Hazard Warning: Hazard information may be user-submitted and unverified. Conditions change frequently. Always scout rapids and obstacles yourself.

Rapid CA Class IV

Island Mountain

American Whitewater 40.0235, -123.4898

Save this feature with the run it belongs to.

Gauge Conditions

Eel River a Fort Seward CA Downstream Primary

Runnable: 500.0 – 10,000.0 CFS

Data from American Whitewater & USGS

Photo

Photo courtesy of American Whitewater

Description

Island Mountain is typically the largest and most technical rapid on the run. While it is straight forward at lower flows, higher flows bring on big waves and hydrolics that can flip boats.

The rapid can be scouted from the railroad tracks on the left bank above a large cobble bar. At ~5,400 CFS, there are multiple routes through the rapid, most of which have much stronger eddy lines and currents than appears to be the case from high on the bank where people scout the rapid.