Briggs Woods Spillway/Ditch 166
near Webster City (0.3 mile)
| Difficulty | II-III+ |
| Length | 0.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 20 fpm |
| Permit | Permit is required with the Hamilton County Conservation. |
| Gauge | Mud Lake Drainage Ditch 71 at Jewell, Ia |
| Flow Rate as of 54 minutes | 81.41 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 14, 2020 |
River Description
Update 1/13/20
Briggs Woods is one of Iowa premier creek runs which only flows during heavy periods of rain. The creek is the outflow from Briggs Wood Lake and is great for running multiple laps. The USGS Iowa Mud Lake Drainage Ditch 71 is the best predictor if sufficient water is running with a minimum level of 83’ for good paddling:
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/uv/?site_no=05469860&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
The Hamilton County Conservation Board has asked the paddling community to obtain a special access permit due to past problems in the location (the issues were not paddling related). The permit is good for a year and can be obtained by submitting the following form for approval from HCCB Executive director (hccblammers@wmtel.net).
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The run is an action-packed, fast ride which consists of five ledge drops. This ditch drops nearly 20 feet in 0.3 mile, for an 'effective gradient' of about 60 FPM.
The first 3 ledges are 3', 4' and 5' drops respectively. Punch them at the center for clean landings. A short section of flat water precedes ledges 4 and 5, which are closely spaced for a cumulative drop of 6+ ft (try to stay right of center at the very bottom to avoid a SHARP block that severely dents and gouges boats and flesh). Ledges 4 and 5 can't be scouted from your boat. The best part is there's a trail that parallels the run allowing you to scout the section first, then bag multiple runs. Scouting is highly advised as there's a huge potential for strainers and beaver dams.
Two drainages feed this short stretch: one that feeds the lake/spillway which then merges with the other drainage (Ditch No.166) for the rest of the run to the Boone River.
Note: The cover photo above is t
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Log in to add a reportGroovy, nice to see all the added information for Iowa. Just a few pieces of info about ditch 166 / Briggs Woods -- The photo on the main page there was taken by me, of Jayd Janovich around 1996 or 97 and is actually the third ledge. Since the last time I saw the ledge around 2003, there has been considerable erosion lowering the drop height. I had to laugh when I saw the photo of the 'unintentional mystery move' because that was a feature back then too. In fact, we lost one of the Ioaw State University Kayak Club's best paddles there on that trip for exactly that reason. And I've spent a fair amount of time pinned to the bottom of that rapid myself.
Anyway, keep the faith. Nice to see there's someone still trying to kayak Iowa.
Same drop as the cover photo.
Ledge 3 (Baptismal Plunge) in foreground with ledge 2 in back.
Unintentional mystery moves are the norm on this drop. Nate Hoogeveen in bg watches as Ty gets a couple seconds of downtime.
Nate gets some downtime in his creeker.