Cache Creek
| Stretch: | Bear Creek to The Boy Scout Camp |
| Difficulty: | Class III one harder class III+ |
| Distance: | 5.6 miles |
| Flows: | 350-?0,000 cfs. Current Dreamflows gauge (est) |
| Gradient: | 28 fpm average |
| Put-in: | Bear Creek |
| Take-out: | The Boy Scout Camp |
| Shuttle: | 6 miles, 10 minutes 1 way |
| Season: | Year round spill/irrigation/TD> |
| Featured in Video Eight. | |
The only time I ran this was at high water at the beginning of a spring break kayaking extravaganza. Therefore there were no real rapids as much as there were just very large wave trains. There were a few rapids that had some holes that would munch on you, especially if you didn’t know what you were doing. Therefore, be able to boat scout and read the water, don’t just float down blindly. With that said, at 4,400 bring your play boat cause there are few runs more aptly prepared to help you perfect at your wave tricks such as kick flips or wave wheels. Be warned though, at high water, a swim could be a very long ordeal, so only do a high water run if your roll is dependable. This run was fun, and as it is only one hour from Davis, I am sure that I will be making a few more high water trips out to the river, maybe combine it with the class IV Bear Creek which comes in at the put in…
Mi 1:
- There was a bit of a ledge on the left, can be seen of the road. At the high water it
seemed a little nasty as it was diagonal and stretched for a hundred feet or so,
flipping in it could be an experience.
- Low Water Bridge. At 4,400 it was runnable right of center, there wasn’t even a hole
there, to the right and left were ledge holes. To spot this Bridge look for a road on
the right following the river near river level. On the opposite side of the river is a
bright sign warning of the bridge, we got out to look on the right, portage would be
easy there as well.
- Rowboat Rapid (III+). At high water this rapid was fun. The left side of the current
slammed intoa strainer on the left bank. After the turn there was a rather large hole
in the middle, easiest to avoid to the right.
Take out: From 505, take 16 towards Esparto. Follow for some 30 miles. About 15 minutes past the casino look for a Boy Scout Camp on the right, most notable is a stone structure at the camp, the camp name starts with the a H. If the road narrows on you, you have gone too far.
Put in: Go 6 miles up river, past two green camp sites. Look for a grass turn out on the left. If you pull away from Cache Creek and start to follow the small Bear Creek you have gone too far.