Greg's Old Backyard: Exploring the Santa Barbara-Ventura, California Whitewater Kayaking Region

When Rocky Contos of SierraRios.org asked me about exploring in the Santa Barbara-Ventura, California, area for a few days in February, I couldn't refuse.  Getting to know a new kayaking region is always fun, even if it is right in your own ex-backyard. I started kayaking in northern California more than 25 years ago but had never Ventura'd to the central coast; now I live in Central America.  I was going to be visiting the Bay Area anyway, Rocky was driving up from San Diego with a boat I could use, and with a timely delivery of a drysuit from Aquafur (I rarely paddle in cold water these days), I had the equipment I needed. The second "atmospheric river" of the winter season was happening in the days prior to my arrival and was petering out the night of my arrival in Ventura.

My first day, Rocky took me to the whitewater section in California, the Ventura River which he describes as "a nearly unknown kayaking gem of Southern California: 18 miles class III (some IV; with tons of boogie water), pretty clean, with 2-3 short portages and easy shuttle." We had a flow of 1200 cfs which was in the lower range of the sweet spot.

We left a car at Mill Canyon road, but we actually missed the bridge on the way down (actually, that might have been Rocky's secret plan to get me to paddle all the way to the Pacific Ocean, which we did in the end). We ended up being on the river for about four hours in total.

The most fun part of the run was the first 10-15 minutes which was more technical and class IVish. The other noteworthy section was the lower section which featured some willow groves in the middle of the river bed. I think we only had to portage once in there. I came to learn that these hardy willows are a common feature of SoCal streams.

Our second day was the least interesting. Rocky wanted to check out some of the lower stretches of the Santa Ynez River up north of Santa Barbara. Road closures due to the storm kept us from exploring some parts, but we got on one 2-hour section above the Cachuma reservoir, and one 2-hour section below it. Both sections featured class II gradient and class III+ willow groves.

The third and final day was on the super-fun boogie water of the upper Matilija River, a main tributary of the Ventura River. Signs told us the road was closed due to the storm but the puddles on the road didn't give us any trouble, at least until the main road entered private property.

This run was 8 km of clean non-stop boogie water. We found the (warm) hot springs on the way but couldn't verify that the resort was still operating. The final afternoon entailed a delightful drive out starting up the NF Matilija and toward California's Central Valley on Hwy 33. I was enchanted by the rugged scenery of the upper Sespe River and wished I had more time, and more rainwater, to explore that one. Rocky had gotten on a lower section of the Sespe before I arrived.

Greg Schwendinger

MayanWhiteWater.com

Trip report written by Greg in 2024 and reported that his Aquafur drysuit worked perfectly.

If you would like to be featured on Aquafur's website, feel free to submit a report of your experience in your Aquafur gear. Cheers and Happy Paddling!