Here is a virtual run down the river.....
You put in at the header dam for the largest all-wood flume in the world, which will accompany you on river left your entire journey. The dam is about 40 feet high, and made of jagged concrete. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN IT!! It has no splash down pool, and it will at the very least ruin your boat. Sane people will carry their crafts down the concrete ramp on river right to the launching pad.
The very first rapid you will encounter is Grumpy's, or Entrance Rapid. This is probably the most dangerous rapid on the river. It has a 4 foot vertical ledge in the center of the river, with a narrow slot you can hit just to the left of the center of the river. If you go to either side of this slot you are going to get slammed, and probably recirculated for some time. I saw a raft stay in it for about 10 minutes; they had to pull it out with ropes... There is a somewhat easy cheat on the far left, but it takes a bit to get there.
At the end of Grumpy's there is the Staging Eddy. It is here that all the raft companies regroup for the rest of the run and it is a great place for more inexperienced kayakers to play.
After this you have Gonzo Shoals, so named because of a rock that reportedly looks like Gonzo the Muppet's nose... The shoals end with Three-Step Falls, which is quite insignificant really. Your next rapid is Broken Nose, a class 4 rapid consisting of a slide and then two consecutive drops, totaling about 5 feet. The prefered route is on river right, right next to the bank. You need to make sure you hit the bottom drops with some speed or you will probably get surfed. The surf is not as bad as Grumpy's, but it can tire you out pretty quick.
After Broken Nose you paddle to river left and get ready for Slice n Dice. This is a fun, four foot ledge you run just to the left of the center. If you are in the back of a raft, hold on, because your guide is about to get slammed into you :)
The next major rapid is Double Suck, a six foot slide with an awesome hole at the bottom. This hole is good to hit if you are a raft or a mad kayaker... I have seen it flip rafts vertical and thrash boaters and kayakers mercilessly. Unless you rock, or think you do, I wouldn't suggest playing in this hole. Also, don't stand on the rocks in the center of the river. There is an endangered species of wild flower there and they don't want you killing it.
Proceding on down the river, you will next come to Double Trouble, which is a set of three huge standing waves. This rapid varies wildly with the water level, but you can almost always expect a good ride. Hit it in the middle and wave to the photographers on the bank!
After Double Trouble, you will encounter Flipper. This is a choice place to play in a kayak if you are of the more advanced type. The rapid is a three food ledge that goes almost all the way across the river. There is a large eddy on the left below it, so you have plenty of space to wait your turn. To run the drop with maximum safety, run it far right, but for the most fun, run it almost dead center of the river.
After Flipper, there is not much of note untill after the Doldrums, a quarter mile set of shoals. Once you complete the maze you are ready to enter Table Saw. This rapid has three 45 degree waves originating from the left bank. Make sure you hit these straight on or you will get washed on Prudential, a large raft-pinning rock at the bottom! Immediately following Table Saw is Diamond Splitter. You can run to either side of the boulder in the middle of the river. The right path is a large wave train, and the left is Witch's Hole. A lot of people like to play in this hole because it is quite fun, and just as importantly, rafts try to run the wave train on river right so you are less likely to be a nuisance and get munched.
The next major rapid is Cat's Pajamas. There is a large pour-over at the bottom on river left that can be quite entertaining. Quite often we have lots of swimmers here, but there is nothing to fear because the pool right below it is very deep so there are no rocks to bang yourself on. This rapid is a favorite of squirt boaters and they have been known to get mystery moves of up to 20 seconds!! Regular kayakers will probably go just down the river to Hell Hole, which often hosts the World Cup Free-Style kayaking competition.
Hell Hole is one of the biggest and most entertaining rapids on the river. It consists of one four to five foot standing wave followed by a 6 foot wave which curls over to make a huge hole. This is a great place to play because, while it is awesomely powerful, it will not hold you for long when you flip. If you hang out here for a while, you will undoubtedly see a couple of world class free-style kayakers playing in the hole. You want to run it on river right for maximum fun and carnage. The farther to the left you go, the tamer it is. If, for some reason, you take a swim here, swim to river right, for the next rapid, Power House, is a nasty swim on the left. It isn't fatal, but the ledges are likely to bang you up pretty good.
The next thing of interest is the take out on river right. You can't miss it, unless you are my friend Keith...and I'm sure he'll never miss it again!! They have built another take out for the public a little farther down the river. The comercial take out is often over crouded with rafting companies, and parking is very limited so I would encourage private boaters to continue to the second take out.
Well, that was your trip, hope you enjoyed. If you have any additions, deletions, or ideas to make this page better, be sure and let me know.