San Joaquin

Horseshoe Bend is a beautiful section of river that has seen relatively little boating use in the past. It only has boatable flows during periods of spill; typically late Winter and Spring of an average to high water year. Many years there is no spill at all and therefore no boatable flows. Scheduled weekend recreation releases will happen in the future if certain fishery studies allow it. In the meantime SCE started providing real time flow information in the summer of 2006, which will allow boaters to use this reach whenever there is boatable flow.

The river character is classic pool drop, with long pools separating relatively short steep drops. The streambed is a deep granite trench and many rapids are formed by large boulders. Most rapids, even the small ones, have distinct horizon lines, which hide any view of the correct route until you are just about entering the rapid or have in fact committed to the rapid. Low cliffs or sculpted boulders form much of the shoreline, but all rapids are easily scouted from shore. There are a few small beaches along the length and one large beach at about the halfway point. It is a very pretty section of river.

Time required: One can enjoyably spend all day, but fast trips are also feasible. A recent kayak trip at 2000 cfs with 3 boaters, doing 4 scouts, two portages, 1 swim, and numerous rolls, took 2 hours and 15 minutes from put-in to take-out.

The Horseshoe Bend Trail is on river right. It comes close to the river in a couple spots, but usually it is several hundred yards up on the hillside. Sometimes its path is obvious but in many other areas it is faint. The downstream end of this trail starts where the road to the powerhouse is gated. The upstream end starts from a level area a mile before you reach Willow Creek. At the upstream end, there is a sign for the trail and a dirt road leading to a power tower. Vegetation in the area is grasslands, brush, oaks and some Dig

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