Tuolumne River (CA) 2014 Paddle to the Sea!

6th Annual Paddle to the Sea: From Yosemite to San Francisco this May and June!

The Tuolumne River Trust’s annual Paddle to the Sea is a six-week long paddle-a-thon on the Tuolumne River from Yosemite, through the Central Valley, to San Francisco Bay. This year’s event will start on Friday, May 2nd with two days of whitewater rafting run by ARTA River Trips, where paddlers are invited to raft through the area hit hardest by the 2013 Rim Fire, as conditions allow. Next, the Paddle to the Sea crew will travel through the Central Valley from May 9th to June 6th with a series of flat water canoeing days. These canoe trips are open to everyone - from experts to people who have never been in a canoe before. Children over the age of 7 are also welcome to join in the fun. There will be three days of sailing on the Delta from June 9th – 11th, and finally two days of sea kayaking on June 14th and 15th, run by California Canoe & Kayak.

A handful of paddlers complete the entire trip, and many more come along to paddle for a day along the way. All funds raised by Paddle to the Sea go directly to support the Tuolumne River Trust's work to help recover from the 2013 Rim Fire, educate children and communities dependent on the river about water conservation and efficiency in the face of the extreme drought conditions that California is currently facing, and restore the watershed. Last year, the Rim Fire burned 250,000 acres, or 20%, of the Tuolumne Watershed. On top of that, the current drought has created extremely difficult conditions for fish and animals that live in and along the Tuolumne River. All of this affects the river that provides water for millions of residents in the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Paddle to the Sea also showcases a series of riverside events, including a concert in Groveland, CA featuring Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion on Saturday, May 17th and the Grand Finale in San Francisco on Sunday, June 15th.

You're invited to join any of these very special days on the river. For more information, please visit www.paddletothesea.org or contact paddle@tuolumne.org.