Huge snowpack promises ‘wild’ whitewater rafting season on Fresno County river | Opinion

Want to guarantee a huge water year in California?

Make sure that Kings River Expeditions changes hands. For the first time in more than four decades, the whitewater rafting outfitter that operates exclusively on the Kings River in the Fresno County foothills has new ownership.

And similar to what happened when Justin Butchert purchased the company way back when, new owners Casey and Veronica Cornell take over at a time when the southern Sierra’s largest river (by water volume) is at its mightiest.

The new era coincides with what promises to be among the most epic whitewater seasons in state history. Kings River Expeditions launches its first trip Saturday and should be rafting well into September thanks to a record snowpack in the watershed measured at 269% of average by water content.

“May and June are going to be pretty wild,” said Casey Cornell, who has been with KRE since 2011. “The sweet spot this season for families, especially with kids, is going to probably be July.”

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Even though most of that snow has yet to melt, the Kings River is already wide and swift. Flows on the segment typically run by whitewater boaters reached 6,000 cubic feet per second Thursday, rising at a rate of about 500 cfs per day. Peak flows last year were 4,000 cfs by comparison. (Those volumes reflect only the combined South Fork and Middle Fork. The total inflow into Pine Flat Lake, which exceeded 9,400 cfs on Thursday, includes the North Fork and other creeks.)

By next month, once temperatures stay hot for several days, rafters and kayakers will encounter flows above 20,000 cfs. Which will make the Kings River feel similar to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, albeit with smaller rapids.

Such conditions couldn’t be more different from the recent spate of dry years that compelled KRE’s longtime owner to sell the business. But as Butchert eagerly pointed out, his stewardship also began with a string of big whitewater seasons, including 1983.

“That’s the joke I’ve been telling Casey, ‘Anytime you want to solve California’s drought, you need to sell KRE to the next person,’ ” Butchert said.

New owner ‘hooked’ by big water

Cornell’s story is a fairly typical one among KRE guides: The Kerman native had never been river rafting until he took one of Butchert’s recreation courses at Fresno State and got recruited by him after seeing a video. Casey’s girlfriend (and later wife) Veronica signed up, too.

As it happened, 2011 was a big water year. Cornell, along with most of the rookie guides in his class, was “hooked.” He has returned every season since, through multiple droughts that nearly put KRE out of business.

“I love being on the river, but it’s the people that keep you coming back,” Cornell said.

Butchert and Cornell started discussing a potential sale about five years ago. In January 2022 a deal was struck, and in April of that year the paperwork was signed. Cornell spent last season as general manager, learning every aspect of the business from Butchert.

This year, Cornell is 100% in charge as Butchert focuses on his solar energy business. However, the 32-year-old will be able to rely on KRE’s stable of veteran guides, including a few who have been on staff more than 20 years and know nearly every boulder in the river.

In a year like this, that experience will be needed to ensure everyone aboard the raft makes it down safely.

“It’s kind of an odd thing stepping into a leadership role,” Cornell said. “But those guys have been really great. They’re just as excited for a high-water season.”

Road damage shortens run

KRE is fortunate to even have a season. The dirt access road used by commercial and private rafters to reach the put-in location at Garnet Dike sustained severe flood damage over the winter.

Thanks to a heavy equipment operator Cornell brought to the site, most of the road has been cleared. However the final 2½ miles remain impassible, meaning one of the Kings’ most notorious rapids — Banzai — can’t be run until repairs are made. Which is unlikely to happen this season.

“Some of our customers are actually a little relieved,” Cornell said.

The Kings River has such a wide channel that it can accommodate massive volumes of water. However, in high flows some of the rapids “wash out.” Meaning the amount of water covers up the technical sections and makes them easier to navigate.

During those conditions, the biggest challenge to keeping a raft or kayak from flipping are long, large, punch-packing wave trains.

“It almost becomes a mission of missing the waves rather than crashing the boat right through them,” Cornell said.

Compared to a few other California rivers, boating pressure on the Kings is relatively light. Part of that is due to its remote location, including the long, winding drive around Pine Flat Lake. (The Kings River below Pine Flat Dam remains closed indefinitely to all recreational activities, per order of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.)

The upside is that once you’re back there — and the cell phone reception vanishes — it feels like a completely different world.

“You’re not rafting next to a highway,” Cornell said. “It’s just you and the river.”