How to Standup Paddleboard and Camp Overnight on the Sacramento River

This is an advanced SUP trip north of Sacramento, CA, south of Redding, CA on the Sacramento River. While there are no rapids in this section, the length of the trip in terms of miles as well as exposure to the elements and need to be self sufficient make it an advanced skills trip. We paddled about 30 miles from Scotty's Landing in Butte City south to the Colusa-Sacramento State Park in Colusa. It was quite a bit of research to figure out if camping was allowed on the river and where exactly to put in and take out where there would be mellow water with little to no rapids. After a few weeks of looking at books, website, maps and making calls, this is the route I came up with. It worked out perfectly. With the relatively fast flowing river current doing 15 miles in one day was not too bad. The first day there was no wind and the summer heat was extreme. Day 2 brought winds that made the paddling harder, but not too bad. The river water was quite clean and swimming in it to cool off and pumping drinking water was great. The main issues we had were watching for snags in the river such ad downed trees, and the bugs at night once it was dark. What an adventure. Memories of a lifetime!