Eel

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!