American, North Fork Middle Fork

This run went mostly unexplored by boaters until the mid-90s. Kayaker Brandon Nelson, one of the first to boat this section, gives this account in Holbek's Third Edition book:

'The seven miles of road to the trailhead was snow-covered and-impassable in early April, so we elected to hike the distance and spent all day muling our gear through wet snow and mud, arriving at the crystal-clear snowmelt river at dark.

The upper section had a lot of boat-scoutable, technical drops, and some huge class V. We ran some of the biggest drops I've seen and still walked seven times. At one point we came to a river-wide 22-footer with a near impossible-looking portage. I was concerned about our options when Barry pointed to a line and went to lead the monster...a few rapids later we came to Devil's Gate, a precarious looking affair emphasized by 100-foot vertical walls on both sides.

The top, a 12-foot ledge into a terminal hole, is walkable on the right.

The run was to seal-drop off a shelf onto a shallow 40-foot ramp, go off the center of a 10-foot ledge while staying away from the half-pipe on the left wall. I missed the center line, slamming into the half-pipe arcing off the wall, lost my paddle and hand-rolled; Barry rolled too but kept his paddle. It took us 6-7 hours to get to Mosquito Bridge.

To get to the put-in, take Foresthill Road from Auburn, continuing through Foresthill about 16 miles to Deadwood Road. Turn right and follow signs that indicate '7 miles to Devil's Thumb.' From there, hike a mile and 1,800 feet down the Western States Trail to Last Chance bridge to the put-in on river right.

To hike into the middle of the run, which is easier and more akin to say, Giant Gap, take Mosquito Ridge Road from Foresthill towards the put-in for the Tunnel Chute run. Go 6.2 miles past the turnoff for Oxbow Reservoir and park at a turnout on the left past mile marker 16. A trail leads down t

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