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Old 05-09-2023, 09:57 PM   #1
JPTolson
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Default Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek

CHANGING BACK TO ORIGINAL PLAN TO PADDLE THE MIDDLE FORK OF LITTLE BEAVER CREEK; SEE TRIP ARRANGEMENTS BELOW

Little Beaver Creek - Middle Fork - Elkton to Beaver Creek State Park

Trip Leader – JP Tolson
Date – Sunday, May 21st
Meeting Time and Place – 10:30 A.M. at the put in (see below)
Lunch – Yes, somewhere along the river
Distance – 9 miles
Rapids – Many short Class 1 and Class 1+ rapids

Put In – Middle Fork Canoe and Kayak Access adjacent to Elkton Community Park (river left)
Address – 42401-43371 Middle Beaver Rd, Lisbon, OH 44432
Coordinates – 40.76177° N, 80.69615° W
Parking – for approximately 12-15 vehicles
Restroom – Port-a-john

Take Out – Beaver Creek State Park immediately downstream of the Echo Dell Road bridge across the creek (river right)
Park Address – 12021 Echo Dell Rd, East Liverpool, OH 43920
Coordinates – 40.72747° N, 80.61132° W
Parking – for approximately 30-35 vehicles in the lot
Restroom – at the parking lot

Water Levels
Minimum – 3.8
Maximum – 5.8

Weather – Will be PERFECT!!!

Please join Trumbull Canoe Trails for a nine-mile trip on a little-paddled section of the Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek from the village of Elkton to Beaver Creek State Park. This section is designated ‘scenic’ under the national Wild and Scenic Rivers Program and ‘wild and scenic’ under the Ohio Scenic Rivers Program.

The run features a heron rookery within a quarter mile of the put in, bald eagles, pileated woodpeckers, kingfishers, remnants of the Sandy Beaver Canal including Lusk’s Lock, and many, many short Class 1 and Class 1+ rapids along a very scenic riverscape. Obvious signs of human intrusion are minor except in the Williamsport area where the river goes under State Route 7. Minimum water level (paddling zero) is 3.8 on the Grimm’s Bridge river gage (verified during a scouting run). This level will test a paddler’s river reading skills and will be certain to produce a few bottom bumps and scrapes. I am setting an upper limit of 5.8 due to some tight turns in the upper section of this run where the river is narrow. This level would likely make the river a bit pushy in places.

There was only one tree across the channel at paddling zero that required getting out of the boat to get around the tree. That could change at a higher water level. We will stop for a lunch break, so pack a snack. I will decide on a back up run, if necessary, based on river level (too high or too low) closer to the scheduled date for the trip.

We are meeting early to try to ensure parking is available at the take out at Beaver Creek State Park. Please let me know if you plan to attend by posting on the club website or by calling or texting to 234-575-3650. Thanks. Looking forward to another great day on the river!

Last edited by JPTolson; 05-20-2023 at 08:27 PM.
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Old 05-12-2023, 05:29 AM   #2
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I'm planning on going to this run. The North fork a few weeks ago was a great trip. Looking forward to another adventure on Beaver Creek.
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Old 05-13-2023, 07:05 PM   #3
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I hope you have the right run in mind. JP and I did a scouting trip for the middle fork, Elkton to the park on the 9th. The group trip is scheduled for the 21st.
However the trip tomorrow(May 14th) is on the Mahoning River and the Beaver River. This is NOT the same trip. We leave from Coverts Crossing and paddle to Wampum, Pa. Check the facebook or TCT website for details.
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Old 05-15-2023, 07:24 PM   #4
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Default Trip Update

TCT,

So that everyone can make their plans around the scheduled paddling trip Sunday, May 21st, I want to let club members know there is a strong chance that the trip from Elkton to Beaver Creek State Park on the Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek will have to be changed to another location due to low water. As of 7:00 p.m. Monday evening (5/15) the US Geological Survey gauge at Grimm’s Bridge is reading 3.27 feet. A minimum of 3.8 is needed to run the section that is listed for the trip without constantly getting in and out of one’s boat to drag it across the stream bed where the water is too low. And there does not appear to be a great deal of rain forecast between now and Sunday that would significantly raise the river level.

I will be monitoring the weather forecast for any changes that might give us enough water as well as changes in river levels. I will post any change in location of the trip later this week, possible as late as Saturday evening.

Please monitor the club website and Facebook page for updates.

Thanks.

JP
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Old 05-19-2023, 04:55 PM   #5
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Default Trip Update

TCT,
It looks like we should get some rain overnight and maybe some on Saturday morning. But will it be enough to bring the water in the Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek up to a minimum level for paddling or could we get too much? I continue to monitor the US Geological Survey gage at Grimm’s Bridge (currently at 3.02, well below the 3.8 minimum). NOAA appears not to forecast water level for this gage. I may visit the put in at Elkton on Saturday afternoon to look first-hand at the water level. I will try to make the call on the trip by Saturday afternoon, but it might be as late as early Saturday evening. Please continue to check the TCT website and Facebook page. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
JP

Last edited by JPTolson; 05-19-2023 at 05:00 PM.
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Old 05-20-2023, 01:55 PM   #6
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Thumbs up Middle Fork Beaver River trip 21st

JP,

Hi there, I’m going to make tomorrow! Yea!!!!

If it’s still Beacer I plan on taking the long way to avoid the geese and break the bad luck Beaver trip.

Look for to just going anywhere so if it changes I won’t be picky. See you all tomorrow morning.
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Old 05-20-2023, 08:00 PM   #7
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Default Middle Fork of Beaver Creek is Back On!

TCT,
I just learned that the Mahoning River is closed at the Route 108 bridge due to the trail derailment about 10 days ago. Therefore, I am reverting back to our original plan to paddle the Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek. (See trip arrangements in the first message of this thread.)

Please be aware that we may encounter areas of low water and boat scraping. I just don't know what the water level will be like tomorrow.

My apologies for all the confusion. I was unaware of the river closure until I posted the change in location message on the club's Facebook page earlier this evening. Someone then posted about the river closure. Stan Shiderly made a quick trip to the bridge and confirmed the closure. And we paddled through there just last week.

See everyone tomorrow at Elkton at 10:30.
JP

Last edited by JPTolson; 05-20-2023 at 08:30 PM.
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Old 05-23-2023, 09:55 AM   #8
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Default Trip Report

Six TCT paddlers in five kayaks and one canoe enjoyed a nearly 10-mile run down a beautiful section of Little Beaver Creek’s middle fork on Sunday, May 21, 2023. After a week of steadily falling water levels, rain fell Friday and Saturday right on cue, raising both water levels and paddlers’ hopes that there would be enough water to make it from Elkton to Beaver Creek State Park without dragging boats over the creek bed. Hopes turned to fretting by early Saturday evening when the gage reading at Grimm’s Bridge, 20 miles downstream, appeared to be peaking short of what seemed to be a minimum level for an enjoyable float.

Enter the low-water back up plan! As the trip leader shuddered at the thought of paddlers dragging boats an unknown number of times over an unknown distance, the back up plan began looking better and better. Shortly after visiting the put in early Saturday evening, the trip leader flipped a coin and guessed that the creek would not hold its water overnight. So he switched the trip to the Mahoning and Beaver rivers, the site of last week’s club trip.

Soon after notice of the change in location had been posted on the club’s Facebook page, a fellow named Adam re-posted a comment from another paddling page that the Mahoning River was closed at the railroad bridge where a train derailment had occurred about ten days earlier! Dave Manevich saw the comment and alerted us. After several calls to police departments and the Pennsylvania Boat Commission, no one could confirm the river closure.

Enter club member Stan Shiderly! Stan, who lives not far from the alleged closure, sprang into action and drove to the site. He confirmed that there was a barge in the river beneath the railroad bridge and bank to bank cabling blocking the river. Suddenly, the choice of walking boats now and then along a creek bed looked much better than paddling down river several miles and not being able to easily get around the obstructions or paddling UP RIVER back to the put in!

So we fell back to the original plan to paddle the Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek regardless of what the river level might be. And we are happy that we did! It’s a gem of a run down an intimate (narrow) creek with lots of class 1 and a couple class 1+ rapids. We saw a heron rookery shortly after the put in, a bald eagle (several times), a brood of wood duck ducklings, and a pileated woodpecker. We enjoyed a chorus of bird songs along the way. And we chatted with a fellow who was working to maintain Lusk’s Lock, part of the old Sandy Beaver Canal, a couple miles from the Elkton put in.

Though the creek was low and we bumped bottom occasionally, there was plenty of water for a very pleasant run. The low water gave everyone a chance to practice their river reading skills. We were on the creek for four hours and 20 minutes including lunch and leg-stretching breaks. It was another great day on the river!

Paddlers were Stan Shiderly, Dave Manevich, Dirk Doverspike, Jim Keenan, Brenda Walko, and JP Tolson.

Footnote: There is a tree down in the creek, river left, about one-half mile from the put in, where the channel turns sharply to the left. This could be a problem at higher water levels since the current was flowing directly into the strainer. We were able to get by on the right.

Last edited by JPTolson; 05-23-2023 at 10:06 PM.
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Old 05-23-2023, 11:54 AM   #9
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It was a great day on the water. The weather was prefect and the creek was lots of fun. Thanks to JP for putting together this excellent paddle.
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