Paint Creek

Description:

This is the Paint Creek in Johnstown PA.  The creek itself is highly damaged and polluted by AMD and other things.  Each year there is a Paint Creek pick-up to fish trash from the creek.  The creek can be a class IV to V run depending on levels. On a low day you can find teenagers swimming in a few holes on paint creek soaking up that AMD glory.

Paint creek flows after heavy rain and run's more often than the gauge is listed.  Typically if the Little Conemaugh gauge takes on rain, then paint more than likely runs, or if the Stonycreek gauge hits 5.5ft, its more than likely paint is running.

There is a painted gauge at Carpentars Park.  The levels are as follows:

• Bare minimum (really jonesin' for it): now -16', was -12'

• Low-med (most mortal's minimum): now -12' to -9', was -6' to -3'

• Med (worth driving from a distance for): now -9' to -6', was -3 to 0'

• Med-high: now -6' to 3', was 0-6'

• High: now 3-6', was 6-9'

• Connoisseur: now 6+', was 9+

There are times Paint Creek can hit 3 feet.  Recent video footage shows Road Hole turns deadly at this level, and probably even below that.  I would cut off Paint at 1.5 feet using extreme caution if attempting this creek at 1.5 feet.

Paint put in is typically just up from route 56 where Little Paint Creek meets Paint Creek.  There are 2 waterfalls just above put in that can also be ran.  Little Sandy's Falls (Little Paint) is the easier of the two and more rocky, but have witnessed both being ran successfully.  Hit your boof.

Paint starts with 'Deal-Breaker' and continues its steep decent under route 56 all the way down to the Stonycreek.  After deal breaker tons of ledges and drops all the way down to the first named rapid,

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