Beaver Creek

I suspect that the gage has changed, or is different than the one linked here. The minimum suggested flow of 7.0 ft is 1 cfs. I ran this creek today at 8.26 ft when I put on, dropping to 7.99 ft when I took off (181-117 cfs), and it felt unpleasantly low. Almost every move involved scraping over and bumping off rocks.

Also, Kiku City Park didn't seem like a good takeout option. The gorge is fenced off there, and too steep to climb out of easily. There is a trail from the river up to Weedin Park, just down the street, but it's a hike. I paddled down to the Sandy, but the last part of the run is flat with lots of log jams. I wondered afterwards if the Jackson Park Road bridge might have been the best takeout.

Parts of this creek are constricted or steep enough that it's probably a nice run when it's free of brush and wood, but that isn't the case right now. The current likes dragging you through low-hanging brush, so be ready to shield your face with your paddle shaft. Two rapids have strainers in them, one I limboed under and another I avoided by wheelchairing my kayak down a trickle of water to the right of the main flow.

Overall, this run felt intense without much payoff. I'm glad I saw it. I don't expect to be back.

A better experience than it has any right to be, flowing through a gorge between neighborhoods in the town of Troutdale.

Picture taken at about 7.5'