Printer Friendly Merced River (Below El Portal)

Merced River (Below El Portal)

Stretch:	Highway 140 bridge to below Ned's Gulch
Difficulty:	class IV (class IV+ above 2000 cfs)
Distance:	10 miles, 1 day
Flows:	500 - ?000 cfs. Current Dreamflows gauge
Gradient:	50 fpm average, 100 fpm near beginning
Put-in:	Highway 140 bridge
Take-out:	below (former?) suspension bridge
Shuttle:	10 miles (15 minutes) one-way
Season:	spring into early summer, from snowmelt
Featured in Video Nine.

For information on rafting the Merced River please check out:

First Rapid (IV+).

Tree (III+).

Gravel Pit (IV+).

Island (IV).

Nightmare Island (IV).

Chip Tooth (IV).

Flume (III)

Bouncy Wave (IV-).

There are a few rapids on the road walls. Large waves, a few large holes, but all of it went at our high flows.

Turn (III+).

Landslide (IV).

Ned's Gulch (IV).

Below the take out you can run a class II stretch of river which takes you to Briceburg.

Gauge Hole park-and-play is downstream, just upstream at the turnout above Slate Creek Bridge

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