Yuba, North
4. Bullards Bar Dam to Colgate Powerhouse
| Difficulty | V |
| Length | 7.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | No. Yuba Below New Bullards Bar |
| Flow Rate as of 4 hours | 1776 cfsabove recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | February 17, 2026 |
River Description
This challanging reach is usually dewatered by the combination of New Bullards Bar Dam and the New Colgate Powerhouse.
Note: this reach is NOT contiguous with the prior three sections of N.Fk.Yuba described within the AW river pages.
Put-in: Bullards Bar Dam is about 40 miles from Yuba City, Marysville. As of 2008, Yuba County Water Agency is claiming that boaters are not allowed to hike down the gated road to access the river near the base of the dam. We believe the current license requires YCWA to provide access. AW is asking FERC for clarification on this issue.
Take out: Colgate Powerhouse provides the most convenient take out option. It is 11 miles from the dam and there is paved road the whole way.
Other Information Sources:
A GUIDE TO THE BEST WHITEWATER IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, HOLBEK & STANLEY, 1988
FERC information:
The powerhouse that dewaters this reach is subject to federal licensing by FERC. The license is #2246, which expires in 2013. The relicensing process takes many years, so boating studies for this reach are taking place as of 2008.
American Whitewater is in the midst of participating in the Yuba River Development Project FERC #2246 relicensing which is working on a boating flow study for 2014. This year (2014) the licensee, Yuba County Water Agency, is collecting information for the reach from Highway 49 to Englebright Reservoir and the recent downpour from the river gods has given us the perfect opportunity to get the information needed. So putting the call out for folks to get on this Class V reach and give us your feedback:
Boater Evaluation Form Process
Information from the boater evaluation forms will help YCWA identify a flow preference curve for whitewater boating, which will identify minimum acceptable and optimum flows. The data collection requires 3 key steps:
...River Features
Put In
The public is not allowed to walk down the easy road to the base of the dam, and there are no other developed access routes. On the north side of the river the dam access road starts about .9 miles downstream and so blocks access to the river for this distance if one stays off it. Just past this road some boaters have bushwacked about a thousand feet down a hillside from the public road.
On the south side of the river there appears to be a network of logging roads, some of which get close to the river. Their condition and whether they are open to public vehicles is unclear.
The hillside near the spillway looks potentially open and promising for a descent. Rappels might be needed or helpful.
Middle Fork Confluence
The middle fork Yuba adds additional water to the run. See flows below Our House Dam. A dirt road or trail leads uphill back to the top of New Bullards Bar Dam. From this point down, the river description will be the same as for the Middle Fork Yuba from 49 to Englebright.
Colgate Powerhouse
Colgate powerhouse is on river right. Take out on the downstream side of the powerhouse on river right. A paved road leads up to Marysville road in 4.4 miles.
Rice's Crossing Access
This is the other potential take out. On river left, a dirt Rice's Crossing road leads up to Bridgeport State Park. If boating down the NF from Bullards Bar Dam, this is a much longer and less convenient take out.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPaddler-Lizzy English
Paddler-Grant Korgan
Paddler-Grant Korgan