Los Padres Reservoir to Carmel Valley
Gauge Conditions
Runnable: 250.0 – 750.0 CFS
Data from American Whitewater & USGS
Run Map
Interactive run map
Loads as you approach this section.
Run Time Estimate
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Whitewater timing varies with scouting, portages, and group pace. Use as a planning baseline.
Description
If you're willing to put up with some shallow portages around wood, this can be a fun overnight (combined with the downstream portion to the mouth) or a daytrip. Class II with a Class III rapid at the old dam site, with steelhead aplenty (thanks to that dam being removed).
Other Information Sources:
California Creekin
Carmel River Watershed Conservancy
Carmel River Steelhead Association
The Loma Prieta Paddlers club is centered in the San Jose area, but they have members in the Santa Cruz and Monterey/Carmel area.
Rapids in this Run (1)
Difficulty
Class II-III
Length
11.0 mi
Gradient
60 ft/mi
Rapids
1
Access Points
Difficulty Classes
I Easy
II Novice
III Intermediate
IV Advanced
V Expert/Extreme
VI Unrunnable
Current Conditions
5-Day Forecast
Whitewater data from
American Whitewater
American Whitewater