Thomas Creek
2. Gate to Hannah Bridge
| Difficulty | II-III(IV) |
| Length | 7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Thomas Creek Near Scio, or |
| Flow Rate as of 56 minutes | 4.91 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | February 23, 2021 |
River Description
This is a neat section of stream that locals visit when other runs in the area are too high. The rapids would be rated class II+ if there were pools for rescue, but some parts of the creek are nonstop fast with some bigger features, earning it a class III or III+ for continuousness at least when at 8 feet or more. The flow is reported in both feet and cfs and if you're interested in the conversion please see the writeup about the upper stretch (link below).
Brush and branches line the banks and the current races along the outsides of the bends, tossing unwitting paddlers into the tangling brush.
There are some sections with bedrock that forms lovely waves and holes for surfing. Some surf spots even have eddy service. A strong paddler with a fast boat could surf all day long. A beginner surfer will find lots of smaller spots to try out.
The Jordan Dam has been run, but it is a recommended portage (on river right). You will see why when you are there. It is located 1.8 miles upstream from the takeout, just before the creek passes under Jordan Road. The portage trail is begins on the right not far above the dam. Carry up the trail to the road above the drop, and back down to the river below it on the same side. You may have to carry downstream under the bridge or farther to find an easy launch spot.
For the last 1.5 miles the road parallels the river. Logging trucks roaring by will remind you that the top of the run feels remote, and even near the bottom there are only a few houses in sight from the water.
The stick gauge is 2.6 miles downstream from the Hannah Bridge takeout. It's on river right downstream from where Highway 226 crosses Thomas Creek near Shindler Bridge Rd. Because Thomas Creek rises and falls quickly, it's worth taking a peek at the stick on your way. Six feet is minimal, eight feet is a good flow and it can be run a fair bit higher. (At 8 feet i
...River Features
Put In
The launch is just outside the gate that keeps paddlers away from the upper section. There's a concrete (not log) bridge to river left and parking on river right, along the road, enough for 10-12 cars if they do it right. Don't block the road, especially on weekdays, due to logging traffic. The best trail (through blackberries) to the water is 20 meters downstream from the bridge on river right.
44.712439, -122.609523
Take Out
Hannah Bridge is a covered bridge and there's a small park parking and a toilet. The staircase to the river is on river left downstream from the bridge. Sheriffs actively monitor the area.
44°42'43.0'N 122°43'08.3'W
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportBe Careful About Trespassing
We were confronted by a property owner while portaging around Jordan Dam, so please be very mindful of private property in this area. “No Trespassing” signs have been posted along the road. The property owner seemed pretty angry and I imagine things could have escalated if we didn't paddle away.
At Jordan Dam, we followed the commonly used “portage trail” on river right, which does in fact cut across private property. After looking for alternatives, it seems you may be able to avoid trespassing by taking out farther upstream (approximately 200 feet above the dam), hiking up to the road from there, walking along the road until you’re downstream of the bridge, and then finding a route back down to the river.
Aside from the portage issue, the run itself was a good time. At a gauge height of 7 ft (about 900 CFS), the upper stretch was shallow in places and required careful line-picking to avoid getting hung up on rocks. There were several big wave hits and plenty of surfing opportunities. A bit more water would clean up some of the shallow features. We paddled it in packrafts.
There is a fair amount of wood throughout this stretch—mostly midstream logs with clean lines around them, plus numerous spots where the current pushes you toward brushy banks.
Flow: ~7 ft / 900 CFS.
This is Kanako's video (I wasn't even there!).
We ran it again at the highest flow we've seen yet and it was still a fairly easy run with good surfing. The speed was such that catching waves on the fly got a little harder. The corners with brush and briars overhanging the river were easier. Overall another sweet day on the creek. We're portaging the dam, which has a huge log in the middle. I think it would go just fine with a modern boat with good bow rocker--want to go over that seam, not down into it. But most of us are paddling our more surfy boats so we can get those dreamy wave rides.
There's a gap in the big tree early in the run now---you can paddle right through! The other spots where you have to avoid brush are still challenging but the run it worth it. There are some GREAT surfing waves out there even at this flow. This creek peaked at 9,000cfs last week so the wood is a little rearranged but it's all for the good.
We ran Lower Thomas between spikes of higher water and found it delightful for surfing even at 1050cfs. The riverwide log previously reported by Eric is still lodged across the main channel and would be devastating for an inattentive group. There is a far river right sneak which we were able to run in one-person craft. The route is to cut into a small side channel by going between clumps on grass on river right above the rapid. The side channel goes around a blind turn, and below that point you go under the tip of the huge tree that's blocking the main channel.
There is a river wide log about one mile down from the put in. It is a very stout one & may be there for a while! Otherwise, the run was clear.
There are two significant new pieces of wood on this section as of 2/22/21. The first is a giant log bridging the larger left channel. It is visible from the pool above the rapid. We had time to make it over to the smaller river right channel which was passable. The second is another riverwide log which bridges the river in the concentrated runout of an easy rapid. It was duckable at 1250cfs, but dicey. One of our number took off a couple of branches to make it better but this is still a serious move. It is possible to portage in the eddy on the right if the log duck does not look good. Aside from these two pieces it was in good shape and a really fun section for play!
There are no portages for wood at this time.
The Jordan Dam at about 800 cfs on April 2, 2017. This class IV (IV+ at high water) drop is a step up from the rest of the run, fortunately there is an easy portage on the right.
For expert boaters, or class IV boaters working to dial in their skill sets, that easy portage means lots of laps can be done.