Lively Creek
SR 73 to CR 676
| Difficulty | III-IV(V+) |
| Length | 6.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 100 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 10, 2021 |
River Description
Lively Creek can make for an interesting exploratory day if you're on the north end of Sand Mountain and your first choice is blown out. With a watershed of 12 sq. mi. at the put-in, this micro creek takes a lot of rain to get going and won't hold long. To complicate matters, the streambed does not channelize well in many places so it can be very bumpy in the boogie sections even with good flow through the main rapids. However, it is worth crossing off the list to get a few good drops as well as an invigorating hike around the Enormotron jumble hidden down in the gorge. Make sure you get an early start - the run is quite long, and will require significant bank scouting even if a group member has run it before, as it features a number of blind drops that have a proclivity for collecting wood.
The run can be broken into two sections of differing character, divided by the confluence with Guest Creek. Above this confluence, the run features tight but easy rapids underneath a gorgeous evergreen canopy. Similar to the Tellico in scenery (without the road) and difficulty, these first few miles offer a good warmup before the steep section begins. After Guest Creek enters on the right, the difficulty begins to increase, and a few rapids later you will reach the mandatory portage known as the Enormotron. After reentering the water below, a mile of fun boulder gardens will lead to the confluence with Miller (below the hair), and then the lake, where you'll need to paddle through a swamp to find your vehicle. The stretch of boulder gardens below the portage is a class harder than runs like Short or Sauty, and not advised for those still getting a feel for creeking.
A gauge is painted on the downstream side of the bridge, on the river left piling. We ran it at 11'', which we felt was a good medium level in the main rapids but low in the boogie water. Alabama Whitewater says 4'' is doable, but I wouldn't go below 8 or 9''. If you run it much above
...River Features
Put In
The run starts under the AL Hwy 73 bridge. There is a large gravel area upstream on river right with easy access to the creek. To check the gauge, cross the bridge and look down from river left; the gauge is on the piling there.
Double Drop
After a few warmup rapids, the first horizon line of note signals a small 8' double drop. Run anywhere except center left, where a rock hides in the base of the second ledge. At higher water, the wise will run the 2nd drop towards either edge to miss the hole at the bottom.
Single Drop
Shortly after the double drop, another horizon line is formed by the largest single drop on the run. This ~14' waterfall lands on a shelf on the left and center, but is currently (March '21) blocked by a tree on the far right. The best line at the moment seems to be to drive right over the curler above the falls, and then take the broken ledge center right to break the drop into smaller parts. This line is crunchy but it goes, without having to tango with the tree on the right bank.
First Sieve
Below the falls, the gradient slowly begins to increase. One rapid, consisting of a slot between two large boulders, is currently (March '21) a portage, as the outflow of the slot is blocked entirely by a number of large trees. The walk on the left is painless.
The Enormotron
The Enormotron certainly lives up to its name, and may well be one of the largest rapids you've seen on a creek. It drops around 50 feet through a hideous pile of truck-sized boulders and trees, and is unrunnable at any level. It begins as the entire creek necks down into a 4' wide slot sieve, where 90% of the water dives under a collosal rock before emerging from a room underneath. What little water makes it over the sieve soon leaps off the downstream side onto another boulder, and then continues through another series of large drops before reaching the pool below.
The portage begins from the left eddy below the Triple Drop; climb up the bank to reach a flat shoulder on the hill before walking downstream. Be sure to drop your boat and take a second to marvel at the monstrosity you're missing, particularly the room under the sieve rock where the creek emerges from the darkness. The final leg of the portage is a scramble down a ditch to the pool below. A rope would make this part easier.
Three for Three
The rapid in the runout of the Big One may look innocuous, but it harbors a nasty pin spot on the bottom left. In fact, three out of the four boaters in our crew pinned here, resulting in one swim; the fourth only survived because he portaged after witnessing the preceeding carnage. It may be easiest to portage this in the same go as the Enormotron, if the water is low to medium. At high water one could run center over some rocks upstream to miss the pin hazard.
The Boulder Gardens
This is why you came here: below the portage lies a string of excellent boulder gardens, all runnable and none exceeding class IV at normal water levels. It's a feast of boat and bank scouting, with plenty of blind drops that reveal the line with a quick peek from the side. Eddy hopping is the best bet here, with one person scouting rapids as necessary, to avoid getting bogged down and caught on the creek after dark. Wood and pin rocks are the main hazards in this section, so be wary and make sure to keep an eddy in sight at all times.
Closing Time
The final and longest rapid of the run begins behind an enormous boulder. The creek diverts around the left side, where a sticky pourover awaits tired and sore boaters. Below here, the action is continous III/IV for several hundred yards, with only small eddies available to catch your breath. After passing a huge landslide on the left, catch an eddy on the right; the final 5' of drop on this rapid is particularly junky at low to medium water and may require a portage.
Take Out
The takeout is on CR 676. When you're driving in, if you see a gate, you've gone too far. Park about 300 yards before the gate and you can paddle up to within 30 feet of your vehicle.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe ran this on March 26th 2021 after a 2.5'' rain event. The gauge level was 11'', but a tree stuck upstream of the bridge could affect levels in the future. There was lots of wood scattered throughout the run but none of the main rapids were shut down. Besides the Enormotron, only a sieve in the top section and the junky end of the last rapid required a walk from everyone; some of us walked around a log or two in the boogie based on personal preference and limbo skills.
I've updated the run description with information based on our trip. I think I got everything in order but be heads up for logs and rapid changes if you decide to run this creek.