| Difficulty | I-III |
| Length | 6.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 21 fpm |
| Gauge | Rocky R at Us 64 Near Siler City, Nc |
| Flow Rate as of 54 minutes | 2 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | August 8, 2024 |
Data from Joe Greiner, local expert
Additions by Garrick Taylor - half baked paddler
Great alternative when the Lower Haw is too high. Lots of Class II rapids with some flatwater in-between. Some nice play spots to have fun. It is a narrow river so watch out for wood. The is a good squirt line a couple of miles in where a rock protrudes into the river from river left. There is an old stone wall back in the woods on river left at this spot.
More Class I-II rapids follow with some flatwater thrown in between.
Section of Class III about mid-way into the run. The river drops over an old 4-5' stone mill dam. This is followed by 100 yards or so of Class II water as the river bends to the right. This is followed a 3-4' ledge that forms a nice sized hole at high water. Following this is another 3-4' ledge with another hole. This is followed by a wave train that has a couple of 4-5' waves at high water.
A large eddy follows this where you can pick up the pieces or paddle back up to just below the bottom ledge to run the wave train again or to practice some surfing.
After this the river has a bit of flat water followed by more Class I-II rapids mixed with flatwater.
Class II rapids begin again and run for several hundred yards just before reaching the takeout at the NC 902 bridge.
Trip took 2 1/2 hours at 1-1.5 feet on the paddlers' gage.
Run just right of center. A small hole is at the bottom.
Eddy left to boat scout or portage if not confident. Then ferry river right to catch the main flow. If you stay right, you will avoid the bulk of the holes below each ledge. Once you reach the channel after the drops, watch for wood in the right channel.
This set of rapids is smaller than some of what is found earlier in the run, but is technically a bit more challenging. Towards the end, with the 902 bridge in view is a larger hole to punch or avoid.
Dec 11, 2024
We ran this at 730 on the Siler City gage and 660 on the Tick Creek gage. Meadow Creek was pumping pretty high as well and looked to have a decent drop at the confluence that we didn't run. The water was nearing the banks, but was not flooded, despite some low level islands being submerged throughout. Waves were in the 2-3 ft range throughout and 4-5 ft in the Wood's Mill area and at the end. There were some good surf waves throughout, but we had trouble catching them in our inflatables. None of the holes were sticky in terms of keeping you in them dangerously, but a few were big enough you'd need to punch to make it through (think WWC drops as a comparison). At this level the flat sections were not much of an issue since the current moved fast through them. Very good level if you have a roll and good crew to paddle with. There were no portages required although there were some floating logs and trees that seemed to be cracking along the banks on the way through. With very little play, the whole trip took about an hour and a half.
Nov 28, 2022
Apr 14, 2019
04/14/2019: Ran at level somewhere between 2000-4000. GREAT waves, no nasty holes, too many strainers to count (only 1 tree in main channel). Run took about 90 mins with minimal play.