Feather, N. Fork
2) Rock Creek Dam to Rock Creek Powerhouse
| Difficulty | III-V |
| Length | 8.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Nf Feather R Bl Rock Creek Div Dam |
| Flow Rate as of 3 hours | 451 cfslow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | September 26, 2024 |
River Description
In the decades following construction of the Cresta Hydroelectric Project (FERC P-1962) flows were diverted for hydropower and only 50 cfs flowed through this reach of the North Fork Feather. Spring and winter releases were erratic and nearly impossible to catch. All this changed in June 2001 with the issuance of a new license for this project. The staff and volunteers of American Whitewater, Chico PaddleHeads, and Shasta Paddlers spent more than five years, thousands of dollars, and thousands of hours negotiating the new licence. The new license included increased base flows and recreation boating releases. The base flows were designed to bump up incrementally every five years. The third five year flow period began in 2015. The practical outcome for paddlers is that the Rock Creek reach, particularly the Tobin and Lobin sections, are now boatable every day in Wet, Normal, and Dry water years. For more information on specific flows, see the flow info tab on this page.
Although parking is limited there are several alternative access sites as the entire run parallels Highway 70. You can thus start at the top and run the whole section or you can just do a couple laps on the part that best suites your skills and interest. The run is generally divided into three sections which each offer a different character. These include Rodger's Flat, Tobin, and Lobin.
Rodger's Flat Run
Rodgers Flat begins below the Rock Creek diversion dam and ends at the Tobin Vista river access. The run is approximately five-miles in length with an average gradient of 50 feet per mile. Overall the difficulty of this run is class III and the character consists of pool-drop rapids separated by intervening sections of calmer water. Although the most challenging rapids can be seen from the road, there are several additional rapids that are difficult to see and you will encounter more whitewater on this reach than first appears from a road scout.
Two
...River Features
Rodgers Flat Put-in
Put in below the dam on river right.
Gaging Station
The river takes a hard bend to the right as you pass by the gage station. Look out for the hole in the main flow near the bottom. Punch it or head around it to the left.
Lisa's Ledge
Take the center-left channel on Lisa's Ledge which funnels down through a fun chute. There was a fun boof on river right but CalTrans pushed some boulders into the river that have since blocked this route. You can get a look at this rapid from the pull-out at Highway 70 mile 11.3.
Brexit
Hole at the bottom of the rapid. Go right or left or boof over the top.
Karl's Kitchen
Karl's Kitchen has sevral route options. The traditional line starts over on river left but you want to work your way back to the right side of this main channel. You want to avoid the boulder jumble on river left, while navigating several ledge holes on the right above the exit. The right channel goes but is a bit boney at the top. Scout from the road on the way to the put in from the pull-out at Highway 70 mile 10.7. A separate river right channel has opened up for kayaks in recent years (2021 on) significantly, allowing for kayaks to sneak the boulder jumble and left channel entirely.
Eddy Catcher
Lots of eddies to catch in this natural slalom course as you pass by the PG&E maintenance facilities at Rodgers Flat.
Sharknado
Stay towards the middle of the channel on this straightforward rapid. Be sure to miss the shark rock at the bottom.
Chambers Creek
Straightforward rapid formed by the outwash of Chambers Creek
Dump Truck
This rapid offers options down the left or right side around an island. The left side is a bit more sporty.
Indian Jim Rapid
Indian Jim Rapid at the upstream end of the campground is the site of the annual slalom race at Feather Fest.
Indian Jim Campground
This campground at the old Indian Jim School site is a take out for the Rodgers Flat section and put in for the Tobin section. It is also a convenient meeting place for boaters and the site of the annual Feather Fest held in September.
Tobin Vista
This flat parking lot is the typical put-in for the Tobin section.
Dave's Drop
Relatively straightforward drop typically run just right of center, either following the water right and then back to the middle or boofing the curling wave. Exit through the right goalpost.
Named at 2024 Feather Fest to honor the many contributions Dave Steindorf has made in his long career with American Whitewater, and to celebrate his retirement at the end of the year!
Dancing Boy
This rapid can be run far right, center, or down the left. The classic line is down the left. This side makes a 90 degree turn and then off a four to six foot drop. The line requires making a downsteam boof. Following the current and penciling in typicaly leads to a beat down and swim.
Kevin's Gate
Entrance drop to the steepest part of the Tobin section of the Rock Creek Run. Named for Kevin Lewis who was an AW volunteer that made the releases on the Feather a reality.
No Brainer
There are two lines here depending on water level. At low water you make your way back to the left after running PMS. This line is a narrow slot that as the name implies is a 'No Brainer'. Just line it up and paddle off. At release flows, above 800cfs, there is a great ramp to the right of the big boulder. The drop above Top left picture is Paddle Management Slot or 'PMS'. This is the low flow line and require careful paddle management.
Cleaver
At most flows this can be run left to right, getting a huge sky boof. Above 1000 cfs it is a straight shot down the right. At all flows, beware the Cleaver rock just downstream of the drop.
Tobin Ledge
At release flows this river wide ledge is generaly run far left or far right. Get sucked to the middle and you are looking for a beat down. This is also the beginning of the steepest part of the run. If you are having trouble to this point, the road is a short hike away. There is a nice boof center right at low flows.
El Patron
At release flows this is generally considered the hardest rapid on the run. A tight entrance slot on the right shore is followed by a pair of minor ledges and culminating in a hole boof. At low flows, it is a portage or a push through the rocks.
Piece of Risa
The close-out rapid on the challenging Tobin section of the Rock Creek run. Beware of the pin hazard on the right and the undercut boulders to the left.
Rock Crest Bridge - Lobin Put-in
Traditional dividing point between Tobin and Lobin run.
Rock Crest Bridge Rapid
The river goes down a short ramp then bends to the left and after a brief hallway of laterals goes over a small ledge. At release flows typically run left to center down the ramp, center through the hallway, then choosing one of several prows of the ledge to boof. At low flows (400ish) the ledge requires specific placement and a late boof to avoid landing on submerged boulders.
Terrarium
This rapid is named for the fact that a small willow grows in the rock sculpture at the top of this rapid. A small boulder-pile leads to a river-center ramp. Immediately after the flake the river pushes toward a large boulder with a slot sieve just left of it. At release flows you can go right off the ramp (or boof the right rockabove it) into an eddy and then finish by going down the right chute behind the large boulder. Another line takes you straight off the flake and boofing off the left shoulder of the sieve-forming rock, just left of the boulder. This left line closes out around 600cfs.
S-Turn - Lobin Third Rapid
Storrie Rapid
ABC Above Bucks Creek
Fun rapid with multiple line options depending on the flow. S turn line on teh left at release flows, boof into the room on teh right at lower flows.
Buck's Creek Powerhouse
The wave just below the powerhouse is called Hot and Cold, because of the cold water coming from the powerhouse, temperatures from one side of the wave to the other can vary 15 degrees. Don't hang out in front of the powerhouse as the emergency release valve can send a jet of water out across the river without warning.
Little Knarly
This is a long class III+ rapid below the Bucks Creek Powerhouse. In 2010 a fatality occured at the bottom of this rapid.
Powerhouse Rapid
This is the last rapid on the Rock Creek section of the North Fork Feather. It is just below the powerhouse so flows can vary considerably depending on upstream release and the outflow from the powerhouse.
Rock Creek Powerhouse Take-Out
Take out on river right below the powerhouse.
Trip Reports
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I really enjoyed this flow of 1,200 cfs. Nice and padded out. The muddy water was also a nice touch.
At Feather Fest 2024, to honor the many massive contributions Dave Steindorf has made to the Feather River Watershed, we decided the name of the first rapid on Tobin will hereafter be Dave's Drop! Adding the rapid and a photo to the river page.
After hearing about Chris Chandler having a bad run at the Cleaver in the Tobin section of the NF Feather River, I decided to go up a check it out. The rapid has changed quite drastically. The pool elevation at the top has dropped about two feet. It looks like a large rock on the right side of the boof rock moved out. Now there is quite a bit of flow going to the right of the boof rock. The big issue is that there is much more of the Cleaver rock showing, this is where Chris got pinned. The upstream point of the Cleaver rock is undercut and jagged and all of the flow pushes into it. Not at all surprising that Chris got stuck there. I strongly recommend portaging this at low flows. We will have to see what it looks like at release flows, and it should definitely be scouted.
Medium low flow with Charlie Guilbualt and Lance Petrack-Zunich (Team Geezer). Tobin and Lowbin are great at this flow. We came upon a tree hazard in Little Knarly, the rapid just below the Bucks Creek Powerhouse. The tree is at the bottom of the rapid blocks much of th channel. You can get round the tree by going far left around the rock at teh bottom of the rapid. There is another log just down stream but is is much easier to avoid. Both will probablably move out with high flows but for now be sure to use extreme caution when running this rapid. There is one more log just above the Rock Creek Powerhouse. Reasonably easy to see and going right will allow you to miss it.
My first Feather Fest. As per usual, almost no other packrafters around. After a warm-up run on the Rodgers Flat section, I found a makeshift crew of riverboarders (Ross, Rudy) and kayakers (Miles, Jess) to run Lobin with. Even after some successful step-up Class IV runs on the SF Smith and Pit 5, I was hesitant on this one. The crew led me down all the ledges with no scouting – not my preferred tactic; I swam immediately and frequently from there on out. Luckily had good self-rescues every time. Safe to say Lobin can kick your ass pretty easily! In hindsight, they were all swims that some scouting and better low-brace technique could have prevented.
Drone photos of NF Feather - Lobin courtest of Martin Beebee Photography, Featherfest 2019.
Feather Fest weekend 2018. Sunday morning run on Rodgers Flat and road scout of the retaining wall on Tobin after cleaning up the festival site.
Feather Fest weekend 2018. Saturday morning run on Rodgers Flat and afternoon run on Lobin.
FYI North Fork Feather Rock Creek - LOG HAZARD below Lisa's Ledge. (Downstream photo of log hazard - Dave Steindorf). It is in the boof line that many people take on this rapid - log would be on river right. It could create a very bad pin.
