Water Recreation

All rivers in Sequoia and Kings Canyon are potentially dangerous and require great care. The most dangerous times are spring and early summer when snowmelt makes river waters swift, ice cold, and extremely hazardous.

Drowning is the number one cause of death in the parks. Rocks are slippery. Cold water quickly saps your strength. Amazingly strong currents make it hard to stay on your feet. Once you have fallen in the river, it may be nearly impossible to get back out.

River closures
The South Fork of the Kings River is closed to all watercraft from the confluence of Bubbs Creek to the Kings Canyon Park border.

River travel
Rivers in these parks can be extremely hazardous to canoeists and kayakers and river travel should only be attempted by the very experienced. All park rivers are open to flotation devices with the exception of the South Fork Kings River through the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park.

Kayaking is popular on some rivers in the parks, but involves high risk and requires advanced skills. There are no beginner kayaking rivers in the parks.

Getting to rivers in the parks usually involves difficult wilderness travel. All those using rivers in the parks are subject to park regulations governing wilderness travel.

The Kaweah River in particular offers a number of challenging runs. The Middle Fork of the Kaweah River has Class IV conditions, appropriate only for expert kayakers.

Be sure to have sufficient information, expertise, and appropriate reliable equipment before venturing forth on these beautiful but very wild rivers.