishing Access on the right bank, recommended put-in for rafts, or emergency take-out. Several trails descend from a parking lot to the river near the base of a midstream island. Vehicles can reach Ney Springs by driving south from the west side of Siskyou Dam, then taking a dirt road down to the river.

2

Stink Creek enters on the right. On the left bank is an alternate put-in for rafts, class III+ boaters, and people not comfortable with rope work and cliff climbing. Vehicles can reach this put-in by driving west on Cantara Road from I-5.

2.4

First railroad bridge, where Cantara Loop descends to and crosses the river. This was the site of a toxic waste spill in 1991.

3.1

Second railroad bridge, then big Canyon Creek enters on the left.

5.4

Third railroad bridge.

5.5

Scenic alert, Mossbrae Falls on the left bank.

6.2

Access point at first road bridge. Hardshell kayakers often prefer to take out here, because rapids become more bony (rocky) ahead. Shasta Retreat and the first houses of Dunsmiur are just downstream on the left bank.

7

I-5 bridge high above, with convenient dirt road leading to take-out on the left bank underneath the bridge.

To reach put-in from there, return to I-5 and drive north to the central Mount Shasta exit. Turn left, cross the freeway, and turn south onto Old Stage Road. Follow this road to where W.A. Barr Road forks to the right (follow signs for so-called Lake Siskyou). Parking is tight on river left at the bridge over the reservoir (2002). The climb down to the river, even with fixed rope, is arduous with heavy boats. You might need to repark your vehicle after unloading boats.

There are some very affordable cabins in Dunsmuir right near the river, providing a possible take-out and warm bed for boaters doing this run during the winter; call 530-235-4018 for reservations (1997).

Downstream of Dunsmuir, the Sacramento still packs plenty of class III and IV rapids. Because it has water longer into the season, owing to sidestreams, the most popular stretch is from Sims Flat to Fender Ferry Road bridge near Vollmers. Runs of this section as low as 400 cfs have been reported. These 14 miles go quickly and contain many good rapids, including Whitehorse (shown here) just above the take-out.

Margrit Petrofsky rowing with Joe and Nick paddling

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