Eel

We put on with the Ft. Seward guage reading 9,000cfs and took off at the end of the fourth day with the gauge reading 6,000cfs. Our group was a mix of rafts, kayaks, and packrafts. Several group members had done the run prior, with some on their fourth trip down. Plenty of surf waves to be caught on the fly and many class II rapids with a handful of class III rapids. The biggest two rapids on the run fell into the class III+ range. Island Mountain Falls we scouted - enter right, shoot two small horn rocks, and keep right to avoid large holes & waves on the left side. On running Kekawaka Falls more veteran Eel group members said the top was washed out, but the bottom hydraulics were a factor - enter far right and catch the flow pillowing left of the right wall. One other kayaker and I ran center left with left angle and managed to punch through but momentum was key. Veteran trip members felt that the rapids were more frequent and punchier than their trips at lower flows and too much higher would likely wash out. We took out at Fort Seward and one car in our group had the gas tank drilled and siphoned out - wisest to plan shuttles to arrive after you hit your takeout. Ours happened after only two hours on the river bar from drop-off.

The Eel is a gorgeous river that I would highly recommend for advanced boaters comfortable with Class IV whitewater. Having rafted it at 5,300+ CFS in April 2024, I would consider that flow level to be High in accordance with previous written accounts of the river. Some of the available descriptions of the river I read referenced runs in the late 1970's, at which point several major rapids did not yet exist:

- At ~Mile 2.25, a Class IV with a sharp S-turn appears around a blind corner, with current pushing strongly into the right bank.

- A couple hundred yards below Kekawaka Falls is another Class III or IV rapid with unavoidable large holes and large hydraulics above 5,000 CFS.

Donna is a fantastic shuttle driver and river ambassador. She kept our vehicles safe in Alderpoint while we were on our trip and made our takeout easy by shuttling our gear up a steep bank to our vehicles.

Great beaches, pleasant river temperature in April, some beautiful creeks that would be worth hiking up in hot weather, and a neat historical railroad. FWIW, I was concerned about railroad debris in the channel posing a safety hazard, but I did not see any at 5,000+ CFS. A great trip especially for those living in northern California. With PG&E scheduled to take out the dam above the put-in in the coming years, hopefully good flows will continue even longer in the summer in the future. Enjoy and be safe out there!

We had a fleet of 8 folks and 1 dog do this at about the lowest flows I'd recommend. The shuttle remains tricky – we knew a guy or two to help with a take-out above Alderpoint. A euphorically good crew and trip!

This is the put-in on Outlet Creek, just above the confluence with the Main Eel. The name comes from the tennis shoes that are hanging off of the power lines marking the turn off to the put-in.

Nice Beach.

Very scenic camp.

This is a rail car that is in the middle of the river. Fortunately, it is in a flat section. You really would not want to swim into this thing.