From: tut@cairo.Eng.Sun.COM (Bill "Bill" Tuthill)
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle
Subject: lower McCloud
Date: 26 Aug 92 00:59:20 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: cairo

Last weekend I led a trip of nine inflatable kayakers down the lower
McCloud river in Shasta county, California.  This is a beautiful run
down a heavily-forested world-class trout stream.  Vastly underused,
this river runs all summer at 200-300 cfs.  If you visit California,
put this on your to-do list!  Kayakers can do the run, if they are
good at avoiding pins.  Inflatables are better for normal flows.

Lower McCloud.  Class IV with 3 portages, class V with no portages.
Length 21.5 miles, duration two days.  One day possible but tough.
Take-out is on Gilman Rd, 17 winding miles east of I5, on the McCloud
arm of Shasta Reservoir.  Put-in is at Ah-di-na campground, about 16
miles south of highway 89 from the town of McCloud (10 paved, 6 dirt).

mile
0	Put-in at Ah-di-na forest service campground.  A short steep
	trail leads down to a gravel beach.  Avoid boating between 9:00
	and 5:00 to minimize conflict with fishermen.  Class III rapids.
	It is possible to extend the run 2.5 miles upstream; put in at
	McCloud dam and expect several portages.

1	Nature Conservancy land.  Open to the public, catch and release
	fishing only.  Some class IV rapids start to appear.

5	Road back towards put-in climbs up a sidestream and disappears.
	No emergency access until mile 9.

8	Last public land for several miles.

8.5	Hazard, loose footbridge can fall on a boat.

9	Squaw Valley road bridge to private McCloud Club.  Other direction
	leads north to locked gate and then paved McCloud Reservoir Rd.

10	Melissa's Meal (class V).  Most of the current piles into a rock,
	creating a flipper cushion, then turns left into a long boulder
	slalom.  Sneak route available on right.  After a short recovery
	pool, the river funnels over a 6 foot drop containing fan rocks.
	Do not swim the final drop.

10.5	Squaw Valley Creek comes in on right.  Good campsite (perhaps on
	private land) just downstream at Noyes Pool.

11	Small corner of public land on right.

11.1	Werner's Profit (class IV+).  Rocks everywhere, low-water route
	starts on right with move toward center.  Entrapment rocks and
	hole on bottom right.  Watch for buried paddle.

13	Double Falls (class V).  A few drops lead to a small eddy above
	a 6 foot drop, runnable over fan rock on right by slanting left.
	Only a tiny recovery pool is available before a rough 6 foot
	chute funnels into a wrap rock.  Station rescuers on the left
	to avoid swimming the final drop.

14	Pine Flat.  House on right, unfriendly owner.

15	Tuna Creek Falls (class V).  Small creek then house on right.
	A rough chute drops 10 feet into a large boulder.  Most of the
	current goes right, then divides around a cabin rock and drops
	another 4 feet.  The low-water route is a blind drop against
	the right side of the cabin rock.

16	Reagan Years (class IV+).  A steep 8 foot chute with a rock
	dividing the current halfway down.  Keep right.  Radicals can
	run the left chute; helmet suggested.

17	Rapids become II-III instead of III-IV, pools become longer.

18	Chatterdown Creek comes in on left below private cabin, just
	above a giant rock decorated with log strainers.

19	Gauging station on right.  Bolliboka Mtn. visible on left,
	same rock formation as Castle Crags.

20	Bollibokka Club, a private fishing village on right.  Road
	cut evident from here to take-out.

21.5	Take-out at campsite on left, below highway bridge.
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle