South Fork of the Yuba River (49 to Bridgeport)

Stretch:	Highway 49 to Pleasant Valley Road
Difficulty:	class IV+ to V
Distance:	7.0 mile
Flows:	450-2000 cfs. Current Dreamflows gauge
Gradient:	90 fpm
Put-in:	Highway 49 Bridge
Take-out:	Pleasant Valley Road Bridge
Shuttle:	13 miles (20 minutes)
Season:	Winter and Spring, rain, snow, and dam release

The action starts immediately. This first section is the most continuous in nature and leads up to the mandatory portage. To make matters worse, it is completely sieved out. These two facts result in slightly harder ratings than the rapids skills require. Luckily the three sets of distinct drops are not that hard, thus mistakes should not be made. If they are being made, I would give serious consideration to not going down past the gauge as the rapids pick up in difficulty further down.

View from 49 Bridge.

Hug Right (IV).

From the 49 Bridge.

Airplane Turn (IV+).

Someone buried.

The section of rapids.

Ramp (IV-).

Right then Left (IV+).

Getting left in junk

PORTAGE (U).

Mr. Squiggly (IV+).

Making the crux move.

Right of Boulder (IV).

Coming around the boulder

The canyon opens up and you see the gauge on you left.

The first gorge begins and last for about 2 miles.

Slide Boof (IV).

Drive Right (IV+).

S-Turn (IV+).

Rock Garden 1 (IV+).

Tower (IV).

Tupper from above.

View from below.

Waterfall (IV+).

Boof the right.

Rock Garden 2 (IV).

Pour over 15 feet upstream is the rock to boof.

Somewhere near mile 5 the second gorge starts. It continues for the next mile and a half or so.

Rocky Falls Etc (V).

Hump Slide (IV+).

Sliding is fun.

Double Airplane Turn (IV+).

Entering Eat the Meat.

Eat the Meat (V-).

Over the shoulder one.

Avoid the Holes (IV-).

Same as last photo, but note the downriver whitewater.

Corner Pocket (V).

Typewriter (IV+).

Blasting out the bottom.

Boof Right (IV).

One of the best.

Deuces (IV).

Tiger Tail (V).

Entrance slide.

Entering the maw.

Coming out the bottom.

Hairy Ferry (IV).

3 Nuns (IV+).

Final Hurrah (IV).

Not a great view.

Class III rapids remain for the next ¾ of a mile to take out.

Corey psyched after a day on the South Yuba.

Me looking for the camera I dropped, Corey taking my photo with it.

From the 49 Bridge.

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