Crooked Fork Creek

One of my favorite runs in the Obed System. I wouldn't do it lower than 3.4' and if you do it that low you will be doing some knuckle walking, but still worth it if you've never done it before. 4.0-4.3 is a good level for the intermediate first timer.
The river at the put-in bridge gauge is very narrow and a few inches on the gauge don't make much difference at Potters Falls. The highest I've run it is maybe 4.4' on the upper part and 5.5 on the lower part. We have run it as low as 3.4 more than once.

Posted for Karl Whipp:

Karl Whipp 2005-01-17 15:54:31

'Exiting the pool (below Lower Potters), stay river left and catch an eddy. You?ll see a big boulder in the center of the river half way through the next drop with a big pillow on it. You want to peel out of the eddy ferrying right, into the center and across the face of the pillowed rock into an eddy. This is a pretty cool move. I think the rock may be undercut, so don?t take it too lightly.'

Not only is this undercut, but its actually 2 rocks forming a sieve with wood jammed in it. There is a third boulder as well, just to the right and it is undercut in a BIG way!

Be careful out there.

Although the river left portage is more difficult it does have certain advantages. You can catch the eddy on the brink of the drop for a cheap thrill and then carry through the woods, lower your boat 10' or so, then scramble down holding on to roots. This sets you up to walk under the waterfall. When your under there notice the crumbly layer of oil shale that erodes much faster than the harder rock overlay, creating the undercut. Cool!

The huge rock monolith down stream of the plunge pool was once the top of the falls. During the flood of March 1929 (195,000cfs@Oakdale) the rock broke off and was hurdle downstream and burried in the gravel, pointing to the sky and leaning slightly upstream as if bracing against the flood.

Enjoy the scenery here. The rock garden below is a mess of breakdown detrius that has no rythm or reason.

That's the river left portage at Lamance Falls decribed above. Sorry!

Somewhere after Lower Potter's Falls
Try to have some momentum when you drop off this one.

Make sure you boof this pour-over and stay away from the undercut left bank.

I am posting this comment for Karl Whipp:

Crooked Fork - Us 27 to Camp Austin, III-IV (V)

We ran this fun little stream on 12/15/02. The US27 bridge gauge was about 4.2. This was a fun level, but I would like to see it at about 4.5 - 4.7. 4.2 was a little bony with lots of screw-ya rocks in the boulder gardens below Lamance Falls and I would have liked to see a little more cushion at Lower Potters Falls. Other than the above mentioned, it was a pretty good level.

If you don?t already know this, the water quality pretty much blows on this creek. Just a heads-up and a plug for Coca-Cola. Coke will kill darn near anything you may swallow.

Park, Plop and Drop.

Lower Potter's Falls with undercut rocks in the center.

Robert Martin writes 'I started taking the left line because you can see the bottom from from the left without having to get out of your boat and scout. Susan is not far enough left. Stu Thompson stopped snapping pictures after this to help rescue Susan. You must be far far left, and going fast to clear the hole. Susan spent so much time in this hole she had to change her mailing address. To make matters worse Diane Owens landed in there with her and they both began to recirculate. This is one bad little hole. After watching the carnage I stopped taking the left line.'

The poor quality of this picture doesn't do justice to this sight.

Dec 25 2019

The paddler's gage for Crooked Fork Creek is on the Hwy 27 bridge, on the upstream river left pilon.

He didn't even take on much water.

Wade Harrison running Lower Potter's Falls on Crooked Fork.