Taughannock Creek
1. Podunk Rd to Rt 96 bridge
| Difficulty | II-III+(IV) |
| Length | 1.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Fall Creek Near Ithaca Ny |
| Flow Rate as of 50 minutes | 1.59 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 7, 2016 |
River Description
This is a great little run, with a scenic gorge to boot. You need a good rain to bring it up, and it'll hold water for about 24-48 hours afterwards.
This section starts out fairly tame for the first 1/2 mile or so, and mostly meanders through glacial till. Shortly after the creek begins to downcut into bedrock, one starts to encounter the bigger rapids on this section. The first is Class 3+(4) and is a double-ledge drop (8 ft) onto a 100+ft 15-degree slide. Recommend scouting the first time. At this point, the creek runs through a gorge for almost the next mile. The second drop is Class 3(3+) and can be boat-scouted. There are a few class 2 wave trains for the remainder of the gorge. Just as the river turns a right-hand corner, and the Rte. 96 bridge comes into view, one begins the drop over the last significant rapid, a solid Class 3+(4) drop into a pool. Run it just right of center.
Take out on left bank either before Rte. 96 bridge, or continue the run down to the Falls Rd takeout before the triple drop which precedes the 80-ft falls. See the description of the section 'above the 80-ft falls' for more on this.
Finger Lakes Area Runs
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportJust paddled this at 4.2: a bit below Podunk Rd. (right above the slide), down to the 96 bridge. It was phenomenal. Solid class 4.
1st feature:
Long slide ends with a surfable hole (fast, bluntable). Start river left.
2nd feature:
Very similar to the first. Start river left and move slightly right. Even if you punch the hole, it'll catch and hold you. That can be good or bad depending on what you're going for. Could definitely work you.
3rd feature:
River curves into two surfable holes. Nothing hairy. Just great.
4th feature:
Junk cars in yard, river left. Fantastic sticky wave with a foam pile.
5th feature:
River curves to the left. Drop is class V in that it could hold you enough to drown you if you're not yet an experienced paddler. I didn't run it because I don't run Class V alone, given that my ego dissolved enough for that to happen about 4 years ago.
6th feature:
Sticky, river-wide hole after the bridge. Good fun, but the first hole after the slide is better.
There are decent wave trains in between each feature. The whole thing is pretty shallow, so tuck and roll as fast as you can. I exclusively wear a Sweet full face now, because my teeth are worth more than $400. I just moved to this area, and live about a mile away. Super psyched to have this in my back yard. It's a gorgeous area with great people and great food.
The biggest drop of this section. It is right next to the takeout with easy walking access.
This is a nice introduction to solid Class III / low Class IV drops. This section mostly consists of three sets of ledge drops, with the last at the takeout being the most difficult (forgiving low IV).
All rapids are straightforward and very forgiving, but nonetheless you need to have Class III skills to have fun comfortably.
- Peter Lo
Ran this yesterday with Steve Baker and Steve Benedict. The extra volume turned the falls before the 96 bridge into something we all ended up sneaking left. With ropes set, just in case.
Lots of deer fur scattered around where Pelle and I saw our 'friend' last month... :-o
Surf wave below double ledge drop was surging and not as pretty as it was at 2+ ft. Other surf waves came in, though. It's a good playboating run with a few thrills tossed in to keep you awake. :-)
This is a beautiful little 2-mile run with plenty of nice surf waves.
At 2.6 on the Fall Creek Gauge (who knows how well that reflects this other watershed), it was lovely surfing today, if a bit shallow on some of the slides. But definitely not bony. Very pleasant run and not at all scrapey.
I'll definitely come back - and not just because it's half an hour from my house!
Next time will leave more time for surfing and running the drops a few different times, trying different fun lines.
Also will leave more time - running the last three ledges 30 minutes after sunset was fun, but also kind of *interesting* - I've never really paddled by *feel* before. Definitely adds to the experience, LOL
Next time I hope there won't be a wounded deer above the last three ledges. Poor thing. I suppose it had been hit by a car or something. One leg wasn't working. We accidentally scared it into the river when we walked past and for a while wondered if it had volunteered to be our probe. While scouting farther downriver it retreated back to the shore, where it curled up against the cliff edge and pretended it wasn't there while we walked past about 2 meters away, pretending we didn't notice it pretending it wasn't there.
In memory of that poor creature I shall personally call the last three-ledge rapid 'Chef's Special.' :-o