Upper Piru Creek
Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, California

For decades Southern California boaters have driven up I-5, unaware they were passing a backyard classic on their way to bigger and better things. And Upper Piru Creek is indeed a classic, containing 28 miles of paddling ranging from Class I-V+ in difficulty. It is a wilderness run but can be accessed at several points along its length, allowing the option to run it as a continuous, overnight trip, or to break it up into segments.

Upper Piru Creek is just north of Los Angeles

Upper Piru runs east through the Transverse Ranges

Piru Creek's headwaters lay in Southern California's Transverse Ranges, about 25 miles northeast of Ventura. From here the creek wanders eastward for almost 30 miles, dropping 2200 feet as it meanders through a series of open valleys and incredible gorges before reaching the Pyramid Lake reservoir. Below Pyramid Lake the creek flows generally south, creating the Middle Piru run, and eventually joining the Santa Clara River at the town of Piru.

The variations in plant life, topography, and geology are astounding. At almost 5000', the put in at Grade Valley/Mutau Flat area is a broad, sandy valley studded with pine trees. Miles downstream the vertical walled Gold Hill Gorge is carved through solid granite. The Hard Luck Gorge is framed by beautiful sandstone cliffs. Desert plants such as yucca thrive on the sun-blasted south-facing banks, while pines are a common sight on the shady north-facing slopes.

Gold Hill Gorge is spectacular

While the entire reach can be paddled in two long days, Class IV-V boaters will be most interested in combining the Gold Hill and Hard Luck Gorge reaches into a long day trip or a relaxing overnighter. This offers an easy shuttle and only sacrifices two high quality rapids, while avoiding miles of low volume, flatwater paddling.

Piru Creek only runs for a few weeks after big winter storms. Though the Hard Luck Gorge section could probably be run at fairly high flows, I'd recommend staying off the upper reaches if the flow exceeds 400 cfs. 200-300 cfs seems to be an ideal level. Be wary of incoming storms here; in February 1998 Piru surged to over 43,000 cfs during a particularly heavy storm. Fortunately it is easy to monitor the flow; CDEC has an online gage.

There's gold in these hills. Traces of past mining activity are visible throughout the canyon. Adits, mine shafts, even an old cabin can be seen. Gold Hill Road was built to service a large mine to the south of Piru Creek. Nowadays there is a dedicated group of gold panners who visit the creek during the summer and fall months. On an exploratory hike I chatted with an friendly prospecter as he worked. Every panful of gravel had a few golden flakes in the bottom.

Mutau Flat Section
(15 miles, Cl I-IV-, 71 fpm average gradient)

The Forest Service closes the Mutau Flat Road for most of the winter. This means you'll probably have to carry your boat in six or so miles from the gate at Lockwood Valley Road. The hike is easy and enjoyable, full of nice views of the surrounding countryside.

Rick Norman on the Mutau Flat section

The boating is generally easy. Shallow, sandy flat stretches are interspersed with boulder-pile rapids. Expect barely boatable flows until Alamo Creek is reached at mile 8.5. Two miles further downstream, Lockwood Creek adds even more water. From here to Gold Hill Road, expect to deal with occasional tree hazards. Though I don't recall any portages, we did scout once in the juicy Class IV gorge near the bottom of this stretch.

Keith Dinger negotiates Upper Piru's first gorge

To get to the takeout at Gold Hill Road, exit I-5 at Gorman. Follow the signs to the Hungry Valley ORV area. There is a fee associated with entry here but I've not yet seen a ranger there to collect it. You will need an "Adventure Pass" to park at any of the access points for the run. Follow the road (Forest Route 8N01) past the scarred hills, over hill and dale, looking for signs saying "Gold Hill Campground" and "Piru Creek".

To get to the put in, backtrack to Gorman, head north up I-5, then take the Frazier Park exit. Head west for 7.3 miles then turn left on the Lockwood Valley Road. 10.5 miles south, past the town of Stauffer, is the gated Mutau Flat Road. From here its a relaxing 6 mile hike to the creek.

Gold Hill Gorge
(9 miles, Cl IV-V, 108 fpm average gradient)

Keith Beck on an easy stretch of Gold Hill Gorge

Gold Hill Gorge offers experienced boaters a challenging run through a beautiful canyon. Bounded by high granite cliffs, decorated by several waterfalls, the gorge is in places reminiscent of a miniature Kings Canyon. Though only two of its nine miles have gradients less than 100 feet per mile, the section has been run with only two portages and only a few more scouts.

The long Class IV slalom just below the put in is indicative of the fine rapids to come - there are literally miles of Class IV fun to be had here. The portages are both in the first half of the run. They are easy scrambles around big boulder-pile rapids. Each of the portage rapids starts off with easy moves but ends in a seive, so its important when descending this stretch to avoid running anything blind.

The rapids ease below Gold Hill Gorge but most paddlers will want to continue down through the Hard Luck section. There is still some whitewater to be had, and the scenery is magnificent. For this reason I've combined shuttle instructions and data tables for this and the Hard Luck run.

Hardluck Gorge
(4 miles, Cl III+, 70 fpm

This short section features a stupendous gorge that rivals the best scenery of Idaho's Jarbridge/Bruneau River. It begins where Alamo Mountain Road crosses Piru Creek (forming a low head dam that is worth a scout). The creek then winds its way down an open canyon containing a series of generally easy rapids. Class III paddlers may want to scout several of the bigger drops. Note that Alamo Mountain Road is generally closed approximately 3 miles from the creek - you'll have to hike your boat in if you're not running Gold Hill Gorge.

Hardluck Gorge

As you enter the gorge, the PIR gage is visible on river left. This marks a significant hazard. A small metal-bound dam spans the river here. The center of this dam has a big piece of razor-sharp steel extending straight up. It could tear a boat or boater to pieces. Scout, and either boof the dam or portage, on river right.

Downstream lies incredible scenery. Piru Creek cuts straight through vertically-tilted conglomerate beds. The resistant sandstone rises hundreds of feet above the creek bed and is dramatically eroded into hoodoos and potholes. The gorge harbors a series of fun Class III rapids.

Three miles paddling across the lake brings you to a boat ramp and the end of this excellent run.

To get to the takeout, exit I-5 at the Smokey Bear offramp. Pass under the freeway and head south towards Pyramid Lake. Parking is available at Pyramid Lake (fee), but note that the parking area is locked after 4PM (5 PM in April). Free parking is available outside the gate but the safety of vehicles left overnight is questionable. An option is to leave a car at the Los Alamos Campground, 3 miles up Hungry Valley Road.

To get to the put in at Gold Hill Road, see the directions above. Also note that a pleasant shortcut is available if you have a 4WD vehicle (2WD is OK if the roads are dry). Head up Hungry Valley Road, following the signs to the ORV area. After 6 miles you'll reach Forest Road 8N01. Turn left and follow the signs to Piru Creek.

This document was last updated on Tuesday, March 27, 2001

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