Walnut Creek, IA

Gauge Information

River Description

This creek only flows after local rain and can rise and fall fairly quickly. It consists primarily of street run-off and can be pretty dirty unless it has been raining for a couple days. The run is considered a class I-II except that there are often downed trees that can at times completely block the creek and require you to portage. Sometimes you can slide under or over them, but you need to be prepared to deal with the possibility of severe strainers.

There are several small drops along the run and some waves form at different locations depending on water level. The best drop is near the top of the run behind the City of Clive's baseball field as you pass under the bike trail bridge. There is also a series of three small drops as you approach the Walmart section in Windsor Heights that are great fun but hide some old bridge pilings at higher flows so be prepared.

The last real take-out opportunity is below the small drop at 63rd and Grand where parking is available. There is a nice wave that forms up here as well at medium to high flows. After that, you are probably doomed to float into the Raccoon River and take out somewhere in Waterworks Park. You can continue down the Raccoon River if you like but it is a wide and typically slow float for people who are running the creek. Also, there is a low-head dam as you pass under the Martin Luther King bridge that can cause trouble if you aren't ready for it. Best to portage unless the water level is high enough that it is completely submerged, at which point it doesn't appear to pose a problem. Still, better to be safe.