New River
Devils Canyon to Denny Campground(Upper New)
| Difficulty | IV+ |
| Length | 4.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 70 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 28, 2024 |
River Description
Part of the challenge of paddling the New is getting an idea of whether its flow is in without driving there to find out. There is no gage on the New and the next gage downstream on the Trinity doesn't always correlate well to New River flows. The best bet is to look at the flows for the Salmon River system. The South Fork Salmon is just over the mountain from the New and, like the New, is entirely free-flowing with no dams or diversions. Dreamflows gives a rough estimate for the South Fork Salmon. Look for a flow of 3000 cfs on the main stem Salmon River at the Somes Bar gauge for a medium flow on the New
River Features
No river features have been added
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportI run the upper and middle (Denny) New River frequently. These two runs linked together at a medium flow are excellent! Use the Somes Bar gauge on the Salmon River. All flows I refer to are that gauge. Look for at least 2500 cfs. I went up in Spring of 2023 when the gauge read 2000 cfs and the New River was pretty poor quality. January 2024 we ran it at 4000 cfs and I showed 3 first timers down the upper run and 6 first timers down the middle run. Everyone was at least an 'advanced' boater, and had a great time. This was an upper medium flow and seemed iv+ on the upper and iii-iv on the middle. I went back again the same month and we had 5500cfs and rising slowly. I led 4 boaters down and we had an excellent time. This is getting into the high flows. I have seen solid groups run it even higher and have a great time. We portaged the first class iv and scouted the other two gorges. At the Panther Creek takeout, look at the alder tree trunks across the pool. If the water touches them you have upper medium flow. If the water laps past them a few inches, you are going to have high flows -Darryl