White Oak Creek

March 16, 2022. A trip with 4 open boaters and one kayak. Our group routinely paddles class 3+ so this run was well within our comfort zone. We were looking for an easier day with great beauty and plenty of time to chit-chat while drifting along. White Oak Creek delivered in spades. Level was approx 730cfs on the USGS Robbins gauge which is basically at Burnt Mill Bridge on Clear Fork; no complaints about that water level. We launched via Horseshoe Bend Rd to skip the first 2 miles (approx) of flatwater starting from the hwy52 bridge. Our group thought the scenery was fabulous and all agreed that it was mostly class 2 with the 'Slide' rapid being the sole exception, perhaps class 2plus at our water level. The 'Slide' rapid was easy to identify as the only mildly interesting horizon line; we boat-scouted it from the horizon's edge and saw that it was easy. Unlike so many others we paddled the 5 miles on down to Burnt Mill Bridge after reaching the confluence. The first two, maybe 2.5 to three miles below the confluence, at approx 730cfs, moved along with fairly steady water and a smattering of class 2+ drops. Clear Fork is so much wider, however, than White Oak Creek that all of those drops were easy to boat scout and you had a lot of leeway as to where you ran the drops. In the final two to 2.5 miles the water slowly significantly with long, quarter-mile or more pools between just four or five class 2 drops in the final two miles.