Devil's Gap

A totally off the beaten track Nevada river that rarely has adequate water. When it's in you can expect willow tunnels, cows, huge sagebrush, and a couple surprisingly good rapids. At higher flows, the river also has some great splat rocks and eddy lines. Finding a put-in can be challenging. The 'Devil's Gap' itself begins just east of Mountain City Highway (225), near a crossing of Mahala Creek, typically dry, but sometimes boatable. Upstream of the gap, the river is willowy and very meandering, though the highway does get close enough for access. A few dirt roads here lead down into a riparian meadow that can be the start of the run. The river continues its slow pace for about a half mile into the canyon, but the first rapid is obvious. Around a bend, the river suddenly picks up dramatic gradient, and moves through a long class 3+ to 4. Although long, there are relatively few hazards in this rapid, and most the moves consist of rock dodging (or boofs if you have good water). After the first rapid, much of the run consists of nondescript class 3- with some heavy brush encroachment, splat rocks, and boulder moves. The second notable rapid is the hardest and most dangerous, and comes at a chokepoint in the canyon about 1 mile down from the first rapid. It's difficult to stop above, and nearly impossible to scout. The drop consists of a tricky double ledge (class 4), followed by a punchbowl pool of moving water that drains into several willow tunnels. On the exit tuck up tight, hang on to your paddle, and pray! After this drop, class 2-3 continues until the gap opens up near Keddy Ranch. A road crossing the river here can be used as takeout. Watch out for a diversion dam just above the takeout, with a low beam across its top. At high flows, the bottom of the dam creates an awesome NV surf wave! The river can be run further, all the way through a downstream wilderness section called 'Devil's Gate'. Beta for that section is currently unknown, though it would likely be a multi-day trip with few actual rapids. This area doesn't have a lot of gradient, nor frequent flows.