Feather, N. Fork, California, US

2) Rock Creek Dam to Rock Creek Powerhouse

2nd Drop in Tobin - Close up

2nd Drop in Tobin - Close up
Photo by Paul Martzen taken 10/06/05 @ 1000 cfs

Gauge Information

River Description

Description 
In the decades following construction of the Rock Creek Project flows were diverted for hydropower and only 50 cfs flowed through the channel. Unscheduled spring and winter releases were erratic and impossible to catch. All this changed in June 2002 with the first recreational release, a requirement of a new hydropower license. The staff and volunteers of American Whitewater, Chico PaddleHeads, and Shasta Paddlers spent more than five years, thousands of dollars, and thousands of hours negotiating through the hydropower relicensing process to make these recreational releases happen. Now the boating community has a great new river to enjoy. Although parking is limited there are several alternative access sites as the entire run parallels Highway 70. You can thus start at the top and run the whole section or you can just do a couple laps on the part that best suites your skills and interest. The run is generally divided into 3 sections which each offer a different character. These include Roger's Flat, Tobin, and Lobin.

Roger's Flat Run

Rogers Flat begins below the Rock Creek diversion dam and ends at the Tobin Vista river access. The run is approximately five-miles in length with an average gradient of 50 feet per mile. Overall the difficulty of this run is class III and the character consists of pool-drop rapids separated by intervening sections of calmer water. Although the most challenging rapids can be seen from the road, there are several additional rapids that are difficult to see and there is generally more whitewater on this reach than first appears from a road scout.

Two rapids that should be approached with caution are Lisa's Ledge and Carl's Kitchen both of which are visible from the road and should be obvious as the more challenging drops on the run. Take the center-left channel on Lisa's Ledge which funnels down through a fun chute. There was a fun boof on river right but CalTrans pushed some boulders into the river that have since blocked this route. Carl's Kitchen starts over on river left but you want to work your way back to the right side of this main channel. There is a boulder jumble on river left that you want to avoid. There are several additional fun rapids on this section and you just need to remain heads up for a couple of holes that come up quick.

Keep your eyes open for the take-out on river right unless you are planning to continue on downstream through the more challenging Tobin Run.

Tobin Run

The Tobin section begins shortly after the Tobin Vista access site. The next 1.2 mile drops 150 feet through a large boulder field complete with undercuts and sieves. At higher releases (~1600 cfs) this section moves fast and contains some stomping holes and you should be prepared for a class V experience. At lower releases (~1000 cfs) you have more time between drops and generous eddies, and although many of the moves are class IV+, the consequences of a swim are still very significant. At any level a guide is helpful for your first trip down as the best lines through the rapids are not always obvious. You can view much of this section from the road on river left.

While this section can generally be characterized as a mile of great boofs, there are a couple of named rapids. Kevin's Gate is the rapid under the bridge that forms the entrance to the challenging drops that await below. No Brainer is a great auto boof that comes soon after. Cleaver is a fun drop that runs down the right side. The last drop on this section before the Rock Crest Bridge (the private one-land bridge) is Piece of Risa. You want to start in the main current towards the left and then move your way over to the right before you get to the big undercut boulder at the bottom. Just don't go right too early or you'll find yourself in the nasty bit midway down the drop on the right.

There is a good take-out beach on river left below the Rock Crest Bridge and many take out here to head back upstream and run another lap or two. The rest continue on downstream to the Lower Tobin run, otherwise known as Lobin, which begins downstream of the bridge. Paddlers continuing on down are joined by those who put in for Lobin.

Lobin Run

The Lobin Run starts out with a couple of stout class IV drops but as you pass the Storrie Bridge (where Highway 70 crosses over to river right) the gradient eases and the difficulty level drops to a more reasonable III - IV. Those who don't want to run the first couple drops of Lobin can put-in at the Storrie Bridge. There are several fun rapids through this section. Additional flows enter the river at Bucks Creek powerhouse. Don't hang out in front of the powerhouse as the pipes have 2000' of head on them and in the event of an emergency shutdown the flow would bypass the generator and vent across the river under very high pressure. The good news is you pick up a bit more flow here for the last bit of the run. The final rapid at the Rock Creek Powerhouse can be challenging and varies with flows. Take out on river right downstream of the powerhouse.

Logistics: 
The Feather River Canyon is a short drive from most Northern California locations and a high quality resource. The meeting place for runs on this section is Tobin Vista which is 36 miles south of Quincy and 47 miles north of Oroville on Highway 70. Tobin Vista is an access point on river right between the highway and the river located midway down the Rock Creek section of the NF Feather (0.7 mile north of Tobin Resort, 0.5 mile north of the Tobin Bridge, and 4.5 miles south of the Rock Creek Dam). During scheduled releases please stop at the sign-in tent as future releases will be determined by use numbers. Tobin Vista is the break point between easier class III whitewater upstream (the Roger's Flat Run) and more challenging class V whitewater downstream (the Tobin Run). To reach the put-in for Roger's Flat head upstream 4.0 miles to the access located 0.5 mile downstream of the Rock Creek Dam. There is limited parking across the road from the river. For those heading downstream from Tobin Vista go 1.2 miles to the Rock Crest Bridge and a parking area on river left (the bridge is a private one-lane PG&E bridge) which serves as the take-out for Tobin and the put-in for Lobin. If you are continuing down to the Rock Creek Powerhouse go 3.6 miles downstream from Tobin Vista to the powerhouse (the powerhouse extends out over the road) and park on the downstream side along river right.

Other Information Sources:
AW-PG&E flow page
1-866-629-3925 AW-PG&E Flow Phone