The Kaweah River is a popular whitewater river that offers several nice sections of Class III and Class IV paddling. Prior to this year it supported commercial rafting by the Beyond Limits company. This winter, however, access was blocked at the principal launch site, the Highway 198 bridge near the Gateway Motel and Restaurant. A chain link fence topped by barbed wire now extends from the bridge abutments to a nearby cliff. For kayakers of less than advanced to expert skill and for most rafters, these maneuvers will not be feasible.
Downstream access is also a problem.
By infringing on the right of the public to enjoy the use of California's rivers these actions would seem to be unconstitutional. The constitution of the State of California guarantees the public's use of and navigation on the state's rivers. There remain two fine, legal areas to take out of the river. One is at the county park at Holiday Rapid, and the other is the Army Corps of Engineers launch area on Terminus Reservoir. Bruce Hare, a long standing member of the paddling community with close ties to the Chattooga River , and a local non-profit organization have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service in Federal court challenging certain revisions to the rule governing the use of the Chattooga River by private and public boaters.