Tuolumne, |
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| Name | Range | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuolumne River Below Confluence with Cherry Creek | 600 - 10000 cfs | 00h35m | 99 cfs (rc= -0.1 ) |
The Main Tuolumne River is a California classic, with nice scenery, exciting class 4 rapids, good
side hikes and interesting historical sites. Dependable flows are provided by Holm Powerhouse up
on Cherry Creek. Hetch Hetchy Water and Power has developed a good relationship with the
whitewater community and has agreements to provide dependable daytime flows through the summer to
the extent possible.
Permits are Required from May 1 to October 15 of each year. Permits must be
obtained from the Stanislaus National Forest, Groveland Ranger
District. Day trip permits are usually easy to obtain in person. Overnight permits can be
reserved starting on January 1st. Weekday overnight permits can be easy to obtain also. The
forest has good information at their Tuolumne River web page.
Permit Instructions
Permit Application
Call (209) 962-7825
Getting There:
Put in: Meral's Pool at Lumsden campground is at the bottom of a narrow, twisty,
rough and slow dirt road. It is generally closed in the winter time. Call the ranger district to
see when this road opens in the spring. There are several free campsites along the river in the
vicinity of the put in. They have pit toilets but no potable water.
When Lumsden road is closed, alternate access can be had by hiking down the SF Tuolumne road. It is a two or three mile hike but all down hill with some nice scenary. The SF T road faces east and catches morning sun.
The most dangerous part of a river trip can be the shuttle to the fun! On a bus trip into Jawbone
Canyon, SUVs speeding up the one-lane switchback dirt road at 15 mph almost crashed into the bus
or careerned over the canyon edge. Expect to meet other cars and buses on this narrow road.
Allow about 20 minutes driving time from Highway 120 down to Meral's Pool.
Take out: Wards Ferry Road bridge crosses the upper end of New Don Pedro
reservoir. Boaters will usually have to paddle a mile or two of flatwater on the lake. If the
reservoir is low there can be nice rapids almost to the bridge. There is a trail on the upstream
river right side of the bridge. Parking is limited, so cars get spread out on the shoulder along
the road. Don't leave any valuables in the car. Break ins sometimes happen. Allow about 20
minutes driving time each way from the river to Highway 120.
Other information sources:
Cassady & Calhoun, Holbek & Stanley, Martin
Rocks and Rapids of the Tuolumne River, by Terry Wright
Tuolumne River Trust
CaCreeks.com
CaliRiver.com.
Tuolumne River - National
Forest page
Tuolumne-River.com guide page
Loma Prieta Tuolumne River
Guide
Paddle to the Sea; 2009
(blog)
Geology:
Cenozoic evolution
of the Tuolumne
http://www.terrywrightgeology.com/tguiderevision07.1.doc
is an msWord doc of Terry Wright's wonderful book, 'Rocks and Rapids of the Tuolumne River; A
guide to the Natural and Human History'.
Boating on the Tuolomne can be divided into two seasons: Spring spill season and Summer powerhouse release season. The Spring High Tuolomne season begins when flows decrease below 10,000 cfs for the most-skilled paddlers. Commercial rafting trips rarely begin above 8,000 cfs. 6,000 cfs is considered an above normal flow, and 3,000-4,000 cfs is considered a very good flow. Once spills from Hetch Hetchy & Lake Eleanor cease, flows are around 1,500 cfs or less. During non spill, flows are a combination of powerhouse outflow from Holm Powerhouse on Cherry Creek, and a minimum release into the Tuolumne River from Early Intake diversion.
The flow from Holm Powerhouse takes a few hours to reach Meral's Pool.
Daily Flows Realtime Flows Dreamflows Home |
 |
| Show 30 Days |
| Show 3 Years |
Tuolumne river release bulletins for 2007
Tuolumne river release Calendar for 2007
Inflows to New Don Pedro Reservoir will be mostly the flow from the river, although there are some low elevation creeks that can have a large effect during the winter. Inflow is reported as a 24 hour average after midnight.
| Name | Range | Updated | Level | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuolumne River Below Confluence with Cherry Creek | |||||||||
| virtual-10553 | 600 - 10000 cfs | 00h35m | 99 cfs (rc= -0.1 ) | ||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuolumne4) Lumsden Campground (Merals Pool) to Wards Ferry Bridge |
Tuolumne, 1300 cfs
|
1300 cfs | Paul Martzen | |
| Tuolumne4) Lumsden Campground (Merals Pool) to Wards Ferry Bridge [CA] |
clavey run out
|
n/a | steven vaniman | |
| Tuolumne [CA] |
Rafting Gray's Grindstone on the Tuolumne
|
n/a | Zachary Collier | |
| Tuolumne [CA] |
LOOP ON THE T!!- CODY
|
low | Cody Howard | |
| 2y198d02h01m | Tuolumne [CA] |
Step 4
|
900 cfs | Daniel Lundberg |
| 8y169d02h01m | Tuolumne [CA] |
Boat-Crunching Clavey Hole
|
1250 cfs | Matthew Urdan |
| > 10 years | Tuolumne [CA] |
Horizon Line......indeed!
|
900 cfs | Daniel Lundberg |
No Comments
Add a Comment| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Rock Garden | IV |  |
| 0.4 | Nemesis | IV | |
| 0.8 | Sunderland's Chute | IV | |
| 1.0 | Hackamack's Hole | IV | |
| 1.4 | Ram's Head | IV | |
| 4.3 | Stern | IV | |
| 5.4 | Clavey Falls | 5.0 | |
| 5.4 | Clavey Hole | 5.0 | |
| 9.5 | Gray's Grindstone | IV | |
| 11.0 | Thread the Needle | III | |
| 12.6 | Cabin | IV | |
| 12.9 | Hells KItchen | IV |
At low summer flows around 1300 cfs, many raft guides consider this the hardest rapid on the river because the river is wide and there are rocks everywhere. Typically rafts enter on river right, then about the middle of the rapid work their way through boulders to the river left side. Lots of rafts hang up in the middle of this rapid and all the other rafts at the top have to wait till the stuck raft gets clear.
Kayakers can work their way down through any part of the rapid without a lot of difficulty. Just eddy hop and pick your way.
This is a very long complicated rapid with a number of distinct levels. At low flows both rafts and kayaks have to maneuver their way past numerous rocks and drop offs.
It is a really tricky rapid that tends to wrap rafts or at least get them very stuck. It is characterized by a long, easy entrance and current that drives into some rocks called "the Jacks." At low water, the classic run is down the right side and then entereing a tricky chute down the middle. Most wraps occur when rafts eddy out on the right just above the tricky chute. The eddy is very tough to leave and they end up wrapped above the chute. At higher water(about 3,000 cfs and above), the middle becomes much more exciting with holes and big waves. At these flows, there is a nice cheat line on the far right. The kayaking lines are pretty much the same and there are probably 5 or 6 fun lines for competent, adventurous kayakers.
The river makes a sharp turn to the right, then picks up speed as it flows in a fairly straight line against the right side wall. The top half of the rapid is fairly open with numerous rocks forming eddies. At low summer flows, boaters can eddy hop down a ways till the river drops down a steep narrow chute. Several big holes wait at the bottom of the chute, occupying the center and right. The typical route is down the center of the chute then power left before the bottom.
This rapid is named for Dick Sunderland, an early California river running pioneer.
A busy rapid with a large rock in the center of the river near the bottom that creates a large hole at high flows.
This rapid is named for Bob Hackamack, who is still active in protecting the wild and scenic Tuolumne river.
Another very long rapid that narrows as it goes. A big rock occupies the center waves near the bottom of the rapid. At high flows this rock forms a big hole which requires a lot of work to avoid.
Large boulders block much of the river, especially at low flows. A narrow channel remains between the left cliff wall and a very large boulder. It is a cliff formed hallway. Kayakers have to stay straight, but it is really tight for rafts. Oarboats have to make sure their oars do not hang up on the walls.
A center route is good at higher flows, but is shallow and tricky at low summer flows.
The first of two drops in this staircase rapid are the biggest. An 8-foot sem-verticald rop on the right, called "The Falls" takes boats into a foaming current that pushes them toward the left wall. The second drop is guarded by a boat-crunching hole across the left half of the river. There is a left-side run that avoids the Falls but also leads to the big hole. Portage on the right, Set safety downstream. The most dangerous part of this rapid is "Dinosaur Rock" at the bottom of the rapid. Few people rarely walk down to scout it and many boats hit it. It is fairly easy to wrap or flip on this rock at flows above 2,000 cfs. Even if you miss the rock to the left, there is a steep eddy line that will flip a raft or throw a few paddlers out. Kayakers that float over this line may end up in a tricky eddy behind the rock. There have been two deaths on this rapid, both above 8,000 cfs and both kayakers. Kayaks that paddle over the top of Dinosaur end up getting caught in a part of the rock that split off on the back side. This would be horrible place to swim, but it's worse in a kayak, because a kayak can easily pin here.
The picture was taken at a low flow of 1250 cfs. The hole is just downstream of Clavey Falls and virtually unavoidable -- a boat-cruncher. After the high water year of 2005, some rocks shifted below the hole, which changed it's character. At low water, this used to be a steep 2-3 foot drop into a sticky hole. Now, that feature is pretty much gone and instead it's a tricky manuever between boulders and the potential to wrap a boat has increased. The hole is most fierce at higher flows when it's steep and surges unpredictably. It's possible to avoid the hole completely, but then you're set up to run right into Dinosaur Rock, so most people hit the edge of the hole. At high water, Clavey Hole is still as fierce as ever.
This rapid is probably the most fun on the Tuolumne. It's about half a mile long full of rocks, holes, and waves. At lower water(below 1500 cfs), it's a zigzag between rocks and over drops. At about 2500 cfs, a big hole appears at the entrance on the right. You can skirt this hole by running a technical left route. At flows above 4000 cfs, this hole can easily flip rafts which would lead to a long swim.
There is an easy route on river left at all flows. A more exciting center route goes between the two huge boulders, but can not be recommended. The center boulder appears to be undercut and the current pushes directly into it.
On my first trip down the T, I and another novice kayaker followed one of our leaders through the narrow slot and vertical drop on the far river right. At the bottom he turned, saw us behind him and cried out, "My god, you were not supposed to follow me through there!" It always seemed like the way to go ever since. Pmartzen
A large boulder bar / boulder field on the left pushes the channel over against the right wall. The river has cut two channels across the top of the boulder field, but the main channel is the furthest right. The rapid drops steeply to the right, then curves steadily back to the left.
This is a fun and very exciting rapid. At normal flows, it's a technical line through huge boulders right down the middle. At the higher flows (above 5,000 cfs) you'll want to start looking for lines down the left side to avoid the huge powerful waves in the center.
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NWRI - Tuolumne 4) Lumsden Campground (Merals Pool) to Wards Ferry Bridge (mobile)
