Kevsmom California Kayaking

California Whitewater

Rafting the Merced River

The Merced is a great place for Class III/IV boaters to experience high water in the spring. The Merced flows out of Yosemite Valley unimpeded by dams, so the flow of the Merced depends on weather and snowpack.

Merced RiverThe good news is that the Merced can safely be run at high and low flows alike. Most river guides who have experienced a high water Merced Season (like 2005) will say that nothing beats the big waves and rapids on the Merced River at 5,000 cfs and above. Above 10,000 cfs, things start to get dicey.

The Merced is a "Wild and Scenic" river that flows along Highway 140 for most of it's raftable section. This means that there are a number of put-ins and take-outs so you could do any type of run you would like in this 28 miles stretch.

There are two Class IV rapids (Nightmare Island and Chipped Tooth) in the upper stretches of the run. Most people put in below these at Indian Flat. This makes a nice run because you can get a good warm up before the Class IV rapid Ned's Gulch. Below Ned's Gulch you can take out at Briceburg or continue down to Railroad Flat and run the exciting Class IV rapids Split Rock and Corner Pocket.

Below Railroad Flat, the river leaves the road until you hit Lake McClure. In this section there is a fantastic rapid, Quarter Mile, which is a series of fun technical rapids that are usually only run at low water due to their continuous nature. There is also a portage around North Fork Falls.