Title says it all. Anyone playing around w/ packrafts around here?

I tried to shoot the LA river a few months ago during the storms. Not sure this packrafting thing is for me...I got sick of hitting shopping carts, dead dogs, and abandoned cars. Somewhere around the 1st Street bridge I had an empty bottle thrown at me from the shadows...Thankfully I've got my rolls down and I submerged before impact.

Nope, done with packrafting around here. Unless you know about some Los Angeles rivers I've never seen...

Great photo!

One guy did the East Fork of San Gabriel in spring. Was gonna head to the beach on Sunday and play around in surf there. And had been thinking about a weekday early morning trip up to Pyramid Lake. Just need time in the water to learn the boat.

I guess Kern River is closest real water?

Craig,

That was funny.

For practice you can try Perris or Elsinore if they are close by. Diamond is out because inflatables have to be longer than 10 feet with a solid floor. Salton Sea might be an option.

Kern is probably the closest "real" river. Make sure you know what you are doing. Many sections are Class III and higher.

A fun liesurely trip is Hoover dam to Mexico. No rapids on this float. Put in below the dam. This section and the run between Needles/Lake Havasu are pretty nice. Speed boat traffic is usually minimal during the week. You will have to pack around several dams. Look for "hidden" lagoons along the route. Many are secluded and great camping spots. There was a beaver lodge just above Blythe a few years ago... Somewhat unexpected in the desert.

I'm thinking of a decent sized river/creek in the los angeles/ventura county area which I will refer to as "Condor Creek" that guys have kayaked the entire length which took approximately 3 days. Apparently at certain times of the year it's a fairly formidable river/creek. I think this would be your best bet but I'm really not sure. I'd love to kayak/packraft it some day but I lack the skills and experience at this time.

Went out to Venice today for a paddle. Just as we were tempering the boats, a lifeguard ran up and told us "no inflatables." WTF? Said it was the rule, had to put in at the Marina, unless we could convince his supervisor otherwise. Talked to the Captain, a relatively reasonable guy, who ok'd us to go out, on the handshake promise that we wouldn't sue the County if we hurt ourselves. He did however, prohibit us from playing in the surf, said we had to go out and just paddle past the breakers. Ended up being an ok paddle, but frankly, we were there to play in the surf. Bummer!

Now what? Need to find a beach sans lifeguards... and make some time to get up to Kern River or some Sierra lakes...

Anyway, if anyone wants to get together for some rafting, let me know. I also have a excellent condition Yukon Yak that I'll be putting up for sale shortly, decided the Alapaca is a better fit. Let me know if you want to come by and check it out.

John,
have you decided to sell your Yukon? If yes, how much are you planning to sell it for?
I live in Orange County.
I'm going for a three day kayaking trip down the Rogue river in S. Oregon this week - planning to try an Alpacka while out there. This is going to be my first time in the packraft - if I like it, I'll be looking to purchase one.
Let me know.

Sergei, see my sales thread in Gear Swap... Local discount for LA area folks, need people to raft with!

Would love to know how your Rogue trip went, heading up that way in the fall.

I have been packrafting Kern River (Upper and Lower) lately.
Lower from Dam to Sandy flat is a great run (7 miles) if you are comfortable with Class III or Class III +.
Upper kern river from Power House to the village is also a great short run (2-3 miles) to practice.
Kern River is a great river for whitewater packrafting but you can not really combine with hiking because there is a nice paved road along the river and no hiking trail.

Water flow is very low right now though... Lower Kern should be Runnable another 3-4 weeks this year.
Have Fun!!

There's a handful of rivers/creeks around the northern reaches of Southern CA that seem like they would have narrow windows of opportunity for a packraft.

Piru Creek: from Pyramid Lake or just downstream if necessary to Lake Piru through Piru Gorge. (I've hiked up the lower reaches of the gorge on a relatively high water day and wished I had a packraft for the trip back down).

Sespe Creek: From Hwy 33 all the way out to Fillmore if you have the nerve/skill. There are some very technical sections in the lower reaches, especially during high water. Upper reaches seem pretty mellow as long as the water level isn't too high.

Santa Ynez River: Flatter water, mostly a float but a few sections that have small rapids. A handful of dams/reservoirs that you would have to portage. Goes for miles. I've "tubed" portions at moderate water levels.

Sisquoc River: Runs through designated wilderness, so long walk in to put in point(s). But then you've got miles of wild and scenic river with no obstructions (except for beaver dams!).

All four of these creeks have been run by whitewater kayakers on at least limited occasions (you can find some photos/documentation online). I don't know of anyone who has personally run any of these creeks on packrafts but it certainly seems feasible if you hit it during the (limited) prime water conditions.

Seems to be a somewhat fine line between too much water and too little with just a narrow window of opportunity between the two for these relatively small waterways. Anyway, I've considered a packraft just to add some new elements of adventure to trips through these areas.