Clear Creek (IV-V, P)

Clear Creek flows into the Klamath River just downstream from the town of Happy Camp on Hwy. 96. This is maybe the best class 4-5 creek in the area, and certainly one of my favorites. The entire run is chock full of high quality rapids consisting of good boofs, bedrock, and tight gorges.

The first mile of the run is the most difficult and continuous, and the first big rapid, although visible from the trail on the hike in, has a tendency to sneak up on groups, causing its fair share of carnage. Downstream from the bridge over Clear Creek is the one mandatory portage of the run. Portage on the right. Also, note that the eddy for the portage is right at the lip of the drop, and at higher flows (over 900 cfs on the Indian Creek guage) it may be necessary to eddy out up higher to avoid rolling backwards into the portage. Below the portage are a few small rapids, and then the final gorge of the run. The final rapid is a must run and one of the best on the creek.

Will Parham stoked to be hiking in the sunshine.

Peter Malkin boofing the right side of the first large rapid.

Will about to boof, and get chundered, in the entrance of the first big one.

Will with a nice rock slide.

Melissa DeMarie lining up the boof in the second rapid.

Martin Belden boofing away...

Will making the move through the curler, which feeds to the left into less friendly waters.

Martin in another classic Clear Creek rapid.

Melissa running right in the same drop.

Peter boofing big in the entrance of one of the larger rapids on the creek.

Take-out:

From Hwy. 96, turn west onto Clear Creek road, about 10 miles south of the town of Happy

Camp, just north of the Clear Creek bridge. Follow signs that lead to the Clear Creek trailhead.

After driving 5-6 miles, look for a Forest Service river access sign on the left side of the road.

Park here, and make sure to scout the take-out, as the trail leading back to the road can be easy

to miss.

Put-in:

Continue driving up the road until it ends at the trailhead. Hike about one mile upstream and

put in where the trail meets the creek.

New River Gorge Photo Update

Here are some photos from a trip last weekend (2/6) on the lower New. We had flows of around 1000 cfs... nice and fluffy.

Dan Menten running the first rapid of the Gorge.

Peter Malkin a.k.a "The Russian" with a stylie boof in the numero uno.

Martin Belden running the top double drop of the second gorge rapid.

The final move in the second rapid... move right! The spray in the background is the surging mass we like to call the Penalty Box, a nasty backed up hole on river left.

Dan boofing the first 6 foot ledge in the third big rapid.

Dan about to go deep into the throat of Crack in the Rock.

Tombstone rapid, with another good drop in the background. This run has a consistently steep gradient for the length of the gorge.

The tombstone pillow dishing out a nice pirouette stern squirt combo.

Looking downstream from below Tombstone. The final half mile of the gorge is some of the best.... enjoy!

Thanks to Ben York for the Photos.

Upper New River (IV)

The Upper New River flows through a beautiful canyon upstream of the small town of Denny. During the late 1970s, Denny earned its notoriety during a standoff between the townsfolk and the National Guard, who had been sent with orders to disperse the small mining town that had cropped up on government land. The people of Denny asserted their claim to the land, and although it is nearly a ghost town these days, there are still many small ranches and homes set in this pristine valley.

This section of the New is full of bedrock mini gorges, good boofs, and fun boulder gardens. The largest two rapids come in the final mile before the take-out. The first of these, dubbed "Hand of God", contains a hole that can pack some punch at higher flows, and would be moderately difficult to portage.

Dan Menten running one of the first good rapids on the Upper New.

Melissa DeMarie lining up a nice boof.

Martin Belden running the first hole in "Hand of God".

Melissa in the run out from H.o.G.

Dan Menten coming up from the melt.

Matt Porter running the bottom of H.o.G.

A nice rainbow, and leprechaun crossing sign finish out the day...

Take-Out: From Hwy. 101, head west on Hwy. 299 about 40 miles to the town of Hawkin's Bar.

Turn North on the signed road to Denny, and drive about 18 miles to Denny. On the far side of

Town, there is a small dirt road on the right that leads to small grassy flat visible from the road.

Follow this road until it ends at the old dump.

Put-In: Continue driving upstream on the main road until a bridge crosses the New River. Put-

in just above the bridge for maximum fun rating.

Thanks to Ben York for taking Photos.

Burnt Ranch Gorge Video

Fordyce Creek Video (With Sound)