Briceburg is where State Route 140 drops out of the Sierra foothills and meets the Wild and Scenic Merced River, twelve miles east of Mariposa on the road to Yosemite, and it's one of the best public river spots in California that most Yosemite-bound travelers blow right past. Managed by the BLM as part of the Merced River Recreation Management Area, it offers swimming, camping, whitewater, fishing and genuine gold panning on an undammed river running through a deep, sun-baked canyon.

The hub is the Briceburg Visitor Center, and just below it sits a parking area with restrooms, a picnic area with tables and a raised barbeque grill, a vault toilet, an information kiosk, and a boat launch for river access. That launch is the key to the area's reputation: easy access and un-dammed natural flows make this stretch of the Merced one of California's premier whitewater runs, drawing rafters and kayakers hard through the spring runoff from roughly April into July. Commercial trips are available through BLM-permitted outfitters for those who'd rather be guided.

Camping is a bargain and delightfully old-fashioned. Three developed BLM campgrounds line the river between Briceburg and Bagby, reached by crossing the suspension bridge just past the visitor center and following the unpaved Briceburg River Road, which is the old Yosemite Valley Railroad grade. Sites run about ten dollars a night, first come, first served. McCabe Flat, the nearest, sits 2.3 miles west of the suspension bridge with eleven sites, eight walk-in and three drive-up. Riding an old railroad grade to a riverside campsite is a large part of the charm.

Beyond the water, the canyon is known for spring wildflowers, fishing, picnicking and recreational gold panning and prospecting, a legitimate and popular pastime here in the heart of Gold Country. Swimming is best once the runoff drops and the pools warm through summer.

The Merced is a powerful, cold, undammed river, and spring flows that make it a world-class whitewater run also make it genuinely dangerous for swimmers, with the water at its highest and pushiest from April through early summer. The canyon also bakes; summer temperatures climb hard and shade is limited.

Come with plenty of water, sun protection, sturdy footwear for the rocky banks, and a full tank, since services are back in Mariposa. Bring a gold pan if the mood strikes. Whether you're launching a raft, claiming a ten-dollar riverside site off an old railroad grade, or just pulling over on the way to Yosemite for a swim, Briceburg is a rare stretch of wild, accessible, public river.