The Three Bears refer to three class IV rapids below Surprise Creek, which are all boulder gardens. All three can be portaged if necessary. Boaters typically take out at the Broken Bridge (mile 5.5).
May be boatable at higher flows.
You can combine this with the
Lower SF Trinity Run (class II) that ends at either Sandy Bar or the Trinity River confluence.
Logistics
_Put-in_
To get to the put-in from the take-out, head back uphill toward Escot Farms and turn right onto South Fork Road/Forest Service Road 5N03 that heads in the upriver direction. Go five miles then stay left at the sign for Todd Ranch. Continue two more miles to a Y, then turn right to descend a steep road to the river at Surprise Falls.
_Take-out_
The take-out for this run is also the put-in for the downstream
Lower SF Trinity Run at the broken bridge/low water bridge. To get there from Highway 299 at the east side of the the bridge over the South Fork, turn south onto South Fork Road and begin heading upriver. After four miles, turn right to stay on South Fork Road where Hennessy Road splits off straight ahead. After 1.3 miles, bear right again to stay on South Fork Road and heading in the upriver direction. Continue until you see a peach-colord sign for Escot Farms, about eight miles from Highway 299. Turn right here then stay left to descend to the river. Because the bridge over the river is 'broken' aka missing, there's a gate that blocks vehicle access at the end and you'll need to carry a short ways down to the water on the old roadbed.
Additional Information
The best guidebook for this run is Dan Menten's 2016 classic _The New School Guide to Northern California Whitewater_ (p. 137).
See the
Three Bears description on
cacreeks.com
Sections of the SF Trinity are eligible for Wild and Scenic protections, and would be designated as such with the passage of Rep. Huffman's _Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act_(NCWRWFA). AW is a proud supporter of this bill. Learn more at
www.calwild.org.