Starting a bit earlier this year in hopes of avoiding the fires and droughts that forced rescheduling and/or relocating the last 2 years.
We will be back in Forestville this year, I did a test run on 6/11 and there was plenty of water so we should be good to go. River was flowing a bit slower than normal, but took about 2hrs w/o any stops.
Start Location for Runners
Sunset Beach River Park
11060 River Road
Forestville, CA 95436
Start Location for Non-Runners
Steelhead Beach Regional Park
9000 River Road
Forestville, CA 95436
Runners should drop off their floats and anything else they want for the river but don't want to run with at Steelhead then drive to the run start at Sunset Beach. It will be about a 3 mile run.
The 10am start time is when Runners should be dropping gear off at Steelhead, Runner Pack should be leaving Sunset around 10:30/10:45. Float Pack will hopefully hit the river around 11:30. Parking lot will likely be full by 11 so I suggest getting there early if you can.
What to Bring
-Your own Float, most important item, they do not rent floats up there as far as I know, and its a rather long drive back to Santa Rosa to try and buy one. Russian River is pretty tame, so even a basic pool float from the grocery store should be sufficient for the day.
-Beer/Food, there will be hash beer and orange food for circle at the end, but you will need to bring your own drinks and snacks for the river. NO GLASS, cans only on the river.
-Sunscreen
-Bags, If you have one of those drawstring bags they tend to give out for races and whatnot, or a cloth grocery bag, they work great to fill with beer and tie to the float and let it sit in the river to keep cool.
-Pump, I've got 2 pumps, but if anyone else happens to have any additional pumps that will help speed things up at the start.
Parking Info
Its $7 to park in the main parking lots, but there is street parking available as well.
Runners, please drop off your floats at Steelhead Beach so we can pump them up for you while you're on trail. If you tell them you are just dropping off floats, or people, they won't charge you for parking. The parking pass is good for both lots but the parking lot at Sunset Beach is significantly smaller, so best to avoid paying for parking until you're sure you actually have a parking spot there. There is street parking available but it will likely be a significant walk.
There is little to no cell reception at the start, yet oddly good reception once we're on the river, so if you are running late I suggest posting it to the event page as soon as you know in hopes that someone will see it before they loose reception.