McCloud
Fowler Camp to McCloud Reservoir(Upper)
| Difficulty | III+(IV) |
| Length | 11 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 60 fpm |
| Gauge | Mccloud River Near Mccloud |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 814 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 25, 2023 |
River Description
A unique run with beautiful scenery, terrific water quality and clarity, and fantastical architecture from the 1% (all of the run past the put in is bordered by private property – 'Wyntoon' – owned by the Hearst Corporation).
The distance, starting at the boat launch area downstream of Lower Falls, is about 7.5 miles of river, plus 3 miles of lake paddling. Starting near the Class IV/V Lower Falls adds another half mile.
During late summer and fall, launching on this run involves boat dragging or such till you get to Little Springs. These springs add just enough water that boaters can scratch down the creek the next mile to get to Big Springs where a lot of water comes into the river.
The first rapid below Big Springs is the steepest of the run with multiple rocks and pourovers to avoid. Below that, the river eases for a ways then picks up with a very long section of continuous class 3. The gradient eases gradually as the river goes downstream creating longer sections of slower water, between the mostly continuous 2 rapids. A few steeper rapids appear along the way.
Near the end, it is a treat to float past the exotic buildings of Wyntoon, the Hearst Corporation's private resort.
Getting There: The town of McCloud is about 10 miles east of Freeway I-5 on highway 89. The take out is about 10 miles south on Forrest Rd. 11. The put in is 5 miles east of McCloud on highway 89, then about a half mile south to Fowlers Camp.
Put in: On Highway 89 there will be signs to Fowlers Camp and the McCloud Loop drive. Turn right (south) and drive about 1/2 mile. Just befor Fowlers Camp turn right again at a fork towards the Lower Falls picnic area. A gravel road leads to a designated boater launching area. It is just a dirt clearing in the woods for parking up on a bluff above the river. A trail leads down to the river and a small somewhat less bushy area suitable for launching. This launch site i
...River Features
Lower Falls
Mileages to landmarks along the river are measured from this point simply because it is an obvious landmark. Lower Falls is runnable by some at some flows. There is a bit of a cave behind it and the cliff to river right is severely undercut.
Boat Launch
From the lower falls picnic area follow signs down a gravel road to a left turn and a parking area on the bluff above the river. A gradual trail leads down to the river in a short distance.
Furthest downstream put in
Follow a rutted and dusty dirt road to the National forrest - private property boundary, then follow side roads towards the river. User trails lead down to the river. A fence line is visible in spots allowing people to stay on public property.
Tarantula Boat Ramp
There is a large parking area here, with picnic tables and pit toilets. The boat ramp is a self servic fee area and costs $5.00 to park. The locked gate on the road marks the boundary with the Hearst Corporation property.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportJune 2 2023
McCloud at put in 0.6 miles below Lower Falls to reservoir
CFS 1350
Wood frequently seen in river.
(2.2 miles below put in) At 0.2 miles below Big Springs wood across most of the river. Easy to see. In hard shell kayak narrow sneak on right.
(2.4 miles below put in) At 0.4 miles after Big Springs wood across most of the river. Easy to see. In hard shell kayaks ran a fairly wide route on the river right.
It seemed closer to Big Springs than this. Miles are according to AllTrails (3.6 miles below put in) At 1.6 miles below Big Springs MAJOR hazard. Wood across the entire river. From river level it looks runnable on the left. However there is a second tree 10 feet down river. We portaged on the right. Two kayaks stuck in the river in this area.
At 0.2 miles below the bridge there is significant wood in the river. We ran it, but I'm not sure what line to take once the water level goes down.
Two of us packrafted this and were very wood-alert given the recent snowmelt and flooding. A rare chance to paddle this above the ~700cfs that it usually is due to the springs. We didn't do Lower Big Springs or even the section right below due to high water and lack of eddies right from the get-go. Putting in at Fowler's, there were 3-4 portages around wood, one of which wasn't very fun – even for light packrafts. Otherwise the run was as described – mainly continuous class III.
There is an new shop in McCloud which offers shuttle services for this run. They are very cool. The shops name is McCloud Outdoors & Gear Exchange. I found them online at www.mccloudoutdoors.com
Boated two days in a row on this pretty river. Launched near the National Forest boundary to minimize the distance to Little Springs. Probably 20 cfs above Little Springs and maybe 50 to 75 cfs below. Big Springs added several hundred cfs to fill out the river. Several more springs came in along the way. Side creeks added minor amounts of water. The long sections of continuous water were super fun, but tiring.
Paddling across the reservoir was hard the first day as there was a strong headwind. On the second day, winds were light and usually behind me.
'Nother shot in the series showing HerrBoater's style. We ran this over and over trying to get the good shot...Mick
This is photo op time! We set up the camera on tripod, burst mode and hit the shutter just as we hit the lip. This is a collage of a single run from burst mode...Mick
Please note this section is above the Fowler's Campground and Lower McCloud Falls and could be an option to run as well. Just takes a healthy walk up from Fowler's Campground.
About a half mile or so above Lower McCloud Falls. Unnamed stuff, class II-II+ in my estimation.
I skipped running this on two separate solo runs, as there was no safety for me. It looks like a class III+-IV rapid with a decent line on river right but a recirculating hole on river left, especially at the flow shown.
Higher flows on the McCloud River. I want to say I haven't run from Middle Falls down, but only from below the Horizon Line rapid you'll see as well.