California Whitewater Rafting

California has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to tourist attractions. But, it's the rivers that rafting enthusiasts flock to every year. Whether you're just starting out or are very advanced, whitewater rafting in California keeps you coming back year after year for more. For a rundown on some of the more popular whitewater rafting rivers in California, we include this article by Hak Ty. You are guaranteed to find a whitewater rafting trip in California that suits your desires.

California Whitewater Rafting

Author: Hak Ty
 
California is a whitewater rafting enthusiasts dream state! Spread over the length of the state is eighteen different rivers with rapids of varying degrees of difficulty. Nearly every major city, in both southern and northern California, has convenient access to a river suitable for a whitewater rafting experience. Each of the rivers also offers amazing non-whitewater experiences, such as camping in the beautiful surrounding terrain. Two of the most popular rivers are the American River and the Kern River.

The American River, in Central California near Sacramento, has its origins in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. This river is one of the most popular whitewater rafting rivers in the West! The American River is divided into the South Fork and the North Fork.

The South Fork of the American River is great both for beginners and for intermediate whitewater rafting enthusiasts. The rapids on this section of the river range from Class II (easiest) all the way to Class IV (challenging), with most of the rapids being Class II or Class III. These classifications can change, however, in the spring when the run-off has made the water level higher or when hydroelectric facilities upstream release some of their water in run-off. The varying level of the rapids and the possibility of changes in water flow make the South Fork a fun and exciting ride, while still being suitable for beginners with an experienced guide.

The North Fork of the American River is for those with more advanced skills and has some very good Class III (moderately challenging) and Class IV+ (very challenging) rapids. Hidden amidst these high intensity runs, however, are some tranquil Class II (easiest) runs through the beautiful forests and mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

The Kern River is located in Southern California, in Sequoia National Forest. The Kern River is generally broken up into the Lower Kern (Class III and IV) Upper Kern (Class II and III) and Forks of the Kern (Class V) runs. The Upper Kern can be done in half a day and may be combined with other vacation activities for a full day of fun. The Lower Kern is usually a day or two day run and the Forks of the Kern, only for experienced and fit rafting enthusiasts, is run over two or three days.

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Synonyms: californi, califormia, californa, californina, calofornia, clifornia, callifornia, californis, caliornia, califorinia, califirnia, califonia, alifornia, caifornia, calafornia, califoria, calfornia, califorina, cailfornia, claifornia,
califonria, californai, califronia, and calfiornia are typos for "California." 

rating, ratfing, rafing, rafitng, raftng, raftnig, raftig, raftign, and raftin are typos for "rafting."