American, South Fork
3. Riverton (Route 50 bridge) to Peavine Ridge Road
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 3.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 70 fpm |
| Gauge | So. American Below Kyburz |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 306 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 27, 2023 |
River Description
This is a great run for aspiring class IV boaters looking for an introduction to the free-flowing sections of the South Fork American but who aren't ready to tackle Kyburz. After the Hwy 50 bridge, the river pulls away from the road and leaves you in a scenic middle-elevation Sierra gorge.
To make this run a bit longer, you can put-in several miles upstream at the bottom of Whitehall rapid and combine the lower part of Kyburz with this run for a fun class III+/IV- day.
The standard takeout is a high-clearance 4WD only dirt road, but you can also park at the top of that road and walk the 1/4-1/2mi. Note that the Peavine Ridge Road is on Google Maps on both sides of the river, but the access and much shorter drive is from river left/south side. You can also take out at the USFS Bridal Veil picnic ground for a small fee, although you will miss a very scenic gorge at the end and a couple of class III drops. Do not park your car on the shoulder of Hwy 50 near Bridal Veil - CHP patrols this and tickets.
Other information sources:
River Features
Put In
The standard put-in for this run is the large pullout on the north side of Hwy 50 just before the Ice House Road bridge.
Alternate put-in
This alternate upsteam put-in adds the bottom section of Kyburz, which is mostly Class II-III ledges and slides.
The Big One
After some brushy rapids and a few easy drops, the river turns left and drops through a narrow series of ledge-holes, ending with a current-splitting rock at the bottom. Scout river left. This rapid may form large hydraulics at high flows.
The Long One
When the river rounds another left bend and the Hwy 50 retaining wall comes into view on river left, you're entering 'The Long One.' This is a long boulder garden rapid, quite different from the upstream drops. There are many eddies from which to boat scout and a few dead-end channels.
Alternate take-out
If you don't have a 4WD vehicle and don't want to hike your boat up the lower access road, this is a viable take-out spot with nice beaches and picnic tables. However there is a fee to access this area, and it may not be open when the river is running.
Take Out
The take out for this run is a rough high clearance road, and is also the put in for the downstream Golden Gate section. Needless to say, don't miss the take out. It's worth a scout from the end of the road if it's your first time, as you have to climb about 25 feet up a bank to get to the road.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportA few of us packrafters (Robin Levick, Ellis Vonasek) had been eyeing this for a bit as we were stepping up into III/IV waters. The short drive time from Oakland made it a perfect choice as we waited for some other valley creeks to come down after the big winter 2023 rains. We quickly saw why boaters usually wait til the spring for this one; snow on the banks and freezing cold SFA water, as per usual, made for a chilly day.
We had a few swims from the get go due to some standard curling waves that surprised us. My energy was sapped early. But I was redeemed with a lot of fun Class III action before The Big One. One of us lost a boat above this before we had a chance to scout; luckily our MVP of the day, Ellis, chased it and ran the entire thing blind, dry-haired it, and retrieved the boat. Superstar. To us, The Long One wasn't more than a Class III at these levels, though we might've gotten this confused with the Big One.