Northeast Creek
"Gilpin Falls" section. "Gilpin Falls" covered bridge next to MD 272 to town of Northeast, MD
| Difficulty | V |
| Length | 4.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 70 fpm |
| Gauge | Big Elk Creek at Elk Mills, Md |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 28 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 15, 2022 |
River Description
The first quarter mile of run below the covered bridge is called 'Gilpin Falls.'
Walt Shank says:
There is one section below a covered bridge on Route 272 just north of I-95 that is most definitely the sickest thing in Maryland that I know of. It has been reported that Eric Nelson has run this and suffered some pain in doing so. I plan on getting out there next weekend to get some low-water pictures and a scout for a description.
The 120 ft/mi max gradient may not seem like much, but it's concentrated in the first quarter mile or so. It gets significantly flatter after that.Lat/longitude coords of the takeout are a SWAG.
Jay Seiler 2005-05-23 19:02:33
This creek is indeed sik. There is a gauge on Lum road off of 272 S below 95. We ran every drop at a little above 2.2. By every drop I mean 'The Really Long Continuous 6 Step Rapid'. The run begins(at the level we did it)on the right with some scrapey meandering slot moves for about 50 yards. Then you come to the first drop and the start of the steeper gradient. You know you are there when you see a pretty intimidating horizon line. I recommend scouting the entire steep part of the run, which is about 100 yards, before going any further. The easiest scout is on the right side-which is loaded with poison ivy and slippery rocks. You can also scout on the left from a big green pipe which runs along the creek-also loaded with poison ivy and not as good of a scout. There is a very good possibility once you run the first drop you will end up running the rest. Know what's there before going any further.
We have heard this first rapid may be named Mushroom- but we felt like it was more of a 'Hitting the Wall' type rapid. You approach the drop by peeling out of the river right eddy above and drive left and climb up over the 'wall' which is a large rock in the middle of the right channel where most of the water goes and ramps up on top
...River Features
Northeast Creek, Gilpin Falls - Put-in
Northeast Creek, 'Gilpin Falls' section. 'Gilpin Falls' covered bridge next to MD 272 to town of Northeast, MD
"The Wall"
The rock at the top to the left in the picture is the wall. You would want to boof off the left corner with a little more water.
"Go Right"
Pinned for a second and managed to free myself and bump down the rest of the run. needed a little more water... this is the bad place in Go Right- you can see why we called it that.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportHas anyone run this since? How is the rest below the V section?
Bob, you can get map links in most river pages (including this one) by looking in the right-hand column. The maps are pretty bare-bones (usually just a TopoZone and a Tiger map), but you can use them (especially the Tiger map) to zoom out and locate the sik run you're lookin fer.
Pinned for a second and managed to free myself and bump down the rest of the run. needed a little more water...
this is the bad place in Go Right- you can see why we called it that.
Its pretty easy to find on a Topo map. Roughly 30 minutes west of Wilmington DE. The gauge is right on Lums rd. from 272 South just off 95, its labled on the map as a gauging station, we check the level first and its a short drive up 272 north, maybe a mile or two from 95 to the put-in. You dont have to go to the gauging station if you dont want because the run doesnt require a shuttle, but its a good indicator of how much water you will have. I believe the covered bridge at the put-in is to the right on 272 parallel to the road when 272 crosses North East creek. The drop is hard to see from the road.
Ok, but where is it?
The rock at the top to the left in the picture is the wall. You would want to boof off the left corner with a little more water.
about to eat it
This is a post card I found on the web. I hope to have new pictures soon.