American, Middle Fork
4. Ruck-A-Chucky Campground to Mammoth Bar(Ruck-A-Chucky)
| Difficulty | II |
| Length | 6.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 12 fpm |
| Gauge | Middle Fk American R Nr Oxbow Ph |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 657 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | February 3, 2023 |
River Description
This is a great section of class II whitewater with reliable summer flows thanks to releases from the upstream Oxbow Reservoir. More scenic than Coloma to Greenwood, this run winds its way through a deep canyon far from paved roads for most of its length.
Paddlers will find an open riverbed with relatively forgiving class II rapids. One larger rapid at mile 3.5 may take beginners by surprise, although it has an easy channel down the right.
A small retentive wave-hole can be found around mile 6, making for excellent play and surfing.
Do not miss the large take-out eddy on river right once you reach Mammoth Bar OHV area, for around the next bend is Murderer’s Bar Rapid, class V+.
Releases generally occur from late May through September. Flows from the dam take around 6 hours to reach the put-in at Oregon Bar, making this an afternoon run on most release days. View the release schedule here: Dreamflows Oxbow Release Schedule
Both put-in and take-out for this run are controlled by California State Parks, and are typically closed during the winter. If you are attempting this run outside of summer, it’s best to call Auburn SVRA (530-885-4527) and inquire about access ahead of time. When open, the takeout at Mammoth Bar requires a fee or a CA State Parks pass.
See Bill Tuthill's California Creeks for a thorough description of this run.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe ran this on a rare drizzly early September Saturday. The shuttle wasn't as easy as C to G and involves descending (and ascending at the end of the day) Driver's Flat which seems to go on forever and packed with raft outfitters coming off of a Tunnel Run.
The run is very scenic and we encountered no one else. Maybe the rain had something to do with that. Nothing required out of boat scouting and all rapids were more or less straightforward. Definitely an abundance of strainers and vegetation scattered throughout the river. Unlike C to G, this run has a lot of flat water between some mediocre rapids. Nothing very interesting and found myself losing interest quite often. A few play holes/waves, but at these flows nothing really that good. Would maybe do this again for the scenery, but not worth the long shuttle setup.
Kayaks, tubers, packrafts, and everything in between met up today for a way to socialize without being up in each other's grills. Ironically, we then grilled afterwards because we were all [socially] starved. Fun playwaving on this run.