Carson River - East Fork

The East Fork of the Carson River is great for whitewater rafting, kayaking and family trips with an America Outdoors outfitter!

The East Fork of the Carson River is one of the few rivers along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains suitable for white water rafting, with Class II (Easy) to III (Medium) rapids at normal flows and Class III to VI (Unrunnable) at higher flows. The stretch of river between Hangman's Bridge on California State Route 89 and Ruhenstroth Dam near U.S. Highway 395 runs 19.3 miles through alpine forests and and passes active hot springs on its way to the high desert of western Nevada.

The average boating season on the East Fork runs from mid-April to early June. Runnable flows range from 600-5,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) with drift times varying from 5-10 hours. Beware that the water in this river is very cold - making the hot springs very popular!