The Mokelumne River
One in an occasional series, employees of the Bureau of Land Management tell of some of their favorite locations across BLM managed lands. This story comes to us from Benjamin Cossel of the BLM National Digital Team. Ben is based in Sacramento, California.
With more than 240 million acres of public land, it is impossible for all of BLM managed lands to be a highlight reel. But for nearly all of us in the western United States, there’s that little slice of BLM land not known by too many and a piece of heaven for the locals.
I live in California’s Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County. For those of us in this area, the Mokelumne River Day Use Area is one such location. Managed by BLM California’s Mother Lode Field Office, the Mokelumne River Day Use Area sits off an extremely bumpy, Electra Road, near the meet-up of Amador and Calaveras County lines just outside the town of Jackson. This is just one of several BLM managed access points to the river.
The Mokelumne River is a 95-mile long river in northern California. The river rises in the Stanislaus National Forest in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The river’s three branches enter the Pardee Reservoir before flowing into the Camanche Reservoir. The River crosses Central Valley, then receives its main tributary, the Cosumnes River, and joins the San Joaquin River.
The Mokelumne River gets its name from the Plains Miwok tribe. “Moke” means “fishnet” and “umne” is a suffix meaning “people of.” The area surrounding the River was originally inhabited by the Yokuts, Miwok, and Wintun tribes. European parties began to explore the area by the late 18th century, and by 1830, the first European settlement had been established. The area attracted many prospectors during the Gold Rush era, as the Mokelumne was a major gold-producing stream.
Summers here can be absolutely brutal and the Mokelumne River is beloved with its cool waters offering a respite from the summer heat. But more than just a swimming hole, the area is often used by beginning whitewater kayaking.
Offering varying degrees of speed, the Mokelumne River provides beginning white water kayakers an opportunity to sharpen their skills before taking on some of the more challenging rivers in and around the area. Several locations up and down the river offer good put-in/pull-out points where encouraging friends and family can be waiting with a picnic lunch or just standing by with a protein bar and some words of encouragement.
With so many options for fishing in the area, the Mokelumne River also shines in the well-kept secret department. Known by area anglers for steelhead, rainbow and brown trout, certain spots on the river are known for Chinook Salmon. But don’t tell anyone! Fly fishing is probably your best option out here but drift fishing works well.
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