Hot weather ignites gold season, rafting on South Fork American
Hot weather and cool water is the magic formula for rafting and gold-panning tours in the Sierra foothills.
Starting this weekend, after an extended winter and a cold spring, you finally have a chance to get it.
Temperatures are forecast to rise to the mid-80s by Saturday, to the mid-90s by Tuesday at the No. 1 destination, the South Fork American River and nearby Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma.
At the same time, river flows through mid-June are projected in the range of 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), often higher and perhaps even double at times, which would turn the South Fork American River into an intermediate/advanced roller coaster.
“The hot sun will feel so good, a chance to finally break out the sunscreen,” said Nate Rangel, president of Raft California. The hot weather is going to increase snowmelt in the high Sierra and raise the water levels downstream on all the rivers, Rangel said. “The rivers are going to get real heavy, real quick.’
“For the majority of people, I think the South Fork American will be the best river. It offers the adventure for the widest age range. It’s so so close to Sacramento and the Bay Area. With the hot weather and higher flows, it really, truly becomes a great rollercoaster ride, nonstop.”
For much of April and May, it has been cold and rainy, occasionally with flooding rivers. Some called last weekend’s storm “Rain-ageddon.” Despite the early buildup of a great year for rafting, cold, rainy weather presents terrible conditions for most, that is, too cold for comfort, the water often too high for safety.
All that changes now. The big snowpack and high reservoir levels guarantee good whitewater flows through summer at all rivers dependent on dam releases. And finally, warm weather is arriving. In early July, flows on the South Fork American are forecast at a more typical 1,500 to 1,800 cfs, a Class II-III run, and stay that way through summer. Outfitters are predicting more than 100,000 will make the trip this summer, the most popular rafting trip in California.
At the same time, this spring’s floods have scoured the feeder creeks and poured gold-laced sediment downstream. Small nuggets can get trapped between rocks, often near where these creeks feed into the main stem of Sierra streams in the gold country.
Coloma is the best place to start, for both rafting and gold tours.
Big summer for rafting
There are three primary trips on the South Fork American, and they range across all levels of experience.
The best trip for most is the 13-mile run from Lotus (put-in) to Folsom Lake, the No. 1 most-run trip in California. Because launches at the put-in are pulses, rafts are interspersed and there are no traffic jams. The scenery feels like foothill wilderness, with boulder-edged shore with eddies, edged by foothills peppered with wildflowers. For most of summer, the rapids are rated in the Class I-III range, but though the river is still high, they jump up a notch to Class II-IV. Most one-day trips range from $99 to $119 for adults, with many options, including for weekdays, weekends and overnight trips, for different sections of river.
For families with youngsters, or those who want to board a raft for a short, impromptu float, a 4-mile introductory run is available from Coloma to Lotus. It is rated Class I and II during mid-summer flows. You meet at noon and end at 2:30 p.m. The cost is $49 to $69 per day, depending on weekday or weekend, and the company with which you book. You can just show up.
Once you’ve had a taste, you might want a bigger bite. That sends mile up to the put-in at Chili Bar for 21-miler to the take-out at Salmon Falls Bridge. During the current high water flows, some rate it as Class IV+, with more than 20 named rapids topped by Meatgrinder and Troublemaker.
The way it usually works is that each raft is about 15 feet long, with openings on the edge of the floorboard that allow it to self-bail when water pours over the giant inflatable sides. Each of these rafts will have a half dozen or so paddlers who respond to the commands of a guide at the perched on the back of the boat. You learn quickly, for instance, to dig in the rapids, where your paddle strokes help keep the boat pulled down to the river.
Big summer for gold
The Marshall Gold Discovery State Park is built around the 1848 discovery of gold. Many of the historic structures are vintage or restored, including Sutter’s Mill and the 1848 Gold Discovery Site. On weekends, volunteers with state parks often provide goldpanning instruction for youngsters, and it’s as fun to watch as it is to take part.
Those fascinated by California history can spend hours exploring here. The park map shows 20 landmark buildings from the days of the Gold Rush, with the exact site marked where James Marshall found those first specks of gold. If you remember your history from elementary school, then you’ll already know that Marshall was the carpenter hired to build a mill here for Johann Sutter and took that fateful stroll one day on the South Fork American.
For this summer, a Gold Discovery Trout will be offered twice per day, $3 for adults, $2 for children. Docents tell the story and show off the sites, and how the landscape changed before and after Marshall first discovery.
Maybe this summer, you’ll find your own nuggets. Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicle’s outdoors writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom