Tuolumne River Rafting

A guide to California Whitewater Rafting

River Access for Whitewater Rafting on Cherry Creek

The take-out for Cherry Creek is the same as the put-in for the Main Tuolumne run. The best way to run your whitewater rafting shuttle is to shanghai a driver to drop you off at put-in and pick you up at take-out or ask another boater who is rafting or kayaking the Main Tuolumne run to take your car down to Meral's Pool. This will definitely save some time.

Cherry Creek Take-out

From Groveland off of Highway 120, drive east (toward Yosemite) 7.5 miles. Turn left on Ferretti Road; keep an eye for a bunch cabins and the Casa Loma Coffee Shop and River Store on the left. Drive about 1.5 miles then turn right onto Lumsden Road after you cross the second cattle guard and travel about 5 miles down to the river. Lumsden road is a steep rutted dirt road, so put her in low, drive slow and enjoy the scenery. Park at the Meral's Pool put-in or continue another 2 miles and park at Lumsden Bridge.

Cherry Creek Put-in:

Once at Meral's Pool, the best way to get to put-in is continue upstream on Lumsden Road, 12.5 miles to the Cherry Creek put- in. Cross the river at Lumsden Bridge and head upstream. In 4 to 5 miles, at a T intersection, turn right. There is USFS guard station on the right. Continue 0.5 mile and drive through Jawbone Creek (it's usually hubcap deep). At the next major intersection, you'll hit a paved road (marked 3N1DS); turn right again. Follow this to a cross roads, and turn right. Follow this paved road to the bridge accross Cherry Creek. Once across the creek, drive about i.5 miles to a small unmarked paved road that leads to Holm Powerhouse. It's a very hard right turn. Good Luck.

If your successful at shanghaiing a driver, drive directly to the put-in; take Highway 120 east out of Groveland to Cherry Oil Road (just past the south Tuolumne), turn left and follow the signs to Early Intake. Drive across the Tuolumne (you can put in here if you want) and drive about a mile to an unmarked left turn. Follow the paved road a short distance to Cherry Creek. If you cross Cherry Creek, you've gone too far.

Excerpted from: "The Best Whitewater in California" by Lars Holbek and Chuck Stanley