Yuba, South
4. Washington to Edwards Crossing
| Difficulty | IV |
| Length | 13.6 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 46 fpm |
| Gauge | Yuba River at Jones Bar |
| Flow Rate as of 4 hours | 488 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 1, 2026 |
River Description
Washington to Edwards is a Class IV run that is 14 miles long and passes through a forested river canyon. Once outside of the small town of Washington, there are few houses and no public road access. There is a trail that parallels the run high on river right. Due to the length and remote location of the run, it is generally considered to be more advanced than Edwards to Purdons, although the rapids may be a little easier. There is one portage.
In general, the river is fairly wide and the rapids may be boat scouted. The run starts off with a bang (III/IV-). After 2 miles it eases off till mile 9, though there are plenty of horizon lines to be engaging. The rapids get steeper in the middle third and culminate in a portage at mile 10.5. The portage is about one quarter mile below Humbug Creek. Humbug Creek (could be dry) enters on river right and is very muddy if it has been raining and the river is high. Portage over the granite slabs on river left. This is a nice place to have lunch and debate the merits of potential lines through the rapid.
While you are on shore, you can scout the next series of rapids. Just downriver from the portage is a rapid with a small chute on river left. It may be scouted from a funky little eddy on river right (or from high on the bank on the left during a lunchtime hike/portage). At low flows, the eddy just downstream of the chute is a bad place to swim. An underwater channel connects it to the next eddy downstream. Weaker paddlers having a 'bad day' will want to exercise care in this region. At higher flows, the nasty eddy washes out and is not as much of a problem.
Overall, the rapids are small, but fun with lots of waves and holes for entertainment.
Shuttle: The shuttle is long (45 minutes each way), but entirely on pavement. To get to the take out (Edwards), take Highway 49 north from Nevada City. Go 0.3 miles past the split with Highway 20 and turn right at the fire statio
...River Features
Put In
Waterfall Portage
The portage is about one quarter mile below Humbug Creek, which enters on river right. Portage over the granite slabs on river left.
Whirlpools
At 1000 CFS
We entered center or center-left, then moved right. There are two whirlpools to dodge in this section. Going too far right risks getting flipped by a pour-over or pulled into a whirlpool. Too far left, and you might end up in another whirlpool that has an underwater channel connecting to the next eddy downstream.
We were able to scout the rapid from the right bank a bit upstream. The portage on the left bank is also doable, though it’s a bit sketchy.
Take Out
The take out is just before the bridge at Edwards. There is a small pool for a few kayaks in the willows. It is a bit hard to see.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportAt 1000 CFS.
Thought this run was great! Miles 2–9 had plenty of horizon lines, aside from a couple of the harder rapids. Those rapids aren’t as in-your-face as the ones in the E2P section, but they’re still super fun. The lower gorges are action-packed and more confined, with a much more remote feel. I would totally do this run again!
Just adding a +1 to Gwenn's comment. Ran this with some friends at 2100 cfs last June (6/20/23). We ran everything, including the waterfall rapid above, but the whirlpool rapid Gwenn described is what gave us the most trouble. One swim, a few nervous laughs and a sigh of relief on the other side. It's easy for this one to sneak up on you.
We were just reading and running so I ran the less desirable right side, but I agree with Gwenn's comments. The more logical line is to enter left and carry speed through the pile exiting toward the right. There's a swirling whirlpool eddy on the left just after the hole that can be retentive. It swirled one of our guys around several times before he exited and it held onto his boat for a 1 min 20 sec. You can see his boat in the it in the photo.
On 4/28/2024, nine of us ran Washington to Edwards at 2,200 cfs, most of us class IV boaters. The rapid that gave us the most difficulty is the Whirlpool Rapid below the V+ Falls. At 2,200 cfs, the line is enter left, then move with the water to exit right. You enter left to avoid a nasty hole on the right. One of us swam that hole and exited it by going to the bottom. Another paddler who swam it not too long ago said they had been able to exit it from the surface after two merry go-round. Tell your crew: 'Enter left, exit right'.
Thank you for your nice description. I just ran washington to edwards for the first time and had fun at 500 cfs.
John