Clear Creek
2) Whiskeytown Reservoir to Sacramento Valley(Lower Whiskeytown)
| Difficulty | IV(V) |
| Length | 7.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 39 fpm |
| Gauge | Clear C Nr Igo Ca |
| Flow Rate as of 39 minutes | 347 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 5, 2025 |
River Description
A terrific year-round run through a scenic canyon. It's a wonderful run for those looking to step up from Class III to Class IV. Since the water comes from Whiskeytown Reservoir, flows are dependable and stable throughout the year. The water is clear and deep.
At low flows all rapids can be portaged. Pinch Me is the first rapid and it can sneak up on you – swims, pins, recirculations can easily happen here and you'll still have miles to paddle afterwards no matter what. Its name describes its character. As the local fisherfolks will tell you, there's no access to much of this section except by boat, so be careful and mark the rapids on your maps ahead of time.
There is also a Class V rapid (Ski Jump) in the middle of the run that features two large, technical ledges. It can be scouted or portaged on the right. Otherwise the run is Class III-IV.
Other information:
- Check out the description in Bill Tuthill's California Creeks.
- Geoff's Clear Creek page with descriptions and photos.
- Youtube video from December 2007 by Daniel Lundberg
- Youtube video of SkiJump rapid
- Youtube video, Clear Creek Broach
River Features
Put In
Pinch Me
Tight chute with no eddy directly above. Must plan for a scout/portage on the left well ahead of this rapid. It's mostly a one-trick pony though; just watch out for recirculation if you swim, especially against the right rock wall.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe ran this at the end of June in hardshells with around 170 cfs. It was low and scrapy at points, but pretty much everything was runable. We portaged Ski Jump since we aren't really class V boaters, and the essential rock in the upper drop was fully exposed so it would have been hard to get a clean line to the left for the second drop. Following the suggestion from ca creeks description, we used the Clear Creek Rd bridge takeout, which adds a couple miles and several more fun III/III+ rapids.
There are a couple shuttle options that all take about the same time, but are much different lengths. I drove Mule Town road from the take out to the put in just fine in a Subaru Forester, but would have struggled to make it the other direction because of a couple steep hills with deep ruts. Wouldn't want to try that route with a car without awd/4wd. The Placer Rd/Swazey Rd route is about 6 miles longer but just as quick since the road is in good shape.
A fantastic microcosm of California paddling. My first time, going along with Robin and Ted who'd done it before, and Greg, Andrew, and Eric who were fellow first-timers. We had some swims at Pinch Me and portaged Ski Jump. Discovered how difficult it is to dive deep for a lost paddle with a drysuit on!
I really enjoy this run and come the end of September, I'll make daily internet checks to see if the flow has come into runnable range. I wish it was a little closer to my house though. A friend of mine made a little video of a trip we did that shows all the bigger drops. Best Clear Creek video I've seen.
vimeo.com/15347356
very fun intro to creeking run and you can paddle it from late Sept to April