Independence,
|
|
Bradish Road to Old Pine Grove Road
| Usual Difficulty |
II-V (may vary with level) |
| Length |
2.6 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient |
85 fpm |
| Max Gradient |
100 fpm |
Independence River
Independence RiverPhoto of Adrian and Jim by Rick Sherry taken 11/12/2005 @ 450 cfs
Gauge Information
River Description
Most paddlers put in at Bradish Rd.
This is a really fun river, one of the best in the area, when it's running.
Phil Bonn shares:
"Having run this river for the first time just wanted to say what a blast! the putin can be found
by turning on to Austin Road from Pine Grove Road; there is a small white church on the corner.
Austin Road is on the North side of the Indy and is paved all the way up, versus Bradish Rd.,
which is dirt. You go up Austin about 2 miles until you see a sign that says "bridge closed" and
a dirt road going off to the right. Take this short piece of dirt road and you're at the
putin.
"The first mile or so of the Indy is continuous class 2-3 rock-dodge with 2-3 small drops or
slides under 9'. We scouted on the fly, eddy-hopping all the way.
"After that comes a much-welcomed flatwater stretch about 3/4 to 1 mile long. near the end of the
flatwater you will see large granite outcrops and boulders with a distinct horizon line. Take out
on river left near the dark colored boulder and scout the rapids here. The main part has 3
routes: the right channel is a series of small drops, the middle one a little harder 'z' drop,
and the left channel is a hard looking 'sluice' which more daring souls than I can try!
"After this come a couple of slides and a 12'(?) drop just before a closed bridge. After passing
under the bridge, the less adventurous types should eddy out river-right and walk the next rapid.
Here the main channel goes all the way left against a rock cliff for 60 - 70 yards, with a large
pillow of water along the whole length.
"The takeout is just downstream at the bridge for Pine Grove Rd."
Lat/longitude coords verified by GPS.
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2009-05-31 00:27:58
Editors
Photo of Bubba by Steve Graley (PhantomBoater) at 260 cfs on 05/05/02.
This rapid needs a good name.
This is the Big One, the reason why people run the Indy. It starts with a weird slide by an old diversion dam. Typically, the boater heads left for the big slide (pictured), although it's possible to head right for a narrow channel with a fierce hole. The runout leads the paddler to the boof at the bridge (next rapid).
This is typically regarded as the last drop of the Fat Lady. (Note the slide way up there in the background). You can see it coming by looking for the old bridge above the river. There are creases and channels you don't want to be in, but at normal levels, this isn't too tough a drop. Scout from the bridge.
Soon after the bridge is the last rapid. The intrepid paddler hugs the left wall and then heads out into the center through a chaotic jumble of boofs, holes, and messy stuff. Scout from the bridge.
River Alert
