Trinity, East Fork
Crow Creek to Alpen Cellars Vineyard
| Difficulty | III-IV+(V) |
| Length | 9.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 117 fpm |
| Gauge | Trinity R Ab Coffee C Nr Trinity Center Ca |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 172 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | February 12, 2025 |
River Description
The East Fork Trinity River drains the western side of the Trinity Divide, ultimately reaching the upper portion of Trinity Lake which buries its confluence with the main river. The Trinity Divide is a less-visited corner of the already lightly visited Klamath Mountain, and few paddlers know of the East Fork Trinity despite its excellent whitewater and easy access (once you are out there).
Putting in off Ramshorn Road at Crow Creek allows a brief warm up section before the gradient picks up when the river passes Mumbo Creek (which is the site of an alternate put-in). It is also possible to put-in upstream of Crow Creek about 2.5 miles to add a difficult stretch of whitewater (see trip report).
Below Crow Creek, the rapids are continuous, constant gradient for another half mile or so before the river channel begins to form bedrock rapids. The action ebbs and flows but with an average gradient of nearly 120 feet/mile, it is never dull. The final gorge has some of the best rapids of the run and a rapid formed over an old dam signals its beginning. It's a good idea to scout this gorge--particuarly the section that is hidden after a right-hand bend in the gorge, especially if flows are up. Eddies are scarce in this section but portaging is possible on river right and left.
Flows & Season
Medium flows on the East Fork are 600-900 cfs. There is no gage on the East Fork Trinity but the Trinity River above Coffee Creek gauge gives the best idea of trends and general level. At flows over 1,000 cfs this run becomes class IV(V). The East Fork runs on winter rain/snow and on spring runoff.
Logistics
Put-in
Putting in off Ramshorn Road at Crow Creek allows a brief warm up section before the gradient picks up when the river passes Mumbo Creek (which is the site of an alternate put-in). The rapids are continuous, constant gradient for another half
...River Features
Put-in
Put in at the bridge over the EF Trinity just below the Crow Creek confluence.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportUpper EF Trinity above mumbo creek confluence: Tyler Pohle, Dustin Knapp, Ben Koerber, Adler Thomas, Jared Sandeen and myself did this trip on 6/2/23. The flow on the Trinity above Coffee Creek was 1600 dropping to 1400. Ben had walked the river the previous summer and thought it would be a cool add on to the Regular EF Trinity from Mumbo Creek to the reservoir. We drove roughly 3 miles east upstream from the usual put-in at the bridge above Mumbo Creek confluence. We walked down to the river where there seems to be a soda spring and creates a broad opening that was easy to walk. The flow was low but seemed floatable and sufficient for a creek that steep. I think a little more water would have been nice but it could quickly become to high. The riverbed is narrow but channelized in many small gorges and pinches. We leap frogged while scouting which there was a lot of. The continuous nature requires a lot of scouting ahead because its hard to stop. Scout all blind corners and drops. There are several great boofs and pinch moves. We had one pin that was touch and go for a minute and required a z-drag but ended well. It took us 5 hours to go 2.5/3 miles. What we intended to be an add on became our whole day so we took out at Mumbo Creek. This section is steep and blind but worth doing if you like a little punishment and solving problems. Class V. At the time of this writing there is a huge tree blocking the road on river left from take-out. The alternate rd to Ramshorn, which is shorter and faster.