Pit
Pit 3: Lake Britton to Pit 3 Powerhouse(Pit 3 Run)
| Difficulty | III |
| Length | 5.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 29 fpm |
| Gauge | Pit River Below Lake Britton |
| Flow Rate as of 4 hours | 338 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | February 6, 2026 |
River Description
At 1,500 cfs the Pit 3 reach is reported to be a pretty continuous Class III run with many high quality play areas and long wave trains. There are pools between rapids, but several rapids are very long.
You can do this run in conjuction with the Pit 4 and Pit 5 reaches down stream. During the spring releases all three reaches will be running. It is possible that this reach may have some vegetation in the channel that has grown in since the flow studies were conducted in 2002.
Getting There:
Access the Pit 3 Reach by taking Hwy 299 to the Hwy 89 junction and taking Hwy 89 North towards Lake Britton. After 4.2 miles on Hwy 89 take a left on Clark Creek Road to the Lake Britton Dam. Take a left onto Forest Route 37N06 after crossing the Dam. This road follows the river, but it is fairly high above the river for the first half of the run.
Put in: The put-in is down the long stairway just below the dam on the river right side.
Take out: Continue down Forest Route 37N06 to the Pit 3 powerhouse. Several take out options are available just above the powerhouse.
Other Information Sources:
see the description in SIERRA WHITEWATER, MARTIN, 1974
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPackrafted this with Andy Rich two times for our Pit 5 warm-up. An older local guy with whom we spoke said the flows were 'historic' and yet we couldn't figure out where the water was coming from since it hadn't rained recently (and it wasn't just this dam releasing water). Mostly splashy Class II.