Great Miami,
|
|
a) Heritage Park (or Blue Rock Rd) to Obergiesing Soccer Complex (Formerly Dravo Park)
| Usual Difficulty |
I-II (may vary with level) |
| Length |
4.35 Miles |
Death hole Rev A
Death hole Rev A
Gauge Information
River Description
This almost forgotten set of rapids (just West of Cincinnati, Ohio) includes many distinct class I.
At higher water levels (3000 plus cfs) a few of the rapids might be called class II. Most of the
spots are long rapids with good standing waves and eddies. There are lots of excellent spots to
work on s-turns, peel-outs, ferries and eddy turns.
As you pass the Blue Rock bridge the drops get steeper and more frequent, and the higher standing
waves are definitely fun.
At the foot of the last rapid lies the "death hole". There is a clear path around it, should you
choose to avoid it, but it is quite punchable at all levels. From there, it is a relatively short
hop to the takeout.
Put-In: Heritage Park, located off of East Miami River Road about 2 miles north of
the Blue Rock Rd intersection. (Approx. a 4.35-mile trip)
Alternate Put-In: On East Miami River Rd just north of the Blue Rock Rd
intersection. (Approx. a 1.6-mile trip)
Take Out: Obergiesing Soccer Complex (formerly Dravo Park), located off of East
Miami River Rd. 1.6 miles south of Blue Rock Rd.
Other related or nearby streams: 50 Hole, Great Miami, Ohio (Class I), about
11 miles Southwest (downstream).
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2009-04-15 16:15:25
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. 
River Alert
User Comments
twice...on the second run one of them capsized and ended up in the strainer. Luckily they were
kicked off to the side. These strainers are decieving. When in doubt portage!
Rock Bridge are their, however they are easily passable on the River Right. Edit
down and found "Denny's Run" to be nearly impassable with three strainers across it. We portaged on
the island I as one of the FD guys recommend the same until Mother Nature gives us back our rapid Edit
a bit of scouting before running the wave train below Blue Rock Bridge. Edit
(Burwinkle Corn) who provided a tractor to drag the top of the tree out of the wave train. The
dangerous strainer is gone and the wave train below Blue Rock Bridge (aka Denny's Run) is free of
obstructions from beginning to end. WOOHOO! Edit
1500 to 3000+ cfm. For novice boaters, the wave trains after Blue Rock bridge got our hearts
pumping. There is an island seperating the flow and we used it to walk our boats back to ride the
waves several times. However, I wouldn't say that the average Little Miami or Whitewater boaters
would be comfortable running the 3-4 foot waves, but they can easily be avoided. Maybe I haven't
been there at the right levels, but Death Hole, if I am thinking of the right spot, has only been a
small depression downstrean of a large rock. As a side note, after I swam the entire length of
Entrance Rapids on the Yough, the waves here on GM actually unnerved me slightly... Edit
stream to the end of the soccer fields. There will be a path at the end of the fence. Walk down the
path and you will see the hole. Somewhere between 4500 cfs and 7000 there is an ok hole that forms.
at 5600 it's pretty much a front surfing green wave, but it is likely that at the right level a
haystack will form making it much better.
alert, however, for strong cross-currents at confluences of divided current. These can tend to be
grabby at higher water levels.
Undecked canoes will likely take on significant water at higher levels if they choose to run the
taller haystacks. Easier routes are almost always available, however.
The safest routes under Blue Rock Bridge to avoid the strainers on the bridge abutments are either
all the way river right or river left. River right is the easiest, but misses the play spot under
the bridge on river left. This play spot washes out above 3000 cfs or so.
Eggleston Park is another put-in that is perhaps a quarter mile shorter. The first rapid after that
put-in has a great set of ferry waves that run most of the width of the river. You can leave a
bicycle at Dravo Park and ride back to your car easily. Some decent waves and generally continuous
rapids until the takeout river left at the old bridge abutments. A fun run for the whole family
with relatively big water in comparison to the Little Miami or Whitewater rivers.