Merced
2) El Cap Meadow to Highway 120 / 140 junction.(Pohono)
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 3.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 40 fpm |
| Permit | Boaters are not required to register with the park before launching on the river. |
| Gauge | Merced R a Pohono Bridge Nr Yosemite Ca |
| Flow Rate as of 55 minutes | 891 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 29, 2015 |
Projects
On Friday, April 24, 2015 the Merced River in Yosemite National Park was officially reopened to paddlers. This reopening was the culmination of seven years of sustained engagement by American Whitewater with the National Park Service and other stakeholders in this process. Allowing paddling was a tiny, yet important [...]Read More
River Description
Yosemite Valley is one of the most beautiful places to boat, but it is even a bit nicer when you can do a bit of surfing in view of El Capitan or Bridalveil Falls. In the upstream valley float trip to El Cap Meadows, one can relax and just stare up at the cliffs. Below El Cap, boaters get to enjoy one of the most fun sections on the entire Merced River.
The run starts off meandering through El Capitan Meadow, then gradually picks up some gradient. Much of the distance contains long class 2 and class 3 rapids, but at the very end are several class 4 rapids. Most of the rapids tend to be quite long and busy, yet fairly easy. It is very different than most of the rapids on the main Merced below El Portal.
If you boat all the way to the highway 120/ 140 junction there is one last rapid that is probably class 5, but most boaters on this section will take out a ways before that rapid. The road is near to the river over most of the distance so boaters may take out at any point. Scout carefully and choose the access points that look the best to you. The new 2014 Merced River Plan may specify best access points.
When accessing the river or stopping along the way, do your best to stay on the rocks, gravel or sand. Stay off the streamside vegetation, so it stays healthy and strong.
Permits: As of 2015, boating is allowed on this nice section of river. Permits are not required yet, but may be required in the future. See this link; Yosemite Water Activities - for park rules on when and where you can boat. Since it is such a nice section, whitewater boaters lobbied the park to make it legal to boat here. In the past, boating this section was fairly common, then for about 2 decades it was not allowed. Yosemite search and rescue holds annual whitewater training on this section in the spring.
El Cap Meadow to Pohono
In additi
...River Features
El Capitan Meadow Bridge
There is quite a bit of parking in this area. The river is flat for almost a mile providing plenty of opportunity to enjoy the tremendous views. Elevation is 3955 feet.
Bridalveil Rapid
A gentle sweeping bend around El Cap Meadow drops you straight into the top of Bridal Veil Rapid Class III+/ IV, the longest rapid on the section. The first half of rapid picks its way through a boneyard of rocks and channels. Higher flows offer a more defined line. Half way through the rapid the majority of the river flow starts to shift river left. Look for large rocks on the left bank with stranded timbers. A small series of ledges make up the final third of the rapid. At high flows large powerful hydraulics develop. The exit to the rapid is split into three distinct channels with a large recovery pool at the bottom. The easiest option is to run river right. Scout from is from river right. This rapid can also be scouted as you run your shuttle. Parking at the far end of the Bridal Veil Falls viewing area gives you a great spot to view this rapid.
Pohono Bridge
My recollection is that there is a good set of rapids running under this bridge. The gauge is located at this bridge also.
Gates
Rapid - The Gates. III+ Scout this from the road, it is just
upstream from the takeout. Above the rapid look for a long pool with
large boulders in midstream. Eddy out on river left to scout from bank.
The Gates has a distinct ledge that angles from midstream to river
right. The left run (The Gates) enters high on river left and makes a
sharp right turn to avoid bow deflecting rocks bordering a narrow
channel. A more challenging run on river right has a sharp drop into a
large partially submerged rock at medium flows. There is potential to
get pinned with this route. At high flows it sets up a large hydraulic
adding to the excitement. You can regroup below the rapid at small
riffles and eddies.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportRan this section twice in mid June 2016 in a 14' raft, 1000cfs. Took out above 'The Gates' because there didn't appear to be entry point for the left run large enough for a raft. Bridal Veil Rapid was fun. Not sure if the run is worth the ~2 miles of flat water (@1000cfs) paddling unless you can run rapids all the way to Table Rock. The run would probably be significantly better for a raft >=2000cfs.
Yosemite Park personel accompanied AW staff & volunteers on an inspection float trip down the river.
Beautiful views up the Yosemite Valley from the Merced River.
