South Fork American River

The river begins at Nebelhorn near Johnson Pass about south of Lake Tahoe. From there it flows west for , past the towns of Kyburz, Pollock Pines and Coloma, before emptying into Folsom Lake, the reservoir formed by the Folsom Dam. The North Fork American River also flows into the lake, and the combined rivers form the American River proper, which flows from the dam southwest to a confluence with the Sacramento River.{{cite map The South Fork drains an area of ,{{cite web Discharge According to a U.S. Geological Survey stream gage at Lotus, about above Folsom Lake, the average discharge was from 1951 to 1995.{{cite web ==Recreation==

Rafting and kayaking The South Fork of the American has approximately eight sections of boatable whitewater ranging from class II to class V. The most commonly run section of river is the class III stretch between Chili Bar Dam and Folsom Lake. This 20 mile section is best divided into two days of boating, from Chili Bar to Coloma (Chili Bar) and Coloma to Folsom Lake (The Gorge). Established boating and river rescue skills are required to run this section of river. Hiking, mountain biking and horse riding There is BLM land located off Highway 49 on the way to Auburn from Coloma with great hiking, biking and equestrian trails. These BLM managed areas are part of a 20-year joint effort with the American River Conservancy to protect the habitat and beauty of the South Fork of the American River. The trail represents the foothills' various ecosystems including grasslands, oak woodland, chaparral and riparian habitats. ==Dams==

There are two dams on the South Fork proper: Slab Creek Dam, which forms Slab Creek Reservoir near Camino, and Chili Bar Dam, located north of Placerville. Both are run-of-the-river dams serving mainly for hydroelectricity production. Other major dams in the South Fork basin include ones at Union Valley Reservoir and Ice House Reservoir on the Silver Creek drainage. Most of the dams and reservoirs in the basin are operated by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) as part of the 688 megawatt Upper American River Project{{cite web ==See also==