Sierra Mac – Our first prospectus for 2023 should be posted in Late January
– Updated March 1st, 2022
-December had the most precipertation on record for the Yosemite area, then in January, we didn’t get a drop! Two broken records.
-Merced options are scheduled to start at Saturday April 2nd. Hopefully March storms push the season into late July.
-Tuolumne trips start March 30th, Reach out if you wanna go sooner. We should be good to start trips and go thru Labor Day, regular releases expected.
-Upper Tuolumne will run thru the end of the season, we will run trips as long as they are in the zone.
This video gives a highlight reel of the rides we gave on the Rivers of Yosemite in 2019. More videos here.
As skiers know, Sierra snow can take many shapes. It can be light and powdery or heavily saturated and icy. This is why just measuring snow depth gives something of an incomplete picture. To accurately measure the amount of liquid water stored in a given expanse of snow surveyors use tools to assess an area’s snow water equivalence. This measurement provides a good indicator as to what kind of whitewater flows can be expected on California Rivers for the upcoming spring and summer rafting season.
Many factors including spring temperatures, capacity of upstream reservoirs, and additional precipitation that may arrive in late spring will have an effect on each river’s rafting conditions. With those factors in mind, we can make make a pretty educated guess at how flows will play out on Yosemite’s rivers for the year ahead. Given our past experience (over 50 years), we are making the following predictions for Yosemite river rafting in 2023:
Main Tuolumne Rafting Outlook
2022 Rafting trips on the Main Tuolumne. It has been been about average for snowpack. Our first trip is scheduled for March 30th, if you wanna go sooner, please inquire. We will see ideal summer rafting conditions to continue through early September. These consistent fine flows on the Main Tuolumne will make it the premier Sierra rafting trip in 2022.
Merced Rafting Outlook
Rafting on the Merced River. Flows are expected to climb and peak for several weeks sometime in early May. It is too early to tell when the season will end. Full-day and half-day Merced trips depart daily starting April 2nd.
Cherry Creek/Upper Tuolumne Outlook
The first trip we are going to run is April 10th, though Cherry Creek/Upper Tuolumne trips have been in and out of the zone for the last few weeks.We expect to be able to run modified trips with the release of water in the afternoon. We have a good outlook for a long season as regular rafting flows are guaranteed Memorial Day thru Labor day.
Mid-April thru September is the most popular season for rafting in California. The consistent fair weather is perfect for beach camping and paddling rapids. Visitors to Yosemite are at their peak, and many choose to avoid the crowds and experience a part of the region that few get to see. Flows like this don’t happen every year, 2022 will be one to remember. The Merced, Main Tuolumne, and Cherry Creek – Upper Tuolumne corridors are natural wonders offering what many consider to be the best whitewater experiences in the state. Join us for a single or multi-day rafting adventure on one of the rivers of Yosemite.
