San Joaquin, Middle Fork, California, US |
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| Usual Difficulty | V+ (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 32.5 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 120 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF SAN JOAQUIN NR MAMMOTH LAKES CA | ||||
| usgs-11224000 | 100 - 250 cfs | V+ | 00h57m | 18 cfs (rc= -0.5 ) |
The Middle Fork of the San Joaquin is now getting boated by one to several groups a year in most
years. It seems likely this incredible canyon will become steadily more popular.
More and more of the drops are being run, but many portages are still necessary. The famous
Crucible section is often paddled now, so that big portage has been eliminated by some groups.
Season: This reach must be boated as flows drop near the very end of the run off
season. Often this will be in July. In wet years, the best boating levels could be in
August.
Put-in elevation: 7,545 feet (2300 meters)
Take-out elevation: 3,330 feet (1,015 meters)+- (varies with elevation of Mammoth Pool)
Google Earth has excellent hi resolution aerial images of much of this section.
Put in:
It is not legal to paddle within Devils Postpile itself, so hike boats downstream on the trail to
the monument boundary before launching.
Other Information Sources:
Devil's Postpile Headquarters: 760-934-2289
<7
rivers
Triple Crown
story
Wikipedia - Devil's Postpile
Devil's Postpile
Jefferson State Creeking Blog by Darin Mquoid
Devil's
Postpile V-V+ (P) [Middle Fork San Joaquin] -Day One-
Devil's
Postpile V-V+ (P) [Middle Fork San Joaquin] -Day Two-
Devil's
Postpile V-V+ (P) [Middle Fork San Joaquin] -Day Three-
A GUIDE TO THE BEST WHITEWATER IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, HOLBEK & STANLEY, 1988
Class: V-VI
USGS #11224000 streamgauge is now operating at the upstream end of Devil's Postpile Monument. Side streams will add flow over the entire distance of the run, so flows must be on the low side at the put in to insure they are not too high near the end of the section. In 2010, Kevin Smith reported a trip that "put on with 170 on the new DPP gauge and had a medium/high flow." It seems likely that the ratio between the put in flow and the take out flow will vary from year to year, especially between wet or dry years.
UC San Diego Scripps Institute maintains a weather station at Devil's Postpile for use in climate research. The gauge showed water height rather than cfs, but was nice the one year that it operated properly. Unfortunately there have been problems and the station has not been transmitting data properly. It has not provided online data for several years.
Dreamflows.com has estimated the daily average flow at Miller Crossing based on the flow records linked below. Miller Crossing is below the NF confluence, but above the SF confluence. Miller Crossing Map During most of the year this estimate will be very inaccurate because of the effects of rainfall and lower elevation tributaries. However, at the end of the snowmelt season in June, July or August as flows drop below 1,000 cfs, the estimate should generally be in the ballpark, or within a few hundred cfs. It may not be close enough to decide whether to boat or not, but it should be close enough to go look at the river and then decide whether to boat.
The dreamflows estimate is based on records from two gauges. There was a gauge from 1921 to 1991 at Miller Crossing, and there is now a daily calculation of Millerton Full Natural Inflow. Comparing these two measurements during the years that have records for both, it appears that during the summer when flows at Miller's Crossing drop into a boatable range, those flows tend to be around 3/10 to 4/10 of the calculated flow at Millerton. The dreamflows calculation is a bit more precise.
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF SAN JOAQUIN NR MAMMOTH LAKES CA | ||||||||||||
| usgs-11224000 | 100 - 250 cfs | V+ | 00h57m | 18 cfs (rc= -0.5 ) | ||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin, Middle ForkDevils Postpile Nat'l Monument to Mammoth Pool Reservoir [CA] |
18835.jpeg
|
n/a | Darin McQuoid | |
| 4y243d15h57m | San Joaquin, Middle ForkDevils Postpile Nat'l Monument to Mammoth Pool Reservoir [CA] |
18832.jpeg
|
perfect | Darin McQuoid |
No Comments
Users can submit comments.| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20.0 | Miller's Crossing | N/A |  |
A trail crosses the river here. A gauging station operated just upstream of the bridge into the 1980's.
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Devils Postpile Nat'l Monument to Mammoth Pool Reservoir, San Joaquin, Middle Fork California, US (mobile)
