It's hard to believe that such wonderful wilderness whitewater could exist so close to a tourist attraction like Carmel.
Rapids are numerous and water quality is excellent.
What's even harder to believe is that this stretch, comprising one of the top ten class III runs in California, could have been so completely ignored by guidebook writers. I can think of no reason for keeping it secret. True, it runs only in springtime, if and when a reservoir fills. The run's only defects are occasional brush, and a portage around 70' high San Clemente Dam. Below the dam, plumbing for Carmel Water District detracts from the scenery, but good rapids continue unabated.