Red

We ran this river in a group of 3 in early March 2011. We scouted the river at 650 CFS (moving roughly 6 mph) the day before and decided it was running too fast for our skill level. The next day, the level was down to ~275 CFS (moving closer to 2-3 mph). Everyone in the group had beginner white water experience. We stopped frequently to scout, and there was only 1 rapid with a nearly river white strainer that required portage. At this water level there were some solid class III rapids (possibly III+) and a large number of class II. Dog drowning hole which was very obvious at 650 CFS was quite small at 275. Overall a very entertaining run, we ran the 10 miles in 4 hours or so. It was a tiring run (especially with the cold - water was high 30s or so), but the water was moving constantly which helped. I personally was using a recreational kayak and had no problems running it. Using a canoe would have been difficult due to some tight turns. I would recommend at least intermediate skill level at water levels higher than 350 as the current begins to become quite swift and recovery of your boat could be difficult. The water levels fluctuate rapidly, and without previous heavy rainfall, the river is more of a creek. I would recommend keeping a close eye on water levels after a storm.