Russian River (Healdsburg–Guerneville)
Sonoma County (Healdsburg to Guerneville) · near Healdsburg / Guerneville · North Coast
Kayaking & SUP
At a glance
- Best season
- Mid-June–September · When flows drop and the water calms · Warm and gentle in summer
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit. Multiple public put-ins: Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach, Steelhead Beach, Sunset Beach (seasonal parking fees), Johnson's Beach in Guerneville. Public river parks along the route provide easy access.
What is here
- Wildlife
- River otters · Turtles · Bald eagles · Great blue herons · Ospreys · Kingfishers · Steelhead & salmon (seasonal)
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Kayaking & SUP detail
- Nickname
- The Redwood-Canopy Wine-Country Float
- Water types
- river
- Exposure
- sheltered
- Sup friendly
- Yes
- Wetsuit
- Not needed in summer — the Russian is a warm, gentle river June–September. Board shorts and sun protection. Spring flows are colder and faster (for experienced paddlers only).
- Tidal note
- No tides, but FLOW matters: the Russian is a summer SUP destination specifically because flows drop from mid-June, calming the water. In spring the river runs cold and fast — not a beginner float. The Healdsburg section is easier (better parking, multiple put-ins); the Guerneville stretch is longer, wilder, and shadier.
- Intl tip
- The Russian River flows through Sonoma wine country — Healdsburg's plaza (superb restaurants and tasting rooms) is the upper hub; Guerneville is the funky lower-river town near Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve. Combine a summer float with wine tasting and a redwood grove walk for the complete Sonoma experience.
The guide
The Russian River is Northern California's most underrated SUP and kayak destination — a gentle, redwood-canopied river winding…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Russian River (Healdsburg–Guerneville) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.502, -122.927