Run Map

Put-in Take-out Rapids/Hazards Wild Scenic

Run Time Estimate

Put-in

Take-out

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Whitewater timing varies with scouting, portages, and group pace. Use as a planning baseline.

Description

This rarely run section of the Upper North Fork Smith flows through a steep, forested canyon on the southwest side of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. Getting to the river requires a steep downhill dive off the Forest Service road network near Horse Creek. The take-out is at Major Moore's Bridge on County Road 305, the put-in for the standard North Fork Run down to Gasquet. More than one misadvanture has taken place on this run, so be prepared for the possiblility of an unintentional overnight stay and carry an inReach or other communication device. The best guidebook for this run in Dan Menten's _The New School Guidebook to Northern California Whitewater_, p. 12. (2016). Some additional insights on the challenges of this run can be found in this trip report from December 2023.