Burnt Ranch Gorge whitewater rafting trips are Class 5 and requires previous Class 4+ experience, and excellent swimming skills.
We meet at the Burnt Ranch Gorge campground and shuttle up to the Cedar Flat access area where you will be required to show your readiness for this trip with a swim test.
The action on Burnt Ranch Gorge is swift and intense, with the Trinity River dropping 200 feet a mile in parts and there are five Class 4-4+ rapids in the first 2.5 miles. Rapids like China Slide, Pearly Gates, Tight Squeeze have 8′-10′ drops and narrow chutes just barely wide enough for the raft to slip through!
Now things get really tough. Then two Class 5 rapids (Upper Burnt Ranch AKA Jaws and Middle Burnt Ranch Falls) must be negotiated before any escape is possible. Just after Middle Burnt Ranch Falls, a steep trail heads up the canyon leading to Burnt Ranch Campground and the highway. The most difficult rapids in the canyon are yet to come with the Class 5 rapids of Lower Burnt Ranch Falls, Hennessy Falls, Origami, Table Rock and Gray’s Fall in a 3 mile stretch.
Following all this action, you get a welcome break, can swim the rapids, celebrate what you have just survived and relax before the take-out at Hawkins Bar.
Tributary operates under permit from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and is an equal opportunity service provider.
