The lower section of Kinderhook Creek as it falls over carved shale into the Hudson is quite steep with regular flow. This section starts in the town of Valatie, (meaning "Little Falls"), drops over a hundred feet in Stuyvasent (originally Glencadia meaning "creek region of simple pleasurees") and continues to the Rt. 9 Bridge in Columbiaville. However, due to numerous large drops it is not run in it's entirity. Usually river running is done on the upper section, and from Rossman Rd to Stockport.
Those visiting this area should also be sure to check out Claverack Creek, Stony Kill, and the Upper Kinderhook Creek.
Park and Huck - There are many large drops for park and huck; a combination of original formations, capped with mill dams. In order they are:
Beaver Mill (Valatie) Falls: Class IV, ~25 ft - A fun park and huck with great access runnable with normal flows. Keeping your bow up is mandatory to avoid a pin between the two lines. Put in below or portage on river right under the bridge. There is also a river left side of the drop which opens up at higher water, however care should be taken to avoid rebar and safety should be set at the bottom hole which can be very retentive at certain levels.
Upper Stuyvasent Falls: Class V, ~65ft - A no joke double drop, starting with a winding left turn which lauches onto a shelf before riding a tongue for a clean drop. Portage on river left.
Lower Stuyvasent Falls: Class V+, ~60 ft - An untouched drop with many options as dicey as the next. Portage river left.
Rossman Falls: Class IV+: ~40ft - *Unrun* Pick your spot and go. Be sure to check your landing first!
Hidden Gem Falls: Class V: A jumbled cascade falling about 50 ft with 3 distinct steps, this drop is acutally on a tributary to Kinderhook Creek and is visible from theshuttle route near the confluence with Claverack Creek. Be wary of the last drop and be sure to land far to the right.
There is also a Class II dam above Beaver Mill Falls which can be attained and then reached on river left. About 8ft tall it is a steep slide that drops into a 2 foot drop.
River Running:
All the stretches between the dams are class I-III and are best run starting at 4ft. The best section being from Rossman Rd bridge to the Rt. 9 bridge in Columbiaville. Put in on river left by the bridge and take out on river right at the fisherman's trail. The last rapid goes over a rock slide which can be scouted from the bridge, below the slide the river is affected by the tidal shifts of the Hudson. Playspots in the lower half will be affected by the changing tide. At high water this section is filled with surfing waves and at times a few very high quality waves at the takeout.
Other Local Runs:
Kinderhook Creek Section 1
Kinderhook Creek Section 2
Kinderhook Creek Section 3
Stony Kill
Claverack Creek
Roeliff Jensen Kill
Capital Region Area Reaches
Basic Creek Batten Kill Claverack Creek
Cobleskill Creek Fox Creek Hannacrois Creek
Hoosic Hudson (Lock 2) Kinderhook Creek (1.)
Kinderhook Creek (2.) Kinderhook Creek (3.) Kline Kill
Normans Kill (1.) Normans Kill (2.) North Chuctanunda Creek
Mohawk (Upper Cohoes Wave) Mohawk (Cohoes Wave) Poesten Kill (0.)
Poesten Kill (1.) Poesten Kill (2.) Quacken Kill
Schoharie Creek Stony Kill Wyant's Kill
Catskills Area Reaches
Basic Creek Batavia Kill Bear Kill
Beaver Kill (Delaware Trib) Beaver Kill (Hudson Trib) Beer Kill
Beer Kill, W. Branch Bowery Creek Bush Kill
Callicoon Creek, E. Branch Callicoon Creek, N. Branch Catskill Creek (1.)
Catskill Creek (2.) Catskill Creek (4.) Claverack Creek
Coxing Kill Delaware Delaware, E. Branch
Delaware, W. Branch Little Delaware Dry Brook
East Kill Esopus Creek (1) Esopus Creek (2)
Esopus Creek (3) Esopus Creek (4) Esopus Creek (5)
Hannacrois Creek Kaaterskill Creek (1.) Kaaterskill Creek (2.)
Kinderhook Creek (3.) Kiskatom Creek Mombaccus Creek
Mill Brook Neversink (1.) Neversink, E. Branch
Neversink, W. Branch Peters Kill Platte Kill
Plattekill Creek Potic Creek Roeliff Jansen Kill (1)
Roeliff Jansen Kill (2) Rochester Creek Rondout Creek (1)
Rondout Creek (2) Rondout Creek (3) Sandburg Creek
Saw Kill (1) Saw Kill (2) Saw Kill (3)
Schoharie Creek (1.) Schoharie Creek (2.) Shingle Kill Creek
Squirmer Creek Stony Clove Creek Ten Mile Creek
Thorp Creek Tremper Kill Wallkill
West Kill Woodland Creek Vly Creek
Google Map of New York Whitewater
New York Whitewater Paddlers Facebook Group
Beaver Mill Falls at the Rt.203 Bridge in Valatie. Dropping in 5 ft right of the bend in the dam on river left either turn right for the boof ledge leading to river center or break left to continue downstream and boof the "nose" for a clean drop. The drop is easily scouted from the stream-side park and bridge, and has access for easy lapping. Total drop is about 25ft.
Upper Stuyvesant Falls. The line is to go through the slot where the tree is snagged on river right- boof, hug the pool, and ride the tongue back to the right in a zig- zag. In all the drop is 65-70 feet. First run in fall 2012 at 6 feet, this will run down to 3.25 before the landing onto the shelf is bare rock.
A ~40 ft drop in total. Looks straightforward, just scout your landing.
Runnable only at times of heavy run-off, this was dubbed "Hidden Gem Falls," the drop marks where a small tributary stream drops over 50 feet down a steep 3 step cascade. While there is no set line, the final drop must be landed flat on river right to avoid a piton. From the putin at the Fitting Rd Bridge to the Urban St. Bridge the stream drops about 70 feet along W Ghent Rd/ County Rt 22
Just above the takeout. A series of shale ledges that create playwaves depending on flow and tide.
Kinderhook Creek had a 100+ year flood this September. Not sure what that means in terms of wood moving around, but much of what used to be in the channel from the road appears to have been pushed onto the bank or washed away.
10 years ago
by Alex Barham
Tell us about this gauge.
Permits are not required for this reach.
42.3153991699219,-73.7553024291992
42.4132995605469,-73.7553024291992
NA
We have no additional detail on this route. Use the map below to calculate how to arrive to the main town from your zipcode.
Shallow landings call for big boofs
Takeout Waves at High Water
Beaver Mill Falls at 6.5 feet
Rossman Falls
The Hidden Gem
Squirt Eddy
Upper Stuyvesant Falls
Rt.203 Play Wave
Takeout Hole
If someone gets hurt on a river, or you read about a whitewater-related injury, please report it to American Whitewater. Don't worry about multiple submissions from other witnesses, as our safety editors will turn multiple witness reports into a single unified accident report.
2010 marked the 25th anniversary of protecting the Black and Moose rivers! View an online video documentary on the Moose River and the early role that American Whitewater played in protecting this amazing river.
Log into the American Whitewater website and you can contribute to river descriptions, flow and access tips, and maps associated with runs you've done. You can even add new runs to the inventory!
