North Fork of the Smith River
Location - Gasquet, California
Difficulty - Class III-III+ Length - 14 miles
Level - 4,200 cfs on main branch gauge (est 1,500 cfs in the
North Fork. )
Date - 3/31/2007
Difficulty - Class III-III+ Length - 14 miles
Level - 4,200 cfs on main branch gauge (est 1,500 cfs in the
North Fork. )
Date - 3/31/2007
On this first weekend of April I headed to northern California to paddle
several runs in the Smith River drainage. Most of the crew left
Thursday afternoon, so I made a bee line south after work on Friday
and arrived before dark just as the others were checking into the
Hiauchi Motel. The plan was to run the North Fork of the Smith on
Saturday. Since this is a somewhat long stretch of river we agreed to
waking up at seven in order to meet our shuttle drivers by eight thirty.
The shuttle for the North Fork involves an hour and a half of driving up
steep dirt and gravel Forest Service roads that head high into the
mountains north of CA Hwy 199. The terrain is broken and rugged and
if a thick blanket of fog had not been shrouding the views, it would have
been possible to see the ocean off to the west. Unlike the forests of
massive Fir trees back around Eugene, this area is sparsely vegetated
by Port Orford Cedar, stunted evergreens, Bay Trees, and Azalea.
The fact that such a stark and barren landscape lies only fifteen miles
from huge stands of Redwood trees is very interesting. Since running
this long shuttle would take most of the day we hired Barefoot Brad and
his counterpart Dale to ride with us and drive our two vehicles back to
the takeout. At forty dollars a vehicle this came to ten bucks a person,
a very reasonable price, especially when you consider the stories you
get from hanging out with these characters for a few hours. Despite
their rough looks the boys are trustworthy and reliable and have been
driving shuttles in the area for many years.
several runs in the Smith River drainage. Most of the crew left
Thursday afternoon, so I made a bee line south after work on Friday
and arrived before dark just as the others were checking into the
Hiauchi Motel. The plan was to run the North Fork of the Smith on
Saturday. Since this is a somewhat long stretch of river we agreed to
waking up at seven in order to meet our shuttle drivers by eight thirty.
The shuttle for the North Fork involves an hour and a half of driving up
steep dirt and gravel Forest Service roads that head high into the
mountains north of CA Hwy 199. The terrain is broken and rugged and
if a thick blanket of fog had not been shrouding the views, it would have
been possible to see the ocean off to the west. Unlike the forests of
massive Fir trees back around Eugene, this area is sparsely vegetated
by Port Orford Cedar, stunted evergreens, Bay Trees, and Azalea.
The fact that such a stark and barren landscape lies only fifteen miles
from huge stands of Redwood trees is very interesting. Since running
this long shuttle would take most of the day we hired Barefoot Brad and
his counterpart Dale to ride with us and drive our two vehicles back to
the takeout. At forty dollars a vehicle this came to ten bucks a person,
a very reasonable price, especially when you consider the stories you
get from hanging out with these characters for a few hours. Despite
their rough looks the boys are trustworthy and reliable and have been
driving shuttles in the area for many years.
The road snakes sharply as it heads down to the put in for the
North Fork. Here the talus covered hillsides stained orange
from iron oxide rise a thousand feet on each side. Blast marks
can been seen in places on the mountainsides where hydraulic
miners shot water at the cliffs to break them up in an attempt to
expose nuggets of gold in this metal rich area. In fact, it is the
high levels of naturally occurring metals in the soil here that
prevent trees from growing in great numbers or to substantial
size.
Although this river valley is far from lush, it is ruggedly beautiful
and wild looking. The crystal clear water produces a blueish
color that stands out especially well against the brown
mountainsides and canyon walls.
After gearing up we hit the water and ran an easy rapid under
the bridge and waved bye to Brad and Dale. The run started
out with some quickwater and a few class II rapids before
things picked up and we reached the first class III of the day.
This drop came in a bend and hid a few holes and some nice
waves. The North Fork Smith contains many fun class III rapids
as it cuts through one of the most rugged river canyons I have
ever seen. Although the whitewater is not too tough, it is
important to be careful, since an accident would leave you a
long way from help.
North Fork. Here the talus covered hillsides stained orange
from iron oxide rise a thousand feet on each side. Blast marks
can been seen in places on the mountainsides where hydraulic
miners shot water at the cliffs to break them up in an attempt to
expose nuggets of gold in this metal rich area. In fact, it is the
high levels of naturally occurring metals in the soil here that
prevent trees from growing in great numbers or to substantial
size.
Although this river valley is far from lush, it is ruggedly beautiful
and wild looking. The crystal clear water produces a blueish
color that stands out especially well against the brown
mountainsides and canyon walls.
After gearing up we hit the water and ran an easy rapid under
the bridge and waved bye to Brad and Dale. The run started
out with some quickwater and a few class II rapids before
things picked up and we reached the first class III of the day.
This drop came in a bend and hid a few holes and some nice
waves. The North Fork Smith contains many fun class III rapids
as it cuts through one of the most rugged river canyons I have
ever seen. Although the whitewater is not too tough, it is
important to be careful, since an accident would leave you a
long way from help.
The rapids are never continuous at the medium flow that
we had, but they are frequent enough to keep anyone
entertained. There are many eddies along the way, lots of
small play waves, and plenty to do. Even if you were to get
bored with the river the dramatic rugged scenery should be
enough to keep you interested in the run. Several of the
people in our group had done the river at much higher
flows and they said that the whole run turns into classic big
water and that the fourteen miles can be completed in two
hours. The fact that we were often in a rock trench thirty to
forty feet deep and the high water mark was at the top of
the gorge clearly showed how high this river can get.
The trickiest spot on the whole run comes at the head of
the first canyon, where the river drops over an obvious
horizon line with the view downstream obscured by huge
boulders. There are many lines and the route can be boat
scouted easily. Fun rapids continue through the canyon
and the scenery is truly outrageous. The next eight miles
of river valley look like they were made by a giant running
his huge pick through the mountains. Hiking out of this
place would be a miserable experience of epic proportions
so have the gear to fix any problems you may have on the
river.
We stopped for a leisurely lunch and moved slowly along
the second half of the river. During lunch we explored the
area and checked out a clump of Pitcher Plants, a
carnivorous plant that is relatively rare. Pitcher Plants
adapted to the harsh Nitrogen poor soil by obtaining this
essential nutrient from ants and the other insects that it
attracts and traps.
Downstream is a second canyon with some fun rapids that
is followed by a more open stretch of river with even better
whitewater. A couple of these rapids contain some big
holes so don't get complacent. Below the second canyon
the mountainsides become more vegetated and there are
some enormous conglomerate rocks lining the river that
look like huge pieces of cookie dough. In a few spots the
canyon walls are deeply undercut to the point where you
can paddle under the rock walls. We floated a little, but
generally kept moving along, stopping only for some short
surfs at a couple of nice waves.
Eventually the river opened up even more and some cabins
came into view on river left. This marked the end of the
rapids and the take out is just below after a left bend. Even
though we moved at an easy pace the run was completed
in about four or five hours, and it would have been a lot of
fun to have spent more time on the river.
we had, but they are frequent enough to keep anyone
entertained. There are many eddies along the way, lots of
small play waves, and plenty to do. Even if you were to get
bored with the river the dramatic rugged scenery should be
enough to keep you interested in the run. Several of the
people in our group had done the river at much higher
flows and they said that the whole run turns into classic big
water and that the fourteen miles can be completed in two
hours. The fact that we were often in a rock trench thirty to
forty feet deep and the high water mark was at the top of
the gorge clearly showed how high this river can get.
The trickiest spot on the whole run comes at the head of
the first canyon, where the river drops over an obvious
horizon line with the view downstream obscured by huge
boulders. There are many lines and the route can be boat
scouted easily. Fun rapids continue through the canyon
and the scenery is truly outrageous. The next eight miles
of river valley look like they were made by a giant running
his huge pick through the mountains. Hiking out of this
place would be a miserable experience of epic proportions
so have the gear to fix any problems you may have on the
river.
We stopped for a leisurely lunch and moved slowly along
the second half of the river. During lunch we explored the
area and checked out a clump of Pitcher Plants, a
carnivorous plant that is relatively rare. Pitcher Plants
adapted to the harsh Nitrogen poor soil by obtaining this
essential nutrient from ants and the other insects that it
attracts and traps.
Downstream is a second canyon with some fun rapids that
is followed by a more open stretch of river with even better
whitewater. A couple of these rapids contain some big
holes so don't get complacent. Below the second canyon
the mountainsides become more vegetated and there are
some enormous conglomerate rocks lining the river that
look like huge pieces of cookie dough. In a few spots the
canyon walls are deeply undercut to the point where you
can paddle under the rock walls. We floated a little, but
generally kept moving along, stopping only for some short
surfs at a couple of nice waves.
Eventually the river opened up even more and some cabins
came into view on river left. This marked the end of the
rapids and the take out is just below after a left bend. Even
though we moved at an easy pace the run was completed
in about four or five hours, and it would have been a lot of
fun to have spent more time on the river.
By the time we reached the takeout the day had warmed
considerably and we were happy to see that Brad and
Dale had delivered our vehicles safely. Before cruising
back to the motel we drove five miles down the road and
checked out Stout Grove, a famous stand of Redwood
Trees where part of the Star Wars trilogy was filmed. To
see these massive trees growing so close to the North
Fork of the Smith where we had seen some of the most
desolate and barren land in the area was really unique.
That evening was spent lounging around at the motel,
having some drinks, and listening to a very drunk guy who
was living out of the room below us while turning the
stump of a Redwood tree in front of the motel into a
chainsaw carving of a bear and an eagle. The carving
was truly a spectacular piece of art, made even more
impressive by the fact that the artist seemed as though he
consumes fifteen to twenty beers a day while balancing
himself out with a healthy dose of other drugs. Despite
his rough appearance, the good old boy was friendly.
While his mumbling became a little obnoxious, he
generally let us be and provided more than a little
entertainment.
considerably and we were happy to see that Brad and
Dale had delivered our vehicles safely. Before cruising
back to the motel we drove five miles down the road and
checked out Stout Grove, a famous stand of Redwood
Trees where part of the Star Wars trilogy was filmed. To
see these massive trees growing so close to the North
Fork of the Smith where we had seen some of the most
desolate and barren land in the area was really unique.
That evening was spent lounging around at the motel,
having some drinks, and listening to a very drunk guy who
was living out of the room below us while turning the
stump of a Redwood tree in front of the motel into a
chainsaw carving of a bear and an eagle. The carving
was truly a spectacular piece of art, made even more
impressive by the fact that the artist seemed as though he
consumes fifteen to twenty beers a day while balancing
himself out with a healthy dose of other drugs. Despite
his rough appearance, the good old boy was friendly.
While his mumbling became a little obnoxious, he
generally let us be and provided more than a little
entertainment.
Jason and Conor floating into a fun class III rapid on the North Fork of the
Smith River in Northern California. Notice how sparse the trees on the hillsides
are.
Smith River in Northern California. Notice how sparse the trees on the hillsides
are.
Our group enters the first canyon on the North Fork. This section of the run contained the
hardest rapids, but nothing was worse than an easy class IV. The view here is typical of the
amazing scenery on this run.
hardest rapids, but nothing was worse than an easy class IV. The view here is typical of the
amazing scenery on this run.
The dramatic first canyon goes on for a few miles and contains rugged rock walls cut out by the
powerful crystal clear waters of the Smith River.
powerful crystal clear waters of the Smith River.
This view from within the first canyon shows the nature of the fun and straightforward class III
rapids encountered on this run. There are plenty of features to keep things interesting, but
nothing that is intimidating.
rapids encountered on this run. There are plenty of features to keep things interesting, but
nothing that is intimidating.
Our group somewhere in the second canyon on the North Fork. The stunted trees found along
this river can be seen in the background.
this river can be seen in the background.
The carnivorous Pitcher Plant preys on insects that are lured inside. These
strange plants must consume other organisms to cope with the Nitrogen
deficient and border line toxic soil in this region.
strange plants must consume other organisms to cope with the Nitrogen
deficient and border line toxic soil in this region.
Me and Sabastian checking out a huge Redwood Tree in Stout Grove. The
fact that these giants are located only a few miles from the desolate and
almost barren hills of the North Fork makes them even more improbable.
fact that these giants are located only a few miles from the desolate and
almost barren hills of the North Fork makes them even more improbable.
Here I am standing in front of the largest living thing I have ever seen. It is hard for me to
even comprehend the size of this Redwood.
even comprehend the size of this Redwood.