Río San José, Honduras (click here for the Honduras table of rivers)

Class: IV-; Flow: 250-1,500 cfs; Average Gradient: 14 m/km; Portages: no; Length: 19 km; Time: 40 minutes

Season: June to October; rafts? no; Highlights: I saw a nutria; Crux move: waiting for the shuttle

Put-In: below Coyolar dam (752 m); Take-Out: El Túnel dam (684 m)

Description: (click here for general notes about my descriptions)

The Río San José is good for some quick entertainment if you are in the area when the dam is spilling. The run is only 5 km long and can easily be done in less than 45 minutes, with fun long continuous III/III+ rapids most of the way. The riverbed is braided and bushy in many places. The normal TO is at an irrigation project diversion dam called El Túnel, though you might consider paddling further downstream towards the highway (less gradient) if you see there is enough water left in the river.

A full description is in the Mayan Whitewater El Salvador, Honduras, & Nicaragua guidebook.

Descent History: I ran the Río San José in October 2008, with 400 cfs.