Bear Creek
(Middle Big Piney Watershed)
Rating: Classification III-V
Location:
Johnson County, USGS-Fort Douglas Quad.Go 4 miles West on Hwy 123 from Pelsor (Sand Gap) and take Forest Service Road 1802 South at Bertha. The road runs the ridge on the West Side of Indian Creek. Drive about 1.3 miles and look for a deer camp on the left. Park at the camp and carry down the trail directly across the road. The trail immediately passes by a small pond. Follow the trail North to the end of the knob and follow the trail 3/4 down the mountain. The trail continues North and crosses a small creek. Bushwhack to the left on the North side of the creek to the main creek. This is where the 3 upper forks come together at the beginning of a long slide. (Elevation 1490)
Reach the take-out by going East from the Hwy 123 bridge over the Piney for 1/4 mile. The Hwy crosses over Sugar Creek in a right hand turn then curves left up the hill. Look for the first road to the left (South). Another deer camp is located here. A 4WD trail leads 1/4 mile to the creek just above the confluence with the Big Piney. (Elevation 720)
Gradient:
~185 ft/mile AVG, 300 ft/mile for first 1.25 miles.Length:
4 miles.Season:
Local FLOOD (Fall through Spring)Gauge:
Gage at Richland Campground should to be above 6 or headed that way.Look for 1.5" or more rain at the Deer and Ben Hur rain gages, at the
Hazards:
Undercut ledges and rocks, overhanging branches, strainers, waterfalls.Very tight in places (pinning hazards). Don't broach in "Mama Bear Falls" and beware of "Papa Bear Falls". The "Bear Trap" is a nasty undercut 3/4 of the way down the creek after section of class II water.
Description:
First known descent was December 12, 1999.By Lance Jones, Cowper Chadbourn, Greg Churan, Shelby Johnson, Mitchell Ford, Graham Henry and Jeff Riley. The creek starts out fast and narrow with a 50-60 yard long stair stepping slide ending in a steep funnel dropping 10-12 feet. The creek is very narrow as is starts to cut into the gorge, several long slides and boulder fields are encountered in the first 1/2 mile. At this point be on the lookout for a small creek crashing in on the left. Immediately below the confluence is the "Bear Pin". A cluttered approach makes the left side boof difficult. A vertical pin is very likely with a missed boof.
A few hundred yards downstream the creek turns 90 degrees to the left as a small tributary enters on the right. Get out on the river left and portage the inside of the corner around the multiple logjams. This is the end of the warm-up. The creek drops 200 feet in the next 2/3 mile! Maximum gradient tops out over 550 ft/mile in this section.
After a couple of nice drops the creek sweeps to the right and cuts back to the left around a steep right bank. Eddy out and scout the next boulder jumble, "Bear Claw". There are multiple routes through the jumble and pinning is very possible. Low water runs through here are tight and bumpy.
Only a couple smaller drops separate the end of "Bear Claw" and the entrance slide to "Baby Bear Falls". This is a very clean and very beautiful 15+ drop. A gentle slide transitions into a 45 degree slope then empties into a fantastic grotto pool over a 8-10 ft waterfall. Enjoy the view and be ready to scout the next big drop less than 100 yards downstream.
"Mama Bear Falls" starts with a 20 yard gentle slide 20 feet wide then drops 15+ feet at a very steep angle as it funnels into a 4 foot wide notch. After leaving the notch the water fans out over bedrock as it pushes toward the left overhanging wall.
Eddy out above the next horizon line. Scout and/or portage on the left for the big boy, "Papa Bear Falls". The creek splits into two narrow slots around a large boulder in the middle of the 15-foot wide creek. The water drops 12+ feet from each slot into a 8-10 wide cauldron. The exit from the cauldron is through a 3-5 ft wide 15 ft deep sluice that is 50-60 feet long and makes a jog to the left in the middle. The sluice looked nasty at the low waters level, a flip or pin in there will be disastrous. The water exits the sluice over a 10 foot drop out of a wall into another picture perfect grotto pool. This was the only drop not run on the first descent. This is truly a unique drop.
The creek calms down a little for half-mile before entering a mini gorge recognized by the return of large boulders to the creek. Pick you way through the slots. The creek returns to calm fast class II, but don't get lulled just yet.
A small tributary will enter on the left as the creek takes a hard right turn. Again boulders reappear in the creek. After a slot to the left cuts back to the right along a steep shale bank, look for a very large boulder on the left followed by another very large on the right bank. Cut to the left immediately behind the first boulder and scrape down the boat-wide channel. The main channel stays to the right toward and UNDER the second Boulder. It is very difficult to recognize until you are right on it or know it is there. This one is apply named the "Bear Trap".
Fast class II water takes you the last mile to just above the confluence with the Piney. Look for the 4WD trail on the right just as a field comes into view.
Like other micro-volume creeks, meaningful ratings are difficult to establish on the accepted International scale. At lower levels, the creek will seem like a very technical Class III, with much rock bashing, scraping, and some portages. At higher levels, several rapids are expected to become solid Class V.
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