SACRAMENTO RIVER & VIDEO

Far below, the river frothed and flowed over pebbly shallows, or broke tumultuously over boulders and cascades, in its race for the great valley they had left behind. ---Jack London

There is no better way to get away from it all than to get out on the water on a long-distance kayak trip down the upper part of the Sacramento River. The upper reaches of the river is a paddler's paradise with fast and dependable flows, changing scenery with views of Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak, and a sense of serenity while floating along on California's longest river.

Last week, while scouting out a trip for next year for the faith-based Sacramento group Bayside Adventure Sports, we paddled the 11-mile section of the river from Mill Creek Park near Los Molinos to Tahema County River Park and Woodson Bridge State Park Recreation Area about 20 miles north of Chico.

While it certainly isn't the most complicated section of the river, it does offer an ideal way for beginners to experience paddling the river. While it had a few ripples, we mostly just dodged a lot of submerged tree stags along the way. Still, the river's clear water pushed us along briskly around each bend. We weaved under only two highway bridges at the beginning and end of this semi-remote section of the river. We nodded and waved to fishermen along the way and also saw our share of turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks, and two promenade colonies of pelicans.

The put-in and the take-out were uncrowded for our October trip on the river when most recommend paddling is best, escaping the summer heat. 

"It was really nice. It was fun. It was exciting. It was everything you expect on a river trip. I can't wait to come back next year and do this with a bunch of people because it was so much fun," said Bayside Sports Paddling leader John Taylor. 

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