New River (Trinity River tributary)
The New River (Tsnungwe/Hupa Language: yiduq' nilin), (Karuk: "akráah kumásaamvaroo"), is a tributary of the Trinity River in northern California. The river was named by miners during the California Gold Rush in the early 1850s. While prospecting west from earlier diggings on the upper Trinity River, they named the river due to it being a "new" place to search for gold. Geography. The New River originates in the Salmon Mountains at the confluence of Virgin Creek and Slide Creek, in the western part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The river initially runs south , until the confluence with the East Fork New River, where it turns southwest. It then receives Quimby Creek and passes Denny, one of several small communities originally established by Gold Rush miners. It turns south at the confluence with China Creek, then receives Big Creek at Hoboken, from where it flows southwest to join the Trinity River about north of Burnt Ranch. The New River drains about of rugged mountains and forests; almost 70 percent of the watershed is in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. History. New River had a rich history of Native Americans: Tsnungwe including the tł'oh-mitah-xwe . Chimariko came in seasonally to hunt, and New River Shasta/Konomihu visited from other side of the Salmon River divide. Recreation. The New River contains rapids ranging from class I to almost class V, with flows ranging from 400-1000+ cfs, and is run mainly by advanced kayakers and rafters. The entire main stem of the river was designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1980. With the exception of a few small settlements along the New River, most of the watershed is remote, isolated backcountry that is seldom visited.