#river
7 trips tagged “river”
river backpacking at a glance
CaliPeaks documents 7 California backpacking routes tagged river, ranging from 7 to 30.8 miles with 300–5,350 feet of total climbing. Difficulty spans 0/100 (Easy) on Lyell Canyon up to 48/100 (Strenuous) on Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, which also carries the tag's biggest climb at 5,350 feet. 1 of the 7 need no wilderness permit.
These routes cross Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Yosemite National Park and Ventana Wilderness, and the months most of them share are July, August, September. Every stat below is cited on its trip page, so you can compare them like-for-like and follow any number back to the managing agency.
Middle Fork Trail
The Middle Fork Trail is Sequoia's winter and early-spring escape: a mild grade along the Kaweah's Middle Fork through oak and pine foothill…
Lyell Canyon
Lyell Canyon is Yosemite's easiest true backpack: 5.7 miles of nearly flat trail along the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne, through one of the la…
Glen Aulin
Glen Aulin is the friendliest river trip in Yosemite: a 6.3-mile descent from Tuolumne Meadows along the Tuolumne River to a High Sierra Cam…
Waterwheel Falls
Waterwheel Falls is the Tuolumne River's most theatrical moment: at peak runoff the river launches over a granite step in a wheel of spray t…
Carmel River Trail
The Carmel River Trail is the Ventana Wilderness's northern doorway: 13 miles up the Carmel River's redwood canyon from Los Padres Dam towar…
Little Yosemite Valley
Little Yosemite Valley is the backcountry camp below Half Dome: a 4.8-mile, 2,150-foot climb from Happy Isles past Vernal and Nevada Falls t…
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is Yosemite's great river trip: a 30.8-mile traverse from White Wolf to Tuolumne Meadows that drops into a …