Young Womans Creek

I paddled Young Womans Creek 5/2/2021 with 116 cfs on the USGS Gauge. I would put this as minimum level for a K1. I didn't need to walk any of the shallow spots but we did scrape quite a bit. At this level there were no class III rapids and only 3 that would justify a class II rating. There are quite a few strainers, three that I portaged, the rest I managed to get around, under, or through. The creek has steady gradient so there is no flatwater.

I paddled this at a little over 3'. No features or drops. It would be Class II except for the strainers in the top 4 miles. Very dangerous!

Gertler says the minimum level on the gauge is 1.4 feet. This is not right. I was there with a gauge reading of 2.15 and the creek was very low. The gauge is in a pool behind a 2' weir, and with two inches of water spilling over the lip of the weir registered the 2.15 ft. A couple more inches over the weir would bring the creek to life. Also, the difficulty level seems to be lower than class III, but perhaps a lot more water would bring it up.