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Fordyce
Creek
(South Yuba Tributary IV-V
Fordyce Creek is a wonderful run surrounded by
well
intentoned but outdated
beta and hard to find water
flows. Of course his beta is far better
than mine for shuttle. Flows are best for hardshells from 300-500.
Thanks to American
Whitewater, Fordyce is
back after a several year hiatus from
scheduled releases. This run is a wonderful introduction to High Sierra
boating, and a nice introduction to class IV-V if someone in the group
knows the run well. Scenery and rapids similar to many of the classics,
without committing gorges or a remote location.
Portaging is always fairly easy and generally consists of "granite
sidewalks" with some bush whacking. Getting to the put in varies from
year to year, depending on how recently PG&E has had to do work
on
the dam at Fordyce Lake. As of 2009 the road was rough, requiring a
four-wheel drive vehicle. (better in 2010) Taylor
Cavin
squeezed his Subaru Forrester up the road, but higher clearance is
advised, I bottomed out my trusty '89 Nissan truck.
Just around the corner is a log across the river, avoidable on the left, which sets you up just right for Eraserhead, the first and longest slide of the run.
Once past Rotator Cuff the gradient eases off, with a few nice drops mixed between several miles of meandering meadows.
Taylor Cavin getting left on "Where's Barry", also wood free as of 2010.
A mix of rapids and flats lead to Insanity Falls aka Bad Seed, commonly portaged on the right. This drop is run more often than Atomic Piton and goes better than it looks.
Just a few rapids lead into Split Falls, which can be portaged on the right but has proven to be cleaner than it looks and is normally run.
Bending through a meadow with nice pool drop rapids, the river picks up gradient again as it plunges over "The Hole that Ate the Donner Party". Terrible at low flows, the line opens up beautifully at 500cfs.
Knobs lies below Donner, a solid class V rapid that can be portaged on either side, or run with a strong middle to left move. The run out from Knobs leads into Just a Big Class IV, a fun slide before the mank begins.
Just a Big IV marks the end of the good stuff, and the river turns into a manky boulder garden until reaching Spaulding Lake. It can all be run, or portaged via a trail on the left. From the confluence it's a two mile paddling across the lake to the boat ramp.
A
long seven miles of rough roads
leads to rewarding views at the put-in
.
Ten minutes or so of hiking and you are at the heli-pad and gauging station, aka the get in
.
.
Ten minutes or so of hiking and you are at the heli-pad and gauging station, aka the get in
.
Just around the corner is a log across the river, avoidable on the left, which sets you up just right for Eraserhead, the first and longest slide of the run.
Robbie
Hogg
A nice train down Eraserhead.
A nice train down Eraserhead.
Below
Eraserhead is a exciting stretch
of IV-IV+ that links together at higher flows. Eventually it mellows
out into a large pool above Atomic Piton, which can easily be portaged
on either side.
Atomic Piton is the most rarely run rapid of Fordyce Creek, due to its
namesake, a shallow ledge at the bottom.
Charlie
Center boofs over the ledge
.
Taylor Cavin on the same.
.
Taylor Cavin on the same.
Typical
boogie on Fordyce downstream
of Atomic Piton.
This nice rapid leads into
Bishop's Balcony, which is generally run on the far right, and
occasionally on the tougher left line. Bishop's Balcony goes into a fun
mini gorge that class IV boaters will want to scout and or portage from
above Bishop's on the left.
Exiting Bishop's mini gorge, the river takes a steep bend to the right
and maintains class IV character right to the lip of Rotator Cuff, a
clean but potentially sticky slide to vertical fall. Eddy, scout and or
portage on the left.
Taylor Cavin demonstrates a nice boof over Rotator Cuff.
Once past Rotator Cuff the gradient eases off, with a few nice drops mixed between several miles of meandering meadows.
Shannamar
Dewey scouting one of the
larger meadow rapids, "Big
Squeeze", free of logs in 2010.
Taylor Cavin getting left on "Where's Barry", also wood free as of 2010.
A mix of rapids and flats lead to Insanity Falls aka Bad Seed, commonly portaged on the right. This drop is run more often than Atomic Piton and goes better than it looks.
Charlie
Center.
Flat water maintains with a few rapids for the next mile or so, until
the pace picks up with some fun slides leading into Fordyce Falls aka
In Your Face. A class IV entrance leads to a wide and fun 10' falls
that should be finished on the left.
Shannamar
Dewey on the entrance.
Shannamar Dewey enjoys the final plunge.
Shannamar Dewey enjoys the final plunge.
Just a few rapids lead into Split Falls, which can be portaged on the right but has proven to be cleaner than it looks and is normally run.
Taylor
Robertson enjoying one of the
best on Fordyce
.
Showing how split falls got it's name. Jesse Shimrock.
.
Showing how split falls got it's name. Jesse Shimrock.
Bending through a meadow with nice pool drop rapids, the river picks up gradient again as it plunges over "The Hole that Ate the Donner Party". Terrible at low flows, the line opens up beautifully at 500cfs.
Getting
left on the hole that ate
donner.
Knobs lies below Donner, a solid class V rapid that can be portaged on either side, or run with a strong middle to left move. The run out from Knobs leads into Just a Big Class IV, a fun slide before the mank begins.
A
legend runs a legend, Deiter King
exits Just a Big IV.
Devin Knight on the same.
Devin Knight on the same.
Just a Big IV marks the end of the good stuff, and the river turns into a manky boulder garden until reaching Spaulding Lake. It can all be run, or portaged via a trail on the left. From the confluence it's a two mile paddling across the lake to the boat ramp.
Getting
done with a great day on
Fordyce.
A bonus to the summer weekend release is close by climbing for those who find it to be too mellow of a day...
A bonus to the summer weekend release is close by climbing for those who find it to be too mellow of a day...
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