Pit River (CA) Whitewater Boating Opportunities in September & October

Every late summer and early fall, it’s time for boating on California’s Pit River when the hydropower boating flow releases that American Whitewater has secured come into play. Here’s how it looks this season for the Pit 5 and Pit 1 runs.

Pit 5 Run

With the August releases already behind us, the second and final scheduled release for the Pit 5 run will be on September 9th & 10th from 10 am to 4 pm each day at  a flow of 1200 cfs.

Pit 1 Run

Good news about the Pit 1 run! There will be boatable flows continuously from October 3 to October 31 while Pacific Gas & Electric Company does maintenance at the powerhouse near the take-out. During this time, the river will flow freely at its natural levels which will likely be between 900 and 1000 cfs, subject to changes from rainfall and any unscheduled diversions related to powerhouse maintenance operations. 

Although boatable flows should be available during this entire period, the long weekends of October 6-8 and 20-23 are the official whitewater boating releases and are guaranteed.

Click the flow link on our Pit 1 river page to get the most recent calculated flows for this reach.

Please remember to always respect private property along this reach. The river through both private land and the Native homelands of the Pit River Tribe. All scouting and portage should be done in the river channel/below the high-water mark. Bathroom facilities are located at the put-in and take-out.

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American Whitewater is now offering email notifications for whitewater news, scheduled releases, and other boating opportunities for selected dam-controlled rivers in California, including the Pit River. We have worked for decades to secure boating releases and often have useful information to share about boating on these runs. To receive our updates directly via email, fill out this form and we will keep you up to date.