Mokelumne, N. Fork
3. Below Tiger Creek to Red Corral Road(Tiger Creek)
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 2.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Nf Mokelumne R Bl Tiger Creek Afterbay |
| Flow Rate as of 4 hours | 936 cfsmedium runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 30, 2024 |
River Description
The Tiger Creek section on the North Fork Mokelumne is an incredible paddling and scenic resource. The section boasts a class III+ rapid at the beginning, tons of pool/drop class III in the middle, and a couple of nice class IV rapids right at the end. The scenery is wonderful the whole way, with many granite cliffs and slabs rising out of the water and lush green hillsides.
This is a great run for class III paddlers wanting to step up their game, or wanting to practice some creekier moves in a comfortable setting. Scouting and portaging is fairly easy along most of the length, but it does require extra effort at the last class 4 rapid.
Access to the run is easy, with nice parking areas at the put in and take out provided by BLM & PG&E. The shuttle is short and quick on a road that parallels the run just out of sight most of the time. People commonly get 2 runs in a day on this little jewel. The Tiger Creek section was opened up by American Whitewater through long negotiations with PG&E.
The recreational release flows on the Moke are a minimum; water year type and accretion from Cole Creek, the Bear River, and Tiger Creek proper can cause the flow observed on the North Fork Mokelumne to be greater than that number. Flows will be closer to the 700cfs or 900cfs release volume in dry years or particularly cold Springs. Please make sure you check recent flows before committing to a run!
Take out: Red Corral Road bridge of the Mokelumne is about 80 miles from Modesto, but you should allow about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
From Jackson head east on CA-104/CA-88 12.5 mi
Turn right at CA-104/CA-26 4.6 mi to Red Corral Road
Take a Right on Red Corral Road
Put in: From the take out a dirt road follows the river upstream on the north side. Tiger Creek dam is about 3 miles upstream. There is a modest amount of parking and easy access to the river a few hundred yards downstream of the
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportSweet day out on Tiger during an odd time of the year release. Our group had about 700 cfs and it was pretty bony and not too powerful. Last rapid delivered some good fun.
as of April 2020 road is still washed out but you can drive in almost 3/4 of the way, ditch the boat, then drive back to the take out and walk back in.
The North Fork of the Mokelumne is currently spilling from peak snowmelt. Therefore, the scheduled releases are effectively canceled. By Thursday afternoon, flows below Salt Springs were nearly 3000 cfs. The uncontrolled spill will continue until the runoff subsides. This effects all downstream runs: Devil's Nose (IV-V), Tiger Creek(III-IV), and Electra (II-III). The Devil's Nose above 3000 cfs gets VERY PUSHY CLASS V. Scouting and/or portaging the lower gorge becomes extremely difficult at high flows.
Use Caution if running the lower runs Tiger Creek or Electra.
In 2008 we ran small (11 foot) rafts down this as paddle rafts and it was a blast! The next weekend, we took our small (13 foot) cat-a-rafts and rowed down this stretch again. It was great, just too short... I encourage everyone with the appropriate craft and experience to join in on the fun in 2009. Be sure and fill out a survey form at the end of each run.
There is a modest amount of parking up on the road, where this picture is taken from.. Hike around a gate and down a hill to the river.
One of the many short drops along this run.
The scenery is very nice along the whole run.
This is a very serious move, though not difficult if you start at just the right spot. Eric has entered just to the right of the top center hole. He is aiming to the left and must now cut all the way across the current to the left side of a nasty center splat rock that is described as jagged jaws.
None of our group had any trouble, but I heard of one who did hit it and busted their helmut. If you have any doubts about the move, the portage is short and easy.
Main drop in the upper half of the Class 4 rapid at the end of the run.
Dan Hogg running the right side of the class 3+ rapid near the top of the section. The hydraulics over there were pretty strong. A lefts side sneak route was also available.
This is the dam that provides the great recreational releases on the North Mok.
A good run if are are in the area,it's short and sweet pool drop read and run the two last rapid are the best.