Merced
8) Snelling diversion to San Joaquin confluence
| Difficulty | I(II) |
| Length | 51.66 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 5 fpm |
| Gauge | Merced River at Cressy |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 172 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 8, 2022 |
River Description
This is a wonderful class 1 section of river, with nice scenery, busy and frequent rapids, and frequent maneuvering in the narrow channels. It is suitable for canoes and recreation kayaks, but there appear to be plenty of spots for whitewater playboat action as well. This may be one of the nicer sections of valley rivers for beginning whitewater boaters. The ratio of rapids to flatwater is very favorable.
This section is not suitable for unsupervised beginners, except at very low flows. There are many rapids and sections of swiftwater. While the rapids are not large, they can tip a novice and and sweep the unwary into trees and branches.
The Merced River below Merced Falls Dam also shows the incredible devastation from past uncontrolled dredging. Miles and miles of tall river rock mounds were left by huge mechanical dredging barges over a century ago. A thousand years from now, after upstream dams have washed away, the river will probably erode the dredging piles back into natural riverbed. Even now though a beautiful riparian zone has developed along the tamed river, attracting wildlife, fishermen, sightseers and boaters.
Each year a small salmon run returns to the limited spawning grounds below Snelling Diversion (Crocker Huffman Dam). Salmon and Steelhead are reared at the Merced River Hatchery which is operated by the Dept of Fish and Game.
Put in: There is public river access just below Snelling diversion dam. Elevation here is about 293 feet. There is a large turnout along Merced Falls Road and a small ramp down to the water at this spot. It is about 2.5 miles east of Henderson Park. Most of the land between Henderson Park and Merced Falls, appears to be private and posted No Trespassing, with the exception of a few fishing access areas.
You can also explore the next section upstream,
...River Features
Put In
Henderson Park
This county park provides a convenient access point and picnic area. There is plenty of parking, toilets, and picnic tables. The majority of riffles are upstream of this park, so this makes a good take out for those who have only a short time and want to practice whitewater skills.
Snelling access
Take 4th street, south to its end and walk down to the river. There is a pretty long riffle here as well as a channel split. The main channel goes to the right.
Snelling Road bridge
There is a large enough shoulder on the northwest side of the bridge for a few cars to park. A trail leads down next to the bridge.
J59 Bridge
With the construction of a new bridge over the river, there is now designated river access with plenty of parking on the northwest side of the bridge. A trail leads down to the river and a sign states fishing regulations.
Downstream of J59, brush hazards are a bigger problem, along with deciding which channels to take. In a few places, the channel will split, then resplit, then filter through brush. There is generally a clear channel someplace, but it is easy to take channels that are not so clear.
Bridge, then weir
A private bridge at mile 14.57 indicates that there is a weir in the river, immediately downstream. At 3200, the weir made an excellent looking play spot with a wide wave. Part of the wave was breaking. There was plenty of room on either side to paddle around the wave.
Oakdale Road Bridge
There is public parking on the northwest side of the Oakdale road bridge. From the parking area you can walk out onto the historic Shaffer Bridge. It is a nice stroll and gives a good view of the river downstream. The up river view is blocked by the newer bridge. Public access to the river is prohibited by penal code 602. Chain link fences completely block access, except where there is a big hole in the fence with a trail leading down to the river. We were not hassled when we left a car here in February and used this area as a take out. Might be very different in the summer.
Some water agreements require the Merced Irrigation District to provide certain minimum flows to this point in the river depending on the time of year. A gauging station is mounted on the downstream side of the Shaffer bridge towards the middle.
There probably are not any or many riffles below this point.
Road 37 / Railroad trestle
There appears to be a wide shoulder on the north side of the bridge where cars can park. Trails lead to the river.
McConnell Park
There is public river access at this state recreation area.
Hagaman Park
Public park on the river provides access. From here down to Hattfield, the river is notable for one of the most impressive stands of huge Valley Oak trees in the region.
George Hatfield State Rec Area
This state recreation area straddles the river. Parking and access is on the north west side, from Kelley Road.
San Joaquin River Confluence
Hills Ferry Road crosses the San Joaquin at the Merced confluence. There is a wide shoulder and trails to the river on the south west side of the bridge. Elevation is about 57 feet above sea level.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThese two Merced kayakers eddied out to play a bit at this riffle.
Dave Greenwood, the Merced River BLM ranger is in the bow ready to pull us away from the snag in the river. This is a fairly typical riffle at this low flow, 250 cfs. The deepest water is near shore and near snags.
There is a large flat pool at the put in for paddling around and warming up. But the sound of whitewater comes from just downstream. Several distinct drops come in quick succession once you commit to this right side channel. This is one of the bigger rapids on the section but a couple others are as big or a bit bigger. Canoes and open cockpit kayaks will probably get some water splashed in.
Stan tests out his patch job on 14 foot rec boat that used to have a 2 foot chunk missing from the bow. In the background are huge piles of river rock dredged up at the beginning of the century in a search for gold.
Henderson Park is about halfway between the put in below Snelling diversion dam, and the take out at Snelling Road. At 1200 cfs it took a little over an hour to get here and even less time from here to the take out. It is a pretty park and a convenient lunch stop.
From left to right, Dan, Shane, Tracy and Stan discuss and practice the finer points of skipping pebbles at Henderson Park. Deneyse and Jim look on. Henderson Park makes a good stopping spot or intermediate access point.
Shane & Dan Hogg follow Stan Gray into the swiftwater of a narrower channel. The river generally alternates between wide slow sections and narrow swiftwater sections. Small riffles were very common, but there were many rapids with larger waves. I was too busy paddling to get pictures of the bigger drops.
I think this is the entrance to the largest rapid that we encountered. It is only large in relative terms, but for the beginners in the group it was hair raising. It is a narrow channel with a first drop that accelerates the water. Halfway through is a large horizon line that looks like it could be an abrupt drop. At 1200 cfs the drop itself was very smooth, but the waves following were big enough to get some water in my canoe.
Beginners without sufficient maneuvering skill, judgment or guidance from experienced boaters could easily end up tipped or swept into trees along the side.