Paul and I needed an easier day after putting out a lot on Butte Creek the day before.  It had rained really hard all night, and we heard that Cache Creek was running high.  Cache Creek is on Hwy 16, of Hwy 20, about 30 minutes from Davis and Sacramento.  It can be run as low as 500cfs by summer innertubers, and as high as 10-15,000 (or even higher, I believe).  We tried to hitch the shuttle unsuccessfully, and after an hour of that without luck, I decided to drive back to the top.. we could figure out the shuttle business later.

This river is about the size of Lake Creek, OR, but doesn’t have quite as much gradient or nearly as many awesome play spot.  It is the same color brown when it is running high though.  We put in at the Upper Site of the Cache Creek Regional Park, right below the confluence of Cache and Bear Creeks.  Bear Creek looked good to go, but we were uncertain about the ability to shuttle that one, so we decided to just do Cache for the day.  Also of note here is that the water in Cache Creek is polluted, so don’t drink it, and don’t eat the fish from the river (see signs at put in and takeout on this one.. or if you taste the water, try not to swallow).

The put in was a jumble of reeds and grass as the flooded out creek reached up onto the banks of the river. 

The current was swift, and the entire 6 miles took us less than 40 minutes.  At 7,800cfs, the whole thing was a wash.  There were a few holes, some haystacks, and some lateral waves, but mostly it was just muddy water and fast current.

There is a low water crossing about 3 miles into the run that is easily identifiable by the two ends of the road that come in and out of the river banks.  At lower flows 3-5,000, this could present a hazard, but was merely a small wave at the higher flow.

There is also some amazing geology along the river as we went through the canyon.  There are many layers of rocks and volcanics, and some interesting tilting and stratigraphy.  Through the canyon there were a few waves and some good strong boils, but nothing of note.  I imagine this is more difficult at lower flows.

The only real rapid of note was Rowboat, which is directly after a bridge crosses the river.  This had a few huge holes in it, but they were easily avoidable.  Run right or left of the large hole in the center of the river.  The takeout at Camp Haswell is on the right 1 mile below the bridge.  There is a large stone building from a Boy scout Camp of past that serves as a good shelter while doing shuttle.

In the end, Paul ended up running up to the bridge before he was picked up and given a ride to the top.  I wouldn’t suggest trying to hitch this shuttle during the week, as I only saw 6 cars in the hour I waited for a ride, and didn’t get one.  In the summer and on weekends, I imagine it is quite a bit easier to get one.

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