There is a good one about .4 mile upstream from Hangman's Bridge. Wide-open class II rapids start immediately. Hangman's Bridge, the normal put-in, with attendant crowds and a very small beach. Below, rapids can be tight at times, and the lava rock walls are sometimes undercut. 2 Markleeville Creek enters from the left, increasing the flow by more than half.
Rapids become larger but generally safer.
The river channel has changed, and although the best route appears to be on the left, most of the water flows to the right thru an old established line of willows. 8.8 Ponderosa bench on the right makes several excellent campsites, all within walking distance of a hotspring on the right bank downstream. A shallow boulder bar bends left and into a deep low-water channel that approaches the steep left bank. At high water, other routes are available. A big hotspring cascades into the river.