Gauge Conditions

MF AMERICAN River Above Middle Fork PH Near FORESTHILL CA Upstream Primary

Runnable: ? – ? CFS

Approximate - nearest available gauge. Use as general reference only.

Data from American Whitewater & USGS

CDEC Flow Data California

AMERICAN RIVER OXB Primary

Elevation: 1,070 ft

AMERICAN RIVER LON

Elevation: 6,410 ft

AMERICAN RIVER BIL Dam Release

Elevation: 6,400 ft

Data from California Data Exchange Center (CDEC)

Photo

Photo courtesy of American Whitewater

Description

Kanaka is a fun rapid that western boaters say is similar to Sunderland's Chute on the Tuolumne; and eastern boaters say it's similar to but not as difficult as Insignificant on the Upper Gauley. Having run both, I'd say it's more like Sunderland's Chute. At the end of a pool, the river drops pretty steeply. Like Insignificant, there are a couple of big holes obstructing the channel, but they are nowhere near the same scale as that 5.0 behemoth. Unlike Insignificant, Kanaka is pretty much a short straight run once you are lined up and the reversals are evident from the top. Scout and portage on the left.