Kaweah River Log: Upper North Fork above Yucca Creek

NORTH FORK KAWEAH RIVER LOG: Eshom Creek to Yucca Creek

by Bill Pooley

  • Elevation at the Put-in: 2580 ft. Elevation at the Take-out: 1720 ft.
  • Total Elevation Loss: 860 ft
  • Length of run: 5.1 miles
  • Average Gradient: 168 ft/mile Graph of Gradient (pdf)
  • Overall rating: Low water: Class 5, High water: Not recommended
  • Gauge: Bailey Bridge, downstream left bridge footing
  • Runnable range: 1.1 ft to 1.7 ft (possibly higher than 1.7 too)
  • Portages: Several possible
  • Rafts?: I doubt it
  • Difficulties: A 5 mile hike with your boat to the Put-In
  • Maps: 3 miles above Yucca Creek to Yucca Creek (360KB) and 2 miles above Eshom Creek to 3 miles above Yucca Creek (495KB)

  • Go to Preston Holmes' Upper North Fork Page if you want the really complete report and photos of the Upper North Fork.

    To get to the put-in cross the North Fork Bridge in the town of Three Rivers and drive 3.5 miles up North Fork Drive until the road crosses the river a quarter mile past the historic Kaweah Post Office. There is a new gauge on the left downstream side of the bridge footing (installed May 1997). A reading of 1.1 feet is a low water run at aprroximately 300 cfs. Continue upstream 8 miles upstream to where the road forks and the left fork goes through a gate and down to the river at the confluence with Yucca Creek. This spot is the take out. The old CCC road to Hidden Springs takes off here following the North Fork Kaweah upstream on river left. Ford Yucca Creek and start hiking. The put in is as far up as you feel like hiking. The run has alot of bedrock and sliding drops. It is reported this run becomes runnable as the normal North Fork run below Yucca Creek is becoming too low to run. The author has not yet personally run this section and when he does it will likely be done by hiking the boat in the day before and hiking back the day of the run with minimal gear.

    RM 14.45 Put In at Eshom Creek Confluence

    Mile by mile gradient: starting at the Put-In

  • Mile 1: 140 (RM14 to RM13 on the map)
  • Mile 2: 160 (RM13 to RM12 on the map)
  • Mile 3: 140 (RM12 to RM11 on the map)
  • Mile 4: 110 (RM11 to RM10 on the map)
  • Mile 5: 90 (RM10 to RM9 on the map)

    RM 9.35 Take out at Yucca Creek confluence

    Continue downstream Yucca Creek to Paradise Beach (Class 4/5)

    Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005 by Bill Pooley. All rights reserved.

    This page is http://www.c2.com/kaweah/log_uppernorthfork.html

    Last modified: 06.02.00, 04.12.05