Redwater
2) Helmer/Mtn View bridge to Hwy 34 (3.2 miles)
| Difficulty | II(III) |
| Length | 3.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 15 fpm |
| Gauge | Redwater River Above Belle Fourche,sd |
| Flow Rate as of 36 minutes | 29 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | December 16, 2020 |
River Description
'Lower' Redwater continues on from the Helmer Rd farm bridge (upper section take-out) until it meets the St. Onge Hwy, Hwy 34. It is pretty similar to the first section with the exception of a couple longer wave trains and one 6 ft dam. The dam is runnable but if you aren't confident in your boof, portaging might not be a bad idea. Note: This is not the notorious diversion dam that has taken several lives, that is on the other side of Belle.
Once at the end of the run, take out on the south side of Hwy 34 bridge, I've heard the campground owner on the other side of the bridge is not fond of 'trespassers'.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe ran this on 10/13/2020 and the water level was good (at just over 200 cfs) and allowed us to get through all the small rapids with no problem. However, the first dam (about 3/4 of the way down the run) should NOT be run. We portaged it as there are chains across the dam half way down the 6-8 foot drop that you would get caught on. You should portage to the left and there is a small path that takes you right around the dam but you have to put right at the bottom of the dam where it is pretty fast moving water and down a moderately difficult slope. Once you are back in there is another 2 foot dam in the run that is likely runnable but we portaged to the right of it and again it was pretty difficult to get out and back in. Once you are back in you are only 5 minutes away from the highway overpass. We parked a car in the campground just past the highway bridge and paid $5 to the owner who said that is what he normally charges for river access. He didn't give us any trouble at all. All in all it was a good run but a little more work than we had expected.