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The portion of the Kings River that my friends and I go rafting on is the 10 mile portion that flows into Pine Flat Lake. The river is a naturally fed river, which means that it relies on snow pack, high elevation lakes and rain to get it flowing. The problem with this type of river is that the rafting season can sometimes be short during those dry years that California experiences.

The season usually starts in mid May and goes through till July sometimes even into August (can you say “El Niño” years). The river flow is measured in cubic feet of water per second (cfs). There are a number of websites that list California/Nevada River flows but I like to use Dream Flows and their web address is: http://www.dreamflows.com/realtime.php
The Kings River flow that I like to look at is the Rogers Crossing mark.

In years past, we have rafted the river at flows as high as 20,000 cfs but I am getting older and wiser and will ONLY raft at that level again with an all experienced crew of 7. The river is best when flowing between 8-10,000 cfs and is good as low as 3,000 cfs.

There are about 45 named rapids along the Kings River (see below). There are a few class 4 and 5 rapids and quite a few class 2-3 rapids but there are lots of rapids. At higher water flows it only takes 1-1.5 hours to complete the 10 mile trip, which translates into a rapid about every minute to two minutes, WOW!! is right. At lower water flows the trip takes 2-2.5 hours and for a beginner a little more manageable.

The water temperature is roughly 55-60 degrees but the outside air temperature often exceeds 90 degrees. For those brave souls who like to occupy the front seats a wetsuit is recommended for the early part of the season. There is a smaller creek that flows into the Kings River, Mill creek, that has water temperatures exceeding 68 degrees. This is a common spot for most boaters to take a break and enjoy the likes of warmer water.

The only required apparel for the trip down the river is tennis shoes, teva style sandals, or my favorite scuba booties. Clothing optional, not yet been attempted.

THE KINGS RIVER RAPIDS

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