April 11 PA whitewater trip

swampboy62 · 04-10-2015, 12:08 PM

Looks like the Allegheny and Clarion drainages got between 2" & 3" of rain in the last 24 hours, on top of the heavy rain on Monday & Tuesday. I'm guessing that most of the western PA creeks are going to be running.

That means Pithole, Little Scrubgrass & Mill Creek (into the Allegheny) are all likely to run for class III & up.

Also Scrubgrass, Bear, Deer, Wolf, East Sandy, South Sandy, Neshannock etc etc will be running for class II. Deer Creek is one to note - a 3.5 mile run with something like 25 class II rapids. I've told a lot of paddlers about this run, but never met another who'd been there, because it's so rain dependent and drains out pretty quick. Despite the lack of nearby gauges, I'm betting that it will be running tomorrow.

I'm heading out early on Saturday morning for a run over that way. I'll be taking I-80 east and probably head straight to Deer Creek to check the level. If it turns out to be too low I'll head back west a bit and give Bear Creek a look. If it turns out that somehow the water all ran out way faster than I'd expect then I'll turn north and make East Sandy my destination.

These are all runs that I can do shuttle with on foot or with my bike, so I'll be going regardless. But if anyone wants a warm spring day of class II whitewater you're free to join me. I'll likely be heading out of Warren around 8 am, so I'll be at Deer Creek around 9:30.

Steve Z

swampboy62 · 04-10-2015, 12:41 PM

BTW the map I use to check if creeks are running in western PA is one that I made about 8 years ago. It shows the class II & better whitewater watersheds in the western half of PA, along with the USGS gauges, county lines etc etc.

The idea is that with decent 24 hour precip maps available on the internet (see Accuweather, for one) you can compare areas of heavy precip with the map and see what watersheds are going to get the action. Since I developed this map I seldom get skunked chasing water, though it still does happen on occasion.

I used to sell paper copies of these maps, but no longer have access to the big color printer. And there used to be a website that hosted low res versions of the map (along with whitewater maps I made for northern Alabama, northern Georgia, eastern Kentucky, Adirondacks of New York, western North Carolina, eastern PA, eastern Tennessee, western Virginia, and West Virginia/western Maryland) - but they're no longer there.

After some consideration I've decided to just give the high res pdf images away to whoever wants them. They're suitable to print on 24x36 paper (if you feel like putting out $50 to a print shop for a color copy) or you can just use them on your computer for reference.

This is the first place I'm going to try this - send me an email and I'll send you a pdf file of the map you want.

Steve Z
swampboy62 "AT" yahoo.com

mfdanko99 · 04-10-2015, 09:04 PM

Where is Deer Creek at? That does sound like fun!!

swampboy62 · 04-10-2015, 09:46 PM

Deer Creek is a trib of the lower Clarion River. So it's on the other side of the Allegheny R. The take-out is just to the south of I-80, and the put-in just to the north.

It's a blast, and I always jump at a chance to paddle it if it looks like there's a chance it'll run. Been a couple of years since I hit up the run, and I'm really looking forward to it. Might even bust out the GoPro for some footy.

I'll be leaving Warren around 8 am Saturday, and will check back in case you're interested in coming along. Or give me a call and we can set up the run.

Steve Z
three three OH - 646-7235

EDIT: I see that you're heading up to Conneaut Creek tomorrow. I'll post up a trip report about tomorrow's festivities.

swampboy62 · 04-11-2015, 04:04 PM

Wow, what a great day. Headed out of Warren at 8:00, and headed over to check levels on Deer Creek. Luck was with me, and it was at an absolutely perfect level.

I stashed the boat in the woods near the put-in, then left the bike in the woods at the top of the big hill, and drove back to the take-out. Then a mile hike up 300' to the ridge top, grab the bike and ride the next 2 miles (mostly downhill), and gear up creekside.

I brought the GoPro and got ready to use it - but apparently when I checked the memory card last night I LEFT IT TURNED ON!! And it was totally dead. Bummed me out, because I don't get out on this creek often.

Headed downstream, counting rapids along the way. I portaged the one rapid on the other side of the 'tunnel' because it had some trees snagged. But the rest of them were good to go. I counted 23 class II rapids along the way, with some really great opportunities to surf as well. The rapids are so close together, and fairly long (more like rock garden chutes than broken ledges) it seems like you're in whitewater the whole time. Next time it rains hard enough that the Slip gauge shoots up to like 3,000 cfs, put Deer Creek on your short list.

I took photos of the put-in and take-out - I'll put them on the TCT facebook page.

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/co...etail/id/3853/

Steve Z

04-10-2015, 12:08 PM	#1
swampboy62 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Warren, Ohio Posts: 141 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0	April 11 PA whitewater trip Looks like the Allegheny and Clarion drainages got between 2" & 3" of rain in the last 24 hours, on top of the heavy rain on Monday & Tuesday. I'm guessing that most of the western PA creeks are going to be running. That means Pithole, Little Scrubgrass & Mill Creek (into the Allegheny) are all likely to run for class III & up. Also Scrubgrass, Bear, Deer, Wolf, East Sandy, South Sandy, Neshannock etc etc will be running for class II. Deer Creek is one to note - a 3.5 mile run with something like 25 class II rapids. I've told a lot of paddlers about this run, but never met another who'd been there, because it's so rain dependent and drains out pretty quick. Despite the lack of nearby gauges, I'm betting that it will be running tomorrow. I'm heading out early on Saturday morning for a run over that way. I'll be taking I-80 east and probably head straight to Deer Creek to check the level. If it turns out to be too low I'll head back west a bit and give Bear Creek a look. If it turns out that somehow the water all ran out way faster than I'd expect then I'll turn north and make East Sandy my destination. These are all runs that I can do shuttle with on foot or with my bike, so I'll be going regardless. But if anyone wants a warm spring day of class II whitewater you're free to join me. I'll likely be heading out of Warren around 8 am, so I'll be at Deer Creek around 9:30. Steve Z

04-10-2015, 09:46 PM	#4
swampboy62 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Warren, Ohio Posts: 141 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0	Deer Creek is a trib of the lower Clarion River. So it's on the other side of the Allegheny R. The take-out is just to the south of I-80, and the put-in just to the north. It's a blast, and I always jump at a chance to paddle it if it looks like there's a chance it'll run. Been a couple of years since I hit up the run, and I'm really looking forward to it. Might even bust out the GoPro for some footy. I'll be leaving Warren around 8 am Saturday, and will check back in case you're interested in coming along. Or give me a call and we can set up the run. Steve Z three three OH - 646-7235 EDIT: I see that you're heading up to Conneaut Creek tomorrow. I'll post up a trip report about tomorrow's festivities. Last edited by swampboy62; 04-10-2015 at 09:55 PM.

04-11-2015, 04:04 PM	#5
swampboy62 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Warren, Ohio Posts: 141 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0	Wow, what a great day. Headed out of Warren at 8:00, and headed over to check levels on Deer Creek. Luck was with me, and it was at an absolutely perfect level. I stashed the boat in the woods near the put-in, then left the bike in the woods at the top of the big hill, and drove back to the take-out. Then a mile hike up 300' to the ridge top, grab the bike and ride the next 2 miles (mostly downhill), and gear up creekside. I brought the GoPro and got ready to use it - but apparently when I checked the memory card last night I LEFT IT TURNED ON!! And it was totally dead. Bummed me out, because I don't get out on this creek often. Headed downstream, counting rapids along the way. I portaged the one rapid on the other side of the 'tunnel' because it had some trees snagged. But the rest of them were good to go. I counted 23 class II rapids along the way, with some really great opportunities to surf as well. The rapids are so close together, and fairly long (more like rock garden chutes than broken ledges) it seems like you're in whitewater the whole time. Next time it rains hard enough that the Slip gauge shoots up to like 3,000 cfs, put Deer Creek on your short list. I took photos of the put-in and take-out - I'll put them on the TCT facebook page. http://www.americanwhitewater.org/co...etail/id/3853/ Steve Z Last edited by swampboy62; 04-11-2015 at 04:07 PM.

04-10-2015, 12:41 PM	#2
swampboy62 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Warren, Ohio Posts: 141 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0	BTW the map I use to check if creeks are running in western PA is one that I made about 8 years ago. It shows the class II & better whitewater watersheds in the western half of PA, along with the USGS gauges, county lines etc etc. The idea is that with decent 24 hour precip maps available on the internet (see Accuweather, for one) you can compare areas of heavy precip with the map and see what watersheds are going to get the action. Since I developed this map I seldom get skunked chasing water, though it still does happen on occasion. I used to sell paper copies of these maps, but no longer have access to the big color printer. And there used to be a website that hosted low res versions of the map (along with whitewater maps I made for northern Alabama, northern Georgia, eastern Kentucky, Adirondacks of New York, western North Carolina, eastern PA, eastern Tennessee, western Virginia, and West Virginia/western Maryland) - but they're no longer there. After some consideration I've decided to just give the high res pdf images away to whoever wants them. They're suitable to print on 24x36 paper (if you feel like putting out $50 to a print shop for a color copy) or you can just use them on your computer for reference. This is the first place I'm going to try this - send me an email and I'll send you a pdf file of the map you want. Steve Z swampboy62 "AT" yahoo.com

04-10-2015, 09:04 PM	#3
mfdanko99 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Champion, OH Posts: 1,268 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0	Where is Deer Creek at? That does sound like fun!!