Curtis Creek, NC

Curtis Creek

Curtis Creek
Photo by Gary Mitchell taken 2008-03-05 @ good side of low

River Description

Jamese on BT says: "A friend of mine did it a couple years back at a pretty high level. He said it was continous class 4+/5 with some small eddies and a lot of wood.

The description by Jamese is pretty correct. High water from the leftovers of a 2005 hurricane flashed this creek, scouring the banks in some locations. Gradient is fairly continuous and then occassionally steps up into steep defined stretches (note sections near bridge crossings). Curtis Creek road is currently closed (Nov. 2006)about halfway to the Parkway, so you can put on at the field beside the gate and run back down until it flattens for what is probably about 0.5-1.0 miles. Expect tight eddies, and I would look for at least 2 inches of rain in a very short time frame during the winter before even thinking this might run...that or a hurricane type of rain in the summer.

You can paddle all the way down to Hwy. 70 to add some mileage, though the section after your are in the Pisgah National Forest is relatively flat, and winds through a couple backyards.

For a map of the area, look here: http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/nfnc_fishing/curtis_creek.gif

There is a public bathroom at the campground; that's about it for amenities in this area until you get back to Old Fort.