Fall Creek Gorge Cearer- Thumb

River Description

This is a great creek (for this area) with a lot of potential. We've yet to catch it at high flow, but judging from the smooth rock bottom features and drops, combined with various rock outcroppings and vertical canyon walls, this should be an awesome run when the water comes up. At low flow it's mostly just sliding over rocks and can't really be run unless a significant rain event or snow melt occurs, but dropping over the biggest fall at the put in makes for a good time even when it's dry.

The section outlined here is publicly accessable by car only at the takeout. The entire length of this section is owned and maintained by the IL-DNR as part of the Fall Creek Rest Area just off of state HWY.57. If ariving by Interstate 172, take the Marblehead exit, turn right (south) onto Hwy.57, then immediately left onto Payson Rd (not sure what the current 9-11 address is) which is the first blacktop road on your left. If you cross a bridge on Hwy.57 you've gone too far and passed over Fall Creek. Once you turn left (east) onto Payson Rd, you'll travel a short distance before seeing the entrance to Fall Creek Rest Area on your right. Enter and park at the parking lot.

Good news! There are restroom facilities here! However, the park has limited hours and there is no camping. :(

*NOTE: THERE IS VIDEO SURVEILLANCE HERE!!! We've not had any run-ins about boating here and we hope we never do. They've got a sign specifically prohibiting people from climbing or rappelling here (which is too bad because it would be a great place to go) and we don't want to have a sign put up about boating also, so mind your P's and Q's please! We don't have many public places like this around here (this makes 3 spots within 5 hours of my house) so we'd like to keep in the DNR's good graces.

Once parked and unloaded, head down the foot path that runs on the river left bank of the creek. You will reach a wooden overlook from which you can see the last little drop and the opening to Fall Creek Gorge. Once you reach this overlook, you'll have a choice. Depending on the water levels, you can walk through the gorge all the way up to the put in, and play at any point you like. This is not recommended at high water as you'll basically be wading at the edge of rapids with a boat over your shoulder. The other (recommended) option is to follow the somewhat maintained trail that ascends to the top of the gorge and essentially follows the creek from above all the way to the put in. It's not a terribly bad walk, but logs are often strewn accross the path, and some of the path is loose and unstable at the beginning. If you're in shape you should be able to make it no problem. See the map (photo links below) showing the rough path to take to get to the put in.

If you walk the creek trail, you'll have to depart from the creek for a short distance just past "The 100 year old bridge" and follow the trail that way. If you follow the upper trail, you'll come out at one side of the 100 year old bridge. Continue past the bridge (do NOT cross the creek on the bridge) and you'll go down a slight hill with stone steps and meet up with the same trail that you'd be on by taking the creek trail. Follow this until you see the last and largest waterfall on the creek and then just find your way from there. There ARE trails that you should be able to see once you get there, but it's more or less self-explanatory from this point.

The creek consists of 3 drops, one at the take out (6-7 foot vertical slide with long horizontal slide after that and pool at the end) one midway, just underneath the "100 year old bridge" (2 tiered drop with 5 foot total drop from top to bottom) and one at the put in, (10ft fall with deep recovery pool at the bottom, eddies on either side). Just above the first fall (20ft upstream) at the put in there is a steel cable stretched from tree to tree at about 5 feet above the water indicating that upstream of this point the land is private property. I've not taken an active interest in engaging the land owner regarding navigability of the stream beyond that point as it seems a bit moot. I've looked at topo maps and there are some points that may be of minor interest upstream, but nothing at this point to warrant discussion and pursuit, so in short... please keep to the downstream side of the cable.

As you come to the put in and can first see the falls, you'll notice a VERY small creek coming in your right that you'll cross to get to the falls. If you hike upstream on that creek a little ways, there is a (usually dry) 5ft fall with a nice little slide on river left. The water is very shallow here, but if you're creative, you might be able to have some fun with it. Same rules apply here though: about 15-20 yards upstream of this is off limits.

I'll post more pics when we get them, and a video will come in a few days. I might be updating the class rating once we run it at higher levels, but right now it's based on the fact that the canyon walls make for limited take out possibilities in some spots, and the possibility for undercuts in others. Debris piles in the area and the presence of grass being matted down at certain levels on the banks indicate that the drainage area is large enough that significant water flows are possible, however time frames after rain events and the exact presence of features and hazards have not been evaluated so if you plan on catching this after a hard rain, bring your "A-game" because we simply don't know what to expect yet.