Knights Ferry rafting

This is not whitewater. The lower Stanislaus at Knights Ferry runs wide, green and cold out of the bottom of the dams, through low golden hills and cottonwoods, and the trip is a few hours of drifting with the occasional riffle to wake everyone up. It is the rafting day you can do with grandparents and seven-year-olds in the same boat.

The classic run goes from the town of Knights Ferry downstream to Orange Blossom, taking roughly three to four hours depending on flow and how long you stop to swim. Outfitters in the town rent rafts and run the shuttle back; you can also bring your own boat and sort the shuttle yourself.

You park in town, sign in, get a raft and paddles, and put in below the covered bridge. The current does most of the work. There are gravel bars to pull out on, deep pools to swim in, and long slow bends where the only sound is water and birds. The river comes out of dam releases, so it stays cold even in a heatwave — which is precisely the point in the valley in July.

Take out at the arranged spot downstream and catch the shuttle back to your car. Bring shoes that stay on, a hat, sunscreen, more water than seems necessary, and something to keep phones dry. Glass containers are not welcome on the river.

The float season runs roughly from late spring into September, driven by irrigation releases rather than by rain. Flows are published by the water agencies and outfitters watch them closely; a very high release week can shut the rental season down for a few days, and late-season low water makes for more scraping and slower going.

Summer weekends are the busiest stretch of the year here, and the first launch slots go first. Check current rates, launch times and river rules with the outfitter when you book rather than assuming last year's information.

Knights Ferry itself is worth an hour: the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi, the stone mill ruins beside the water, shaded picnic tables and a recreation area run by the Army Corps of Engineers. Plenty of people float in the morning and eat lunch under the trees afterwards.

Coming back up Highway 4 you pass Angels Camp, so a stop for supplies or an early dinner fits neatly on the way home to the pines.

The valley is hot and the river is a day trip, not a place to sleep. Both cabins are about an hour and a quarter up Highway 4 in Arnold at 4,000 feet — cool evenings, a hot tub, a full kitchen and a swimming river of our own five minutes away when nobody wants to drive.