Links: River Flows, Organizations, Information
Paddling & River Conservation Associations
American River Conservancy - The American River Conservancy manages the put-in at Chili Bar and is actively involved in South Fork environmental issues. The American River Conservancy conducts conservation, education, and stewardship programs to protect and enhance native fisheries, vanishing plant and animal communities, scenic vistas, cultural heritage and recreational lands within the American and Cosumnes River watersheds which lie in the foothills of the eastern Sacramento Valley.
American Rivers - National organization for river conservation. Since 1973, American Rivers has been dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy, natural rivers and the variety of life they sustain for people, fish and wildlife.
American Whitewater - Their mission is to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. American Whitewater restores rivers dewatered by hydropower dams, eliminates water degradation, improves public land management and protects public access to rivers for responsible recreational use.
American Whitewater Affiliation (AWA) - "The mission of the American Whitewater Affiliation is to conserve and restore America's whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely."
American Whitewater's South Fork page
Friends of the River (FOR) - A California-based group dedicated to saving endangered rivers. Has links to news, press articles, living history, rafting programs, their calendar, member outings, and ways to contribute.
National Organization of Whitewater Rodeos (NOWR) - The NOWR is a committee of the American Whitewater Affiliation (AWA). It was created in an effort to organize North America's growing number of whitewater rodeo events.
Paddling Information
Boof.com - Active forum for California kayakers.
CA-chunk.com - Photos, river stories and a message board for California's hair boaters.
California Creeks - Bill Tuthill's paddling site offers extensive descriptions and photos of many California rivers. (Formerly "California Creekin'.")
Dreamflows Forum - Active and well-moderated paddlers forum discusses flows, runs, access issues and hazards. Primarily California, but includes all western US rivers.
Regional Paddling Clubs
Gold Country Paddlers - Active group promotes whitewater kayaking, canoeing and rafting with club trips, newsletter, and email list for sharing information and finding paddling partners.
Lome Prieta Paddlers (LPP) - Active club in the South Bay (San Jose) area sponsore trips and roll sessions at a Los Altos pool. Mostly whitewater kayakers, but rafters, sea kayakers, and canoeists are also represented. LPP is a whitewater activity section of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club. The Bay Chapter also has an active whitewater section.
River Flows & Levels
CA DWR CDEC Interface - Jef Poskanzer's simplified interface to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
CDEC: Real-Time River Stages - List of all rivers reported by CDEC, with links to the latest flows.
Dreamflows - Chris Shackleton's ultimate flows pages for western U.S. rivers. Free Dreamflows reports and alerts are available via email. Site also includes bulletin board, photos and river information.
El Dorado County Parks & Recreation South Fork Hotline - The County Hotline at 530-621-6616 is normally updated through the summer at 9:00 a.m., seven days a week.
Recreational River Flows - Mike Bean's quick and easy flows interface.
SMUD's climate and reservoir information - Sacramento Municipal Utility District page lists climate and reservoir data, including temperature, precipitation and reservoir storage information.
South Fork at Kyburz - Updated weekly, with infomation on interpreting the gauge.
South Fork River Levels - Chart from the El Dorado County Parks & Recreation department explains the levels of difficulty at different flow levels.
South Fork Management & Logistics
American River Conservancy, Parking and Fees - The American River Conservancy (ARC), owns and manages the shoreline at Chili Bar Park, and easement which secures public access to the South Fork American River. All net proceeds from park operations contribute to river conservation programs.
Dave Moore Nature Area - Located on Hwy 49 about two miles north of Coloma. Two miles of nature trail, much of it wheelchair-accessible, and picnic area. Historic remnants from the gold rush. Walking access to shaded swimming hole on the South Fork of the American River. Boaters may stop for picnics, but put-ins and take-outs are not allowed.
El Dorado County's River Management Plan - Visit this site to find out how you can be informed of and involved with El Dorado County's plan for management of the South Fork.
Henningsen-Lotus Park - Located on the South Fork of the American River Henningsen-Lotus Park provided a wide variety of active and passive recreational opportunities. In conjunction with the river program, athe park provides a boat launch and beach area. The park is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. until dusk.
Marshall Gold Discovery SHP - The gold discovery site, located in the still visible tailrace of Sutter's sawmill is one of the most significant historic sites in the nation. The park is open daily, 8 a.m. until sunset.
Rafting Outfitters - El Dorado County site with links to outfitters that operate commercial trips on the American River.
Rafting the South Fork - El Dorado County's site about the origins of rafting the American River. Contains a map of the South Fork with locations of put-ins and rapids.
River access points on the South Fork - Access the South Fork on the American River from several locations listed on American-Rivers.com
SMUD: Upper American River Project - SMUD's Upper American River Project (UARP), consisting of 11 reservoirs and eight powerhouses, generates enough electricity to meet about 20 percent of SMUD's customer demand. This page concerns the relicensing which is in progress, and may substantially affect flows for fish and wildlife, boaters and other stakeholders. Includes documents, meeting minutes, other information.
South Fork - Bureau of Land Management's site contains information about the South Fork.