Cuyahoga, Ohio, US

B. Broad Blvd to Front St (Upper Gorge [Sheraton Section])

Rookie Drop

Rookie Drop
Photo of Brent Laubaugh by Matt Muir (KHCC) taken 03/09/02 @ 475 cfs

Gauge Information

River Description

This stretch can be run up to 800 cfs, but you'd better be walking the dam. Much above 800, there's no sensible putin. Luckily for the prospective paddler, the Lower Gorge (Cuyahoga, Ohio Edison Dam to Peck Road) starts to become bigtime fun at that level.

Ol' Stuey got hisself famous (American Whitewater, 11-12/96--see the article by clicking on "Kayaker Soggy but Safe" along the right-hand edge of this window) by flipping and swimming at the dam. The videotape made the evening news. It's fun to razz ol' Stuey, don't git me wrong, but please be careful when accessing this stretch-o-wattah, because mistakes are very visible.

Photo: this is the kind of insult that the Cuyahoga has had to contend with over the decades. It keeps getting better, but we're a long way from a clean river. Thanks to Harold Marsh of Friends of the Crooked River for this shot.

This stretch of river consists mainly of three distinct drops.  The Dam, which is a typical low head structure and very dangerous, can be portaged on the left if the level permits.  After the dam work your way left and surf the wave adjacent to the diversion dam which is just below the cantilevered restaurant.  Make sure to wave at the diners while surfing this spot!  After the wave you drop over a small ledge and follow the main flow toward river right which sets you up for the first waterfall.  The lead in to Rookie Drop has a pourover which likes to backender the unwary.  As you head down the shallow channel, aim for the roostertail and set up to boof the 8-footer at Rookie Drop.  At this point, it is always nice to savor the view of the hotel and the gorge which is no longer like the insult in the above photo.  Next up is the last drop known as Staircase.  The lead in takes you through a riverwide hole where a flip will make for a very bad day!  After the hole, follow the tongue toward river left and stay tight to the wall.  Staircase is a 15-foot narrow slide into a hole right above a narrowing of the river. The bottom drops out as you go over the lip, and the water accelerates you down. It's kind of a hoot.  Make sure you stay left at the bottom of the drop as the right side is sieved out and contains wood!  After you bang you way down the narrow left channel below the Staircase is Ankle Buster, an ender spot which has a rock inconveniently placed. Still, it's one of the few spots in NE Ohoho that'll turn you vert, even in old-school boats...so, you gotta take what you can get.  For those interested in seeing a compilation of the 2008 trips, check out the short video www.youtube.com/watch. Here's another nice video from November, 2012.

While your adrenaline is still pumping from dropping ~60 feet in the last 0.13 miles, it's hard to image that you are in Ohio, let alone an urbanized area along the Cuyahoga. Savor this view because few others will experience the same perspective from the water level. Below Ankle Buster, it is just boogie water and 2 small drops before the flatwater. Now if we could only get the downstream Ohio Edison dam removed, paddlers could enjoy another 60 feet of drops over the next 1.3 miles! So while you are paddling the flatwater to the takeout think about the juicy drops below the pool and remember to visit the Friends of the Crooked River website and read about plans for dam removal in the Cuyahoga. 

Other related nearby streams:
Lower Cuyahoga (Class I-II)
Lower Gorge (Class III)
Tinker's Creek (Class IV)

Conservation Organization: check out the Friends of the Crooked River, who've been working on cleaning up the Cuyahoga and educating the public for 20 years.