Cattaraugus Creek,
|
|
Zoar Bridge to Gowanda (Zoar Valley)
| Usual Difficulty |
II-III (may vary with level) |
| Length |
10 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient |
20 fpm |
Winter on Cattaraugus Creek
Winter on Cattaraugus CreekPhoto by Ron Turney taken 3/26/05 @ 4 feet
Gauge Information
River Description
Cattaraugus Creek is a seasonal creek in the Lake Erie basin that flows through the
magnificent 400-foot deep
Zoar Valley
Gorge. This wild, isolated area contains the largest tract of old growth forest in New York
outside of the Adirondack Mountains. The Zoar Valley has been opened to logging. Visit the
Friends of Zoar Valley for more information.
Directions
To the putin:
Go to Springville; head South on Rte. 219 to the traffic signal past McDonald's.
Turn right at the signal onto Zoar Valley Road. (ZV Road has some steep ups and downs, but is
paved.) Take this road to the second bridge over the creek (approx. 8 miles).
Turn Left over the bridge; you will see a state fishing access area.
The trail is flat to the creek. This is the usual put in for the raft companies. Getting your boat
from the putin lot to the creek is a very easy, wide, flat path, lined with large rocks.
To the takeout:
Go back over the bridge; turn Left on Zoar Valley Road. Head toward Gowanda.
You will come to a fork; bear Left and follow the road past the Harley shop to Gowanda.
You will go over a railroad as you come into town; go left, then quick right.
This will take you to Main St.
Park behind the super market (directly across Main St.). You'll see a park along the creek with a
bike path. Take out on River Right, along the park. The bank at the takeout is slippery, a very
short walk to the car.
(Directions adapted from a post by Dave Meyer on the FLOW Massage
Board.
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2008-07-11 16:10:10
Editors
No guide books for this stream. If you know of a book that describes this stream please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 
User Comments
nothing too bad. I'd say it got better if anything. First off, there is a shitty strainer river
right on the first set of rapids (high wave?) after the powerlines. It was hard to avoid, stay left
or pull out and go around it. The next major change was the confluence. There was a lot of sediment
deposited on river right, so the confluence was much bigger. There are two nice shelves. The next
noticeable change was just after the crux hole which is still huge. Just after the hole there is
another hole that just comes up on you; when the river starts to wind to the right get ready for
it; i'd estimate 100 yards below the crux hole. Beyond that some stuff was a little bigger but
everything else is still there. If anyone has any other questions or wants to go you can reach me
at danalembke (at) gmail (dot) com Edit
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changes/strainers to look out for. Gonna try to hit Zoar this weekend if the water level is good. Edit
anyone know of an earlier put in before zoar valley, otto bridge? Edit
shifted completely river left into a fairly narrow channel. The high water brought a strainer down
right in the middle of the new wave train. Not a problem to miss at 4 feet but for those of you who
take family cruises at low water (2-3.5 feet), this area is a pour over into a decent hole with a
strainer at the bottom...not a good place to teach your kid how to boof. Dave Ray Edit
gauge, I observed two loops of cable about 30 feet from the left shore approximately 100 yards
below the first set of rapids downstream from the first concrete wall on river left above town.
They were about 3 feet and 2 feet in diameter, nested within one another and protruding about 2
feet and 1 foot above the water surface, respectivey. They were perpendicular to the shoreline and
directly in the line of travel down river left. While they were easily visible and avoided at the 3
ft. water level, at higher flows a boat could become entrapped in them. Bob Glanville
bridge fell into the creek- they arent going to fix it - its bean a year alredy. You have to take
the back way from gowanda. Takes longer if your coming from Zoar valley Edit