Feather, N. Fork

In the decades following construction of the Cresta Project flows were diverted for hydropower and only 50 cfs flowed through this reach of the North Fork Feather.  Spring and winter releases were erratic and nearly impossible to catch. All this changed in June 2001 with the issuance of a new license for this project.  The staff and volunteers of American Whitewater, Chico PaddleHeads, and Shasta Paddlers spent more than five years, thousands of dollars, and thousands of hours negotiating the new license. The new license included increased base flows and recreation boating releases. The base flows were designed to bump up incrementally every five years.  In 2006, summer releases were suspended for the Cresta reach because of concern for the Foothill Yellow Legged Frog population in this section of the NF Feather.  While it is unclear if reduction population numbers were due to recreation releases or large flow fluctuations in the spring caused by project operations, the prudent decision was to elimnate the summer releases and recraft the spring flow schedule to provide more natural, and frog protective, flow conditions. The practical outcome for paddlers is that the Cresta reach will be boatable every day in April through June in a dry water year and December through July in a wet or normal water year. For more inforamtion on specific flows, see the flow info tab on this page.

The run starts out at the downstream side of the Elephant Butte Tunnel. From this small pull-out there is an informal trail to the river. Continuing approximately 100 yards upstream of the pull out there are ropes to guide your way down to the water. There is a good pool at the base of a rapid that emerges from the base of the dam. You can run this drop if you're willing to hike up on river left but more typically paddlers just put in at the pool below. The action on the first half of the run is generally class III/IV pool-drop. After a short warmup the river plunges through a stout h

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