Falls Branch
Rating: Classification III-V
Location:
Newton County, USGS-Lurton Quad.Put-in: Go North on Hwy 123 at Lurton to Spence Junction. To the right is a dirt road which is the way to Richland. There is a large pond on the left (this is the headwaters to Falls Branch) Go North on Hwy 123 for ~1.25 miles to the next dirt road on the right. (Shulers Point) Go ~0.7 miles on this road to a parking area in front of a burmed road on the right. Drag South down the old roadbed to a field and then down from the left (East) edge of the field to the creek. Target is just above the junction of the two upper branches where the old roadbed crosses. (Elevation 1830)
Reach the take-out by going back to Spence Junction and heading East on the dirt road. Take lefts at the two major intersections and head North on FR 1200 down the mountain toward Bass. Park on the side of the road near the low water bridge. (Elevation 890) The Shulers Point road does go down the hill to the confluence of Falls Branch and Cave Creek, but the FS gated it in the summer of 2001. But it could be used as an emergency access.
Gradient:
~150 ft/mile AVG on Falls Branch, 300 ft/mile for first mile.Length:
4 miles on Falls Branch, plus 4-5 miles on Cave Creek.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, Ben Hur and Mt. Judea rain gages, at the
Hazards:
Undercut ledges and rocks, overhanging branches, strainers, waterfalls.Description:
First known descent was April 22, 1996.By Cowper Chadbourn, Chris Anderson, Howard Elliot, Walter Felton (OC-1), Bob Hoffman, Lance Jones, Nate Kline, Robert Orr, Ted Smethers and Billy Williams.
The creek starts out on bedrock with a short slide followed by a 10-12 foot waterfall just below the confluence of the upper forks. There is a large rock in the left center of the drop and a narrow line to land in just right of center. Exit through one of two slots and over a 6-foot waterfall.
Now get ready for lots of action with very tight slots and boulder jumbles. Little bedrock is encountered for the next 0.25 miles. Many of the boulder jumbles offer pin and undercut dangers compounded with possible wood.
Note: the first run occurred after a series of wind storms resulting in a very large # of trees down across the creek. Portaging these trees was a major chore and led to the renaming of the creek by the paddlers as 'Dead' Falls Branch. Most of the drops were run.
Once the bedrock returns, have fun on the first couple of slides but be on the lookout for the point where the slide takes a sharp turn to the left in front of a large boulder. This is 'Nate's Falls'. The drop is entirely on bedrock, but two undercut boulders add some spice. Start with the entrance turn to the left followed by a tight turn to the right through a slot. The large boulder on the left bank is undercut and may collect wood. Main route is to exit far right and cut back left before dropping 10-12 feet through a tight slot requiring a hard turn back to the right. The crux is not pinning on the undercut boulder forming the right side of the slot. Optional route (water level and wood/debris dependent) is a straight line through a slot between the boulders and down through the final slot.
Several more boulder jumbles and slides are encountered shortly, topped off by a slot move into a steep 12-15 foot slide drop into a grotto pool.
Fast class II-III water takes you from the next mile or so from the tribuary on the right. Two small ledge drops signal the approach of 'Surprise Turn'. The creek takes a hard turn to the left as it drops between two boulders. As you enter the white foaming maelstrom, you think "This is going to be ugly!" But the foam is suprisingly forgiving and you shoot out with a big smile. Stay to the center/left and away from the undercut wall on the right and line up for the next 5-6ft drop.
Fast boogie water takes you to the confluence with Cave Creek as the gradient starts to subside. 80-100 ft/mile gradient continues downstream to the takeout on FR 1200. Be aware of strainers and willow jungles. A road parallels the creek if needed.
Like other micro-volume creeks, meaningful ratings are difficult to establish on the accepted International scale. At lower levels, the creek may 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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