grassyknoll
Contributor
As for the upper AR dive, how long of a walk is it between the two bridges? I'm wondering if it's feasible to do the dive with only one car.
I think it would be almost impossible, you could do the dive with a scooter but unless you have one of those amphibious vehicles you would likely ruin the car.
Now, as far as using only one vehicle to bring gear down, this is totally do-able. I can usually carry 3-4 divers and gear in my 4-runner. There is plenty of parking at the top of the canyon or at turn-outs on the upper parts, it's just the lower section that gets congested.
The distance between the two bridges is not that far, you can easily make two round trips on a 72/80 (depending on current, if they are dumping a lot of water then it can be worse than Negro Bar and you will pull yourself along on the bottom on spots. There are bottlenecks on the river where the current will vary no mater what the release is.
Other info for those contemplating the upper AR:
Water temps, in the lower to mid 70s, a 3/2 shorty is plenty, trunks alone can get chilly. Distance is roughly 2 miles down hwy 49 from Auburn. Visibility will be dependent on flow but expect 10-30'. There are some areas around the submerged, collapsed bridge that can be challenging, the structures are in only 0-10' but STRONG current, submerged structure=entanglement issues. If you aren't comfortable around such structures it would be one an area to avoid.
I think it would be almost impossible, you could do the dive with a scooter but unless you have one of those amphibious vehicles you would likely ruin the car.
Now, as far as using only one vehicle to bring gear down, this is totally do-able. I can usually carry 3-4 divers and gear in my 4-runner. There is plenty of parking at the top of the canyon or at turn-outs on the upper parts, it's just the lower section that gets congested.
The distance between the two bridges is not that far, you can easily make two round trips on a 72/80 (depending on current, if they are dumping a lot of water then it can be worse than Negro Bar and you will pull yourself along on the bottom on spots. There are bottlenecks on the river where the current will vary no mater what the release is.
Other info for those contemplating the upper AR:
Water temps, in the lower to mid 70s, a 3/2 shorty is plenty, trunks alone can get chilly. Distance is roughly 2 miles down hwy 49 from Auburn. Visibility will be dependent on flow but expect 10-30'. There are some areas around the submerged, collapsed bridge that can be challenging, the structures are in only 0-10' but STRONG current, submerged structure=entanglement issues. If you aren't comfortable around such structures it would be one an area to avoid.
) This is definitely a dive site where you should be sort of physically fit, due to the steep climb to the entry/exit. I will have to rent a mule to use if I want to dive it again. 
