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Canyon Creek
North Yuba Tributary
IV-V



A nearly full moon makes restroom access a breeze. We sleep well and are happy to have early sun in our campsite, an unexpected joy for being so deep in the canyon. Water levels look similar to what they were as we pulled into camp, so we're happy to see that. Some in the group manage to mince about with their morning and we eventually put on just after ten.
A beautiful start to the day.
Right out of camp the river gets steep again, but it's cleaner than the first day and we're able to boat scout more aggressively. Gavin in a nice one.

 
A downstream look, blind rapids, beautiful canyon.
Although the river is cleaner, we still are on our toes and scout a good bit. Gavin with a nice boof in a longer rapid.


We enter another gorge, and find the largest drop yet. It's kind of clean and kind of  terrible, most the flow going into a sieve on river right. There is also a pothole river left, but a narrow line in the center, driving right to avoid the pothole, but not too far right to slip off into the sieve. Gavin probes.
Intimidating mini gorges that we're able to work out at river level, it's a relief these things typically go better than they look.


Looks like it's probably good down the right, but we should probably scout. Good thing we do as rockfall from the canyon wall blocks the river, nowhere to go in this rapid, we're a bit disappointed to make our first portage of the trip.


Kind of clean, kind of not.

We're pushing hard trying to make good time, but a section of beautiful slides and ledges slow as down for the photo opportunities.


Really one fine slide to ledge we get to enjoy.


A look upstream at the same.


Followed up by a quality boof to slide, no complaints from us!


Joseph boofs left, this might be the best section yet.


Coming out of the ledges it looks like the canyon up.


Canyon Creek joins the much higher volume North Fork Yuba and we have a fun two mile section on it.


Remote, yet not, Slate Creek meets the North Yuba and we meet it at 2:30pm.

As we pull off we're all left with slightly mixed feelings about Canyon Creek. It's a great, if dangerous run. The canyon is one of the most beautiful places in the state, and feels remote yet has the constant distraction of mining camp garbage. A touch more water would be nice,but too much more and it would turn into V+ in a heartbeat. Still, it borders on classic for adventure kayaking and if things were to line up, I'd do it every year. Gauges indicated we had roughly 200cfs on Canyon Creek and the North Yuba at Goodyears Bar was ~1600 on Thursday and ~1800 on Friday, but our little creek was out of snowpack and had the same flow.

Put-In and Take-Out on Google Earth

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