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Carp (Porkies) - above Shining Cloud Falls to Lake Superior (1.7 miles)

Carp (Porkies), Michigan, US

above Shining Cloud Falls to Lake Superior (1.7 miles)

Usual Difficulty	IV(V) (for normal flows)
Avg. Gradient	149 fpm
Max Gradient	194 fpm

Shining Cloud Falls

Shining Cloud Falls
Photo by Steve Corsi taken 04/10/05

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
Carp (Porkies)
virtual-130820	125 - 600 cfs	IV(V)	02h02m	~ 16 cfs (too low)
virtual-130820	Almost certainly too low for reasonable whitewater run. Virtual gauge estimates flow based from relative drainages of Carp vs. Black. Correlation is not assured.

River Description

For the 'hard core' explorers only. There is no road access from either end. For this reason, this river is seldom run.

You have a number of choices to access this run, none of them very enticing:

1) Park at Presque Isle Harbor, 6 mile paddle on Lake Superior (NE along shore) to the mouth of the river (GPS recommended to be sure you have the correct river mouth), hike 1.7 miles upriver to about 0.5 mile above Shining Cloud Falls, boat (and portage) the river, then 6 mile paddle on Lake Superior (SW along shore) back to Presque Isle Harbor.

2) Park at Lake of the Clouds (in Porcupine Mtn. State Park), 6? mile carry in (on park trails) to where the river is big enough to paddle, paddle and portage the river, paddle on Lake Superior (5 miles?) NE along shoreline (GPS recommended to be sure you have the right spot), hit the beach and hike 2.6 miles on a park trail back to Lake of the Clouds.

3) Shuttle/combo option. Carry in 6? miles as from option 2, and paddle out 6 miles as from option 1. This will necessitate a long shuttle (31.5 mile each way) from Lake of the Clouds to Presque Isle Harbor.

StreamTeam Status: Not Verified

Last Updated: 2009-11-23 09:50:21

Editors

Rapid Summary

Mile	Rapid Name	Class
-2.0	Note:	N/A
-1.6	Drainage Area	N/A
-1.4	Drop	N/A
-1.2	Shining Cloud Falls	IV
-1.1	Drop	N/A
-0.9	Big Carp Falls?	N/A
-0.8	Ledge Series	N/A
-0.7	Bathtub Falls	N/A
-0.1	Final Drop	N/A

Rapid Descriptions

Note: (Class N/A, Mile -2.0)

Since this may be (as likely as not) done by hiking upstream from the mouth, until one encounters too many logs blocking the river, and that starting point may thus change, we are measuring all features from the only real fixed point, the mouth of the river.

The feature list presented here is solely derived from satellite views and other online sources, thus may not be complete or accurate portrayal of what you'll find.

Drainage Area (Class N/A, Mile -1.6)

Drainage at this point (by my best calculation) is something just under 20 square miles. Looking at present satellite views, it appears that above this point you'll find an increase in deadfall blocking the river.

Drop (Class N/A, Mile -1.4)

Here starts a series of three drops in quick succession.

Shining Cloud Falls (Class IV, Mile -1.2)

A description and photos of this drop are available at: GoWaterfalling.

Drop (Class N/A, Mile -1.1)

A double drop starts here.

Big Carp Falls? (Class N/A, Mile -0.9)

Rapids and falls are nearly all marked a bit 'off' on maps. I think this may be the actual location of Big Carp Falls. (Though I could be as wrong as the other marking.)

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