San Lorenzo
Felton (Henry Crowell State Park Bridge) to Ocean at Santa Cruz
January 8, 2026
Medium Water Flow
| Reporter | Alex Lochoff |
| Gauge Reading | 400 cfs at SAN LORENZO R A SANTA CRUZ CA |
| Flow | Medium Flow |
Ran this around 400cfs. Fun, approachable level that is mostly class II with the biggest rapids (waterfall + the one before it) pushing to a class III. Overall character of the river was friendly. Gradient is low at first, picks up through the gorge, and then mellows out again afterwards.
Only 1 mandatory portage at this level, down closer to the bottom of the run after the gorge ends. The river braids and then goes through bushes that were unpassable.
In inflatable kayaks, this is a fun run that is fairly beginner friendly. In a hardshell, it is low-intermediate, as the rapids are somewhat continuous in the gorge, making a swim potentially unpleasant.
Based on this experience, I would say the 300-700 is probably the sweet spot for a first time run. Enough water to be fun, but not pushy.